Is a Square-Tube driveshaft safe for rear of trail-only truck?

[OffRoad]

hey guys,

i've got a little sammy (don't knock em till ya try em ) that is gonna be trail only. it's got a regular driveshaft now, but if that goes... is it safe to make a square tube one for wheeling?

i want to do square tube for both cause when you spoa a sammy you've gotta put in the 1" spacer front and rear. if i made new driveshafts, i wouldn't need the spacer.

is this a good idea or not?

 

[marv_springer]

Yes!.... Last trip I broke my rear CV shaft (round) and had to drive back to trailer on the front [ ] one.... No problems - sides a little noise - up to ~ 40 mph.

Marv

 

[OffRoad]

thanks, did you have problem making yours? any hints or tips?

 

[1979jimmy350]

make sure you keep it well greesed up, you might even want to add some greese fittings so you can keep it greesed up

 

[marv_springer]

make sure you keep it well greesed up, you might even want to add some greese fittings so you can keep it greesed up

Well.... this is a controversial issue...

I actually prefer to keep mine dry. I think thick grease will collect more grime/dirt and do more harm than good. At least for the rocks this is the case.... I guess I'd add some graphite if I had some....

As far as tips, just try to engage things as good as you can so you keep things straight. I kept ~ 6" of round tube engaged inside the [ ] tube and just welded around it.

Marv

 

[1985_K5_Silverado]

hey guys,

i've got a little sammy (don't knock em till ya try em ) that is gonna be trail only. it's got a regular driveshaft now, but if that goes... is it safe to make a square tube one for wheeling?

i want to do square tube for both cause when you spoa a sammy you've gotta put in the 1" spacer front and rear. if i made new driveshafts, i wouldn't need the spacer.

is this a good idea or not?

Why not make new shafts, but out of conventional round driveshaft tubing?

 

[marv_springer]

1985,

The square ones are incredibly tough! Las weekend I high centered my rig ON the front d-shaft, front tires in the air, touched the gas pedal and the whole rig moved sideways going "clunk, clunk..." as the flats of the shaft hit the rock! And also you can get some ridiculous "slip" lengths out of the [ ] shaft.

Marv

 

[85mudblazin]

Yep what Marv said.

I run them in mine front and rear. They are super strong and cheap.

 

[pauly383]

BTW , a Sammi will fit in the back of a longbed k20

 

[85 Jimmy]

i see this alot in trail only vehicles, but how good of an idea would it be for a DD/weekend trail rig?


sorry to hijack

 

[muddybuddy]

i would think in a street driven truck at high speeds it would cause terrible vibs, maybe if its balanced?? im not sure u can balance them though. at most i would think you could get away with a square front shaft since its not engaged all the time

 

[OffRoad]

1, thanks for all the encouragement. i'm doing this when the time comes.

2. marv--- what kind of little buggy thing is that you're driving?

3. i should use reciever tube right? what size?

4. i'll put grease fitting on it. i live on the east coast. east coast = mud and water. and that equals mud and water in the driveshaft. if i put some grease in there it'll give the driveshaft something to slide on besides mud.

5. should the male end be on top or on bottom? (please note: i'm looking for both a real answer, AND a dirty answer here, so be creative.)

 

[marv_springer]

2. marv--- what kind of little buggy thing is that you're driving?

....wha..... ... You've never seen the "Marvzda"?!

I won't continue to hi-jack your thread, but you can read up on it if you search for "Beetle" or "Marvzda"

3. i should use reciever tube right? what size?

Yes. The big [ ] is 2.5x.25" wall. The small one can be 2"x.25" or 2"x.120 wall.

4. i'll put grease fitting on it. i live on the east coast. east coast = mud and water. and that equals mud and water in the driveshaft. if i put some grease in there it'll give the driveshaft something to slide on besides mud.

5. should the male end be on top or on bottom? (please note: i'm looking for both a real answer, AND a dirty answer here, so be creative.)

I'll try to maintain my clean reputation here and just say that I asked the female to go on top - and she did.

Marv

 

[az-k5]

There is a local machinist guy (Andrew - 77chevyk10) who runs front and rear square. It was a DD for a little over a year that way. He did 70+ down the freeway. The trick was in centering it perfectly.