[DeTomaso] Axles and halfshafts

[Steve Hawkins]

Hey JT,

Didn't you have an axle break backing out of the garage?

Steve

-----Original Message-----
From: detomaso-bounces at realbig.com [mailto:detomaso-bounces at realbig.com] On
Behalf Of JDeRyke at aol.com
Sent: Sunday, August 26, 2007 4:01 PM
To: wdemelo at cogeco.ca; detomaso at realbig.com
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Axles and halfshafts


In a message dated 8/26/07 5:31:36 AM, wdemelo at cogeco.ca writes:

<< I'm putting a winter parts list together and am concerned about the axles

and halfshafts. I've read about these breaking and making a ness of the
inner 
body panels.
I have 450hp to the wheels.  >>

OEM u-joints from the '70s & '80s are known to break in stock Panteras. If
an 
outer u-joint lets go while the car is rolling, the wheel-driven halfshaft 
will slide out on its splines & spin around under the inner fender panel, 
smashing and enlarging the hole,  debonding the fender panel from the lower
subframe 
or tearing brake lines. If it's an inner u-joint that fails, the halfshaft 
will again rotate around at full extension, smashing the transaxle cases.
I've 
welded up several ZF casess due to this. Late model aftermarket u-joints in 
stock halfshafts seem not to suddenly break like this. Spicer halfshafts are

smaller and take smaller F-500 Ford truck u-joints, so it seems OEM
halfshafts are 
certainly strong enough for your intended use, as long as you're not using 
original-equipment u-joints. I suggest NOT using the logo-u-joint covers or 
shiny grease shields, since just before a u-joint breaks, the failing cap
will 
begin spinning, leaving a circular mark where the snap-ring is. This is a
big red 
DANGER sign!
And as some have said, OEM hollow stub axles will occasionally break- in 
racing situations. The last one I'd heard of is Jim Saxton's GR-4
clone-racer. A 
stock axle broke at an open track event @ Willow Springs raceway some 15 yrs

ago and his 'mechanic' changed the broken axle for a billet Hall axle. 5
years 
ago (10 yrs later) at a Fun Rally open track, the other stock axle broke....

This car probably has more power than yours and ran only track events with 
gumball tires. Other semi-pro racers have said that its not racing that
breaks stub 
axles, its the duration of use of very high traction tires at very high 
cornering loads. 10-lap races will likely be no concern for many years, but
a 4-hr 
enduro WILL break stub axles. FWIW, they always let go where the wheel
flange 
joins the axle shaft. Inspection is impossible without carrier disassembly. 

Bottom line- if this is primarily a street car, don't worry too much about 
breaking outer stub-axles, as long as they're in good shape and are a press
fit 
with the bearings. Worry more about cracking paint and body panels without
an 
aftermarket chassis stiffener system, or breaking ring gear bolts in the
diff 
that are not safety wired.
Do change any original u-joints in stock halfshafts to new ones-  possibly 
ones with no zerk fitting drillings to weaken the assemblies. Good luck- J
Deryke <BR><BR><BR>**************************************<BR> Get a sneak
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the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour</HTML>
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