[DeTomaso] Rear Bushings and Shafts

[JDeRyke at aol.com]

In a message dated 11/10/09 10:26:38 AM, artstephens at verizon.net writes:


> Question for the group,  drilling a hole in the shaft for the zerk 
> fittings must weaken the shaft?  Have any of the shafts ever broken,  either 
> drilled or not drilled?
> 
Gun-drilling each end of the lower shafts for grease passages and adding 
zerks to each end is a Gary Hall mod. I've not seen a drilled lower shaft 
break; Gary's shafts may have been aftermarket of some other steel than stock. 
Note- the hardened steel inner spacer must also be drilled- with a carbide 
drill. 10 years ago, I drilled our stock lower shafts and spacers; I can say 
that drilling two, straight 4" deep 0.060" holes in such good steel is slow, 
lube-intensive, nerve-wracking lathe work, to avoid a catastrophic drill 
break deep inside! But no problems yet...... 
I HAVE seen a stock, undrilled, seized lower shaft break- at an '80s 
autocross when the owner dumped the clutch. We had to use a floor jack to get it 
off the starting grid (with the lower end of the upright resting on the 
ground), and the scraping, grinding noises while it was winched onto a flatbed 
wrecker were awful. We never saw him out there again.... FWIW- J Deryke