i`m restoring a older cutdown race car and where it has a shortened wheelbase it needs a shorter driveshaft. are there places that could make one? one end has to be a 6 spline ,the other end a 10 spline. i asked before and got different replys. some say no way too hard....some said hard but possible ,so while i wont need one for a month or so i am asking for some advice. anyone out there had to do this before? appreciate your help and comments.......thank you j/m
It does not matter if one end is different splines. It's the ability to "index" the shaft so you can cut one groove at a time, then rotate to a predetermined degree, then repeat. I need to find out what type of indexing head can be used with a horizonal milling machine, so i can do splines.
You might wish to call the people at Mr. Driveshaft. They're in Wall, NJ. The local 4X4 guys swear by them for almost indestructible shafts. 1-800-887-6573
Call Jamie Frankland at Frankland welding in Balm Fl. He can do it. Have you heard of Frankland Quickchanges? Same guy.
Cnc-dude here on the hamb just told me about this place It's not far from my house and I didnt even know it you might want to check with them. http://www.hudlowaxle.com/
Most manual indexing heads are pretty heavy duty and not that cheap, although you might luck out and find a used one in good shape, of course with all the index plates. I've done "indexing" using a small rotary table set up on an angle plate and a tailstock to hold the other end. Quite a bit of set up for a one-off part. Bob
I would not mind the set up time. I enjoy working with the older machines I have...just learning how to make more things. Fun, if not doing it for income, and end up losing time.
Assuming this is an early Ford style setup, got room for a 6-10 adapter sleeve. This was a common part available at early Ford parts stores. That'll give you a driveshaft with the same splines.
For income, forget it unless the customer has deep pockets. The trick is to think of everything that you need up front and not have to break down the set up due to forgetting something, lol. Once the rotary table goes up, the miller is tied up. Small rotary tables are pretty reasonable used. I have an old 8" one that is in good shape. Bob
unable to use a coupler because i need to shorten the driveshaft........thanks for the replys tho.......am making a few calls today.........project is in hamb listed under "wild bill murphy super".......
I tried doing the spline thing for open drive conversions. I finally figured out that each spline is actually 3 cuts. It has a like a saw blade cut to form the edges of the spline and then a milling cut thru the middle for the trench to join the 2 outside cuts. If you simple run an end mill down thru there to create the trench (slot) the edges won't be perpindicular to the center of the shaft and your slot will look more like a trapazoid. Just like everyhing else about this hobby, it is more complicated than it should be.
Had a '40 ford shaft shortened to fit a Model A in the early '60. The welding shop was run by a former blacksmith. He cut the shaft and welded and did some sort of heat treatment, ran it behind a 238 Chevy w/ 2 4v carbs, never a problem. Not sure what they did, I was only 16 at the time. If memory serves me right I had to pay a whopping $20.00, but with part time pay at $30/ week that was pretty steep.
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