drive shaft

rer_239 · December 22, 2006, 08:36:05 AM

2 questions
#1 i'm mocking up my '29 a s. coupe. right now its sitting on 14" rims. i'm about ready to have a drive shaft shortened to go from my 9" ford diff to a chev 350 auto. i have a set of 16" wires that would look better than the present rims. can i change to the 16" wires after the drive shaft?
#2 i need to shorten a gm steering column. does the column have to be completely disassembled to shorten the inner shaft?
thanks
rer_239

Dave · December 22, 2006, 09:00:09 AM

Quote from: "rer_239"2 questions
#1 i'm mocking up my '29 a s. coupe. right now its sitting on 14" rims. i'm about ready to have a drive shaft shortened to go from my 9" ford diff to a chev 350 auto. i have a set of 16" wires that would look better than the present rims. can i change to the 16" wires after the drive shaft?
#2 i need to shorten a gm steering column. does the column have to be completely disassembled to shorten the inner shaft?
thanks
rer_239

Yup and yup.
How much do you need to shorten the coloumn? The ave 2 shafts pinned together and set up to collapse in an accident. I dont remember how much you can actually shorten them. Or if it can even be done safely. Ill look in the garage todey cause i had a shaft out there.
Dave

GPster · December 22, 2006, 09:43:40 AM

To my recolection it's not worth the trouble to try and do anything with a GM column without taking it apart. Now the "Double D" tube over the "Double D" shaft does have some nylon pieces in it to prevent it from sliding one over the other. It will break on inpact so that they will collapse. I used to break them and use the holes in the outer tube as a drill guide to drill into the shaft. I would drill the hole in the shaft deep enough for 1/8" aluminum "pop rivets". I used the rivets with a long length so that the "set" inside the "pop rivet" would be in the shaft so that the collapsing of the column would only be shearing the "pop rivet" and not the set also. I read this 3 times and I'm at a loss of a way to explain it any better. GPster

Dave · December 22, 2006, 10:05:40 AM

Quote from: "GPster"To my recolection it's not worth the trouble to try and do anything with a GM column without taking it apart. Now the "Double D" tube over the "Double D" shaft does have some nylon pieces in it to prevent it from sliding one over the other. It will break on inpact so that they will collapse. I used to break them and use the holes in the outer tube as a drill guide to drill into the shaft. I would drill the hole in the shaft deep enough for 1/8" aluminum "pop rivets". I used the rivets with a long length so that the "set" inside the "pop rivet" would be in the shaft so that the collapsing of the column would only be shearing the "pop rivet" and not the set also. I read this 3 times and I'm at a loss of a way to explain it any better. GPster

I thin u splaned it purdy good Joe. Yep thats how they work. Ive never shortened on cause i didnt need to.
Dave :!:

enjenjo · December 22, 2006, 10:21:44 AM

On the driveshaft question, wheel or tire size does not change driveshaft length.

You can shorten a column without disassembly, but it's a PITA.

1FATGMC · December 22, 2006, 11:33:40 AM

Quote from: "enjenjo"On the driveshaft question, wheel or tire size does not change driveshaft length.

You can shorten a column without disassembly, but it's a PITA.

I don't remember how I did it, but I don't remember it being hard. Somehow I just collapsed the two shafts a couple inches and it has been that way ever since.

Maybe I took it apart, but I don't remember doing that :? .

c ya,

Sum

Leon · December 22, 2006, 01:08:29 PM

I shortened the column on the 54 and had to take it apart because the shift tube was easier to cut and reweld. The outer and inner I was able to compress with no trouble. I only went about 2".

GPster · December 22, 2006, 01:12:33 PM

Quote from: "1FATGMC"I don't remember how I did it, but I don't remember it being hard. Somehow I just collapsed the two shafts a couple inches and it has been that way ever since.Maybe I took it apart, but I don't remember doing that :? .c ya,Sum

It can be done with a hammer but you lose the safety feature, The shaft doesn't slide freely over the shaft beacuse there are re,nants of thr nylon piece between them. There is a feature on most of these columln where the outer coulmn sides within a smaller tube so that the outer column collapse but I usually cut the tube at the end and duplicated the lower bearing mount on the new end. GPster