[matty87]

right so the story so far.

up front we have some mystery 3 inch wide by heaps longer than standard leaf springs (starting to think they are out of a patrol) that we have removed leaves from and have got flexing nice.

in the rear we have a 3/4 eliptical setup with the original main leaf from the sierra as the 3/4 and a set of 2006 model 2wd hilux leaves (these are really long to) also with leaves removed.

the problem
both front and rear prop shafts are miles too short.
So we are going to have them extended.

My questions
-what is a good price for a drive shaft extension?
I would do it myself but dont have access to the balancing gear at the moment.
-should i also get the splines for the sliding extension on it extended as well?

cheers fellas

[Rusho]

I'm not sure you could get it extended as such. It would have to be a retube wouldn't it? If the shaft is extended the spline would be ok won't it? Just thinking out loud, am probably wrong

[matty87]

What do ya mean Rusho? I was thinking that the spline would need an extension as well as the actuall main shaft. It is a fairly deacent length we are out by can remember off the top of my head but yeah.

[Rusho]

Yeh your definately right, especially if your out by a long way. I don't know what I was thinking then You have mega flex by the sound of it...longer splines are probably the go.

[tanshi]

HiLUX shafts have a longer splined section. Come in longer shafts over all. And with only slight alterations will fit the bolt pattern on wide track drive flanges

[matty87]

Righto tanshi

do ya know how much longer than the zook the hilux drive shafts are. on my 2wd lux the rear drive shaft is mega long, but maybe the front ones out of a lux would fit.

[steve]

matty87 wrote:

in the rear we have a 3/4 eliptical setup

I would do it myself but dont have access to the balancing gear at the moment.

with that kind of setup is it only comps and general wheeling? If so, just make your own shafts and don't worry about balancing?

You could do a box front shaft to eliminate the spline issue. Is there a spline length issue? or just a shaft length issue?

Even if you drive on the road, don't worry about the front shaft. just make the rear one correct.

[tanshi]

to give you an indication on length the two piece shaft from the back of a 4x4 hilux is what im using. the back section of this is about 2 inches longer than a standard sierra front. You could also try and find a lwb sierra rear shaft as they are about 2 inches longer again than this.

the splined section is about 50 - 75mm longer on a lux than a sierra from memory.

2wd luxs use a different setup and are no good for this.

[matty87]

ah k thanks tanshi. im gonna say i dont recon 2 inches longer is gonna be enough.

and steve yeah with that setup it is for comps and just wheeling. its being built for mud guts a comp over here in the west and then maybe some more after that. its never gonna be licenced

so how does the box setup work ? just two length of square hollow section sloted one indide the other?

[31zook]

pic's please

[steve]

if it's never going to be registered of driven at high speeds don't worry about getting to fancy! Just weld it!

I extended my rear shaft by cutting the end off and sliding some tube inside the length, drilling some holes along the shaft and filling with weld to hold the inside tube. Then cut the other end off another shaft at the desired length and weld on the end. So it looks like a normal shaft, just longer with a tube inside, so it's pretty strong.

Yeah a few people use the front box section shaft, usually if they have problems with the shaft falling out, like if they have a shackle reversal. Yeah just two bits of box, that slide inside each other. Strong box, like 50mm or something.

[matty87]

Ah k sweet sounds like the go. will look into the square at the front and just what you did at the bac steve will def be cheaper thanj a drive shaft place.

31zook there are a few photos here: http://www.auszookers.com/index.php?nam ... pic&t=9165

but they are before a fair bit of the work the boys have done. im in singapore installing an fpso so cant take photos.

since thos photos they hav put bushes in got hold of some W/T diffs rebuilt the front suspension brackets and have started on the bracket for the 3/4 as well as refabbing the shakles to a bit better standard.

i think this weekend has been set aside for a heap of work.

[shep]

what is a fpso

[matty87]

FPSO stands for (floating production storage and offloading)

basically it is a bfo floating oil tank that sort of looks like a ship but it has no engines to move it. They take oil from an oil platform that pumps it out of the ground and do a bit of refining to it then store it untill the tankers come alongside at which point they hook up and fill the tankers with oil to take wherever they want to take.

[steve]

Here's some pics of my rear shaft. The shaft on the left is a front shaft with the end bit cut off. The short bit on the right is a rear shaft cut to the required extention length.

[MrRocky]

there are a few comp cars that run the box section shafts as it tends to be stronger than just tube, but alot of people with comp cars dont as it can have a tendency to walk the car sideways when it is sitting on an obstacle.
if you know what i mean.

[matty87]

yeah i know what ya mean.