Driveshaft Repair..

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Here is the rear driveshaft that goes to a 10 wheel dumptruck..Came in in 2 pieces..Snapped like a twig when the truck got stuck in the mud with a full load..I did not do the machining..Just the welding..Needed a new tube so my boss fabbed up a thicker tube and assembled it..Shaft in the positioner..Front weld..Rear weld..200 amps TIG..3/32" Red End Tungestion..1/16" 70s-3 filler..One pass each..I get all the fun jobs.....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:You make me sick.............lol   weld it like you own it
Reply:Wait 'till Saturday.. ...zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Originally Posted by zapsterWait 'till Saturday.. ...zap!
Reply:Is that chuck used just for welding parts such as this?  How did you clamp it prior to welding to ensure that it was straight?
Reply:The 2 ends were turned in a lathe to a sharp shoulder..The tube was bored and faced for .010 shrink fit..Once it cools down just 4 tacks on each end and weld away!...zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Ok others can better answer that;however,the tube and "yoke" kind of snap or pop into place  as long as the tube cut is perfectly cut striaght.  Ver tight fit. weld it like you own it
Reply:Originally Posted by zapsterThe 2 ends were turned in a lathe to a sharp shoulder..The tube was bored and faced for .010 shrink fit..Once it cools down just 4 tacks on each end and weld away!...zap!
Reply:Nice work ZapDavid Real world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:Looks good - I wish I had a positioner like that, specially when working on driveshafts!  I guess I really need to start gathering the stuff to assemble one.  I have done several driveshafts now - mostly steel using mig but some aluminum with tig - and I usually end up rolling the shaft across the table with one hand while chasing it with the torch in the other hand.I'd be willing to bet you've got a truer running shaft now than most driveshaft shops would produce.  They really have low standards at most driveline shops I've dealt with.  I find it amazing that I've shortened or otherwise modified around 15 driveshafts and none had runout or balance issues.  On the other hand I was always the one at Panoz who worked with driveline shops making driveshafts for us and had a miserable time getting a decent driveshaft made.  How can the "pros" with all the right equipment do such a crappy job?  I started checking thier runout by chucking them up between centers in a lathe and saw up to .125" runout on a dial indicator on a 40" long shaft!  When I took the same shaft back to them and complained about they runout the answer was "it falls within Dana specs", so that is not the vibration problem.  All those troubles went away when we started using a shop in Michigan called Dynotech that specializes in ultra high speed balancing.  Anyway, my point is that a machinist doing it the way yall did usually results in a way better running shaft than the "pros".As a sidenote on future ones be very careful of that blue coating on the splines.  It is a weird PTFE coating that once it starts to wear off renders the entire slip joint as junk.  The coating is fairly thick, so if it starts to come off you get slop in the joint.  Jason
Reply:Thanks Jason..This shop has been doing driveshafts forever.We used to roll them by hand on steel rollers while welding with 7018...The driveshaft thats in the car in my sig I made in 1982..Still in the car...There is no real science to it..But the positioner makes life so much better..The joints have to be 180 out of each other with U-Joints on each end..Shafts like the one here need the centerline of a spline to line up with the centerline of the U-Joint as close as you can get it.Credit my boss with that..Just giving everyone the shaft tonight......zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Zap,This tool comes in very handy for driveline work. I don't know if they are still available, but I bought it directly from Dana's website. Pricey little mofos. I bought all the adapters to use it with different yokes and setups. Lincoln Power Mig 210MP MIGLincoln Power Mig 350MP - MIG and Push-PullLincoln TIG 300-300Lincoln Hobby-Weld 110v  Thanks JLAMESCK TIG TORCH, gas diffuser, pyrex cupThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 101My brain
Reply:I know you were just doing the welding Zap, but were you not concerned when your boss went to the stronger tube for the new shaft? I guess it is okay as long as he has calculated it out to still be the weakest link in the drivetrain. As a part time truck driver/heavy duty mechanic, when something has to snap, (and eventually it will,) I really, really want it to be the driveshaft and not anything else.Nice welding.-Ryan McEachern
Reply:When I was in school I drove dump truck.  An old international 1600 gas job tandem axle with hydraulic brakes.  It was a piece o junk.  One day they let me take the Dodge (bigger tandem) with a 250 cummins in it.  I got stuck in the dump site and twisted off the driveshaft with a full load.  That was the last time they let me in  that truck.    I had to shovel off the whole load before the tow truck could get it out.   Ryan is right, the dirveshaft makes for a nice fuse.  Much easier to repair than rear end gears.DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:Originally Posted by Joker11Zap,This tool comes in very handy for driveline work. I don't know if they are still available, but I bought it directly from Dana's website. Pricey little mofos. I bought all the adapters to use it with different yokes and setups.
Reply:......
Reply:I will start a new thread to answer you. Sorry Zap.Lincoln Power Mig 210MP MIGLincoln Power Mig 350MP - MIG and Push-PullLincoln TIG 300-300Lincoln Hobby-Weld 110v  Thanks JLAMESCK TIG TORCH, gas diffuser, pyrex cupThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 101My brain
Reply:Zap's sleeping, and it'll keep his driveshaft thread alive!Bring it on, right here.  I'm guessing it figure out splits between several u-joints or compensates for chassis level or something?
Reply:Looks like some kind of digital level to me.
Reply:Most yokes don't have truly accurate flat spots to take a reading.  Those designed specifically for drivelines give you an accurate measurement by bolting right up.Short of being easy to read and a little more accurate, they really don't do anything amazing.  They do have the capability to hold a measurement as well for hard to reach spots, and they will adjust automatically in a horizontal vs vertical plane.  I used the SmartTools one all the time.
Reply:Originally Posted by Ryan McEachernI know you were just doing the welding Zap, but were you not concerned when your boss went to the stronger tube for the new shaft? I guess it is okay as long as he has calculated it out to still be the weakest link in the drivetrain. As a part time truck driver/heavy duty mechanic, when something has to snap, (and eventually it will,) I really, really want it to be the driveshaft and not anything else.Nice welding.-Ryan McEachern
Reply:Angle finder.....for finding your pinion angle"The other fuse?"   WHEEL SPIN      really and truleyThe other of course is u-joint weld it like you own it
Reply:Although I've been away for awhile it's nice to come back and see the man (Zap) doing his magic. I got to ask "Are you afraid to tackle anything"? Nice work dude. PaulMiller 302 Trailblazer/Custom TrailerMillermatic 350P/Spool gunMillermatic 252Miller Spectrum 875Miller Dynasty200DxHypertherm Powermax 85Tracker CNC 4X8 Pro Table (Down Draft)Visit us @ www.specialtyrepairscustommods.com
Reply:Thanks Paul!Glad to see you back!Don't be such a stranger.. ...zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.