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Thread: U-joint conversion.

  1. #1
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    U-joint conversion.

    I've blown up way too many guibos. To the point now where I'm sick and tired of replacing them.

    I want to build a one piece spline drive shaft and use a 1310 u-joint at the transmission.

    Anyone had good luck moving to a one piece shaft and ditching the guibo? Anyone making a yoke already or do I need to just plan to fab up an adapter for a flange?

    I already have a ton of old jeep Driveshafts I'll rob the slip from. I figured the diff side u-joint would become the next weak link. Or is there a different weak point I'm going to find by removing the flex joint from the system?

  2. #2
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    There is a good thread on this in the engine conversion sub forum: https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...d-yoke-for-E36

    TLDR: For the diff side: Call East coast Gear supply for a 6-bolt to 1350 flange, call Jags that Run for a 4-bolt to 1310 flange.

    Im not sure about the tranny side.

  3. #3
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    I actually had one of these JK yoke conversion flanges on the shelf. It's an 8 bolt design that uses 8mm hardware. I re-drlled it for 10mm hardware and it bolts right up. Now I just need to make a plug for the centric rings. Both the factory flange and this flange yoke have female centric rings.

    http://www.drivetrainamerica.com/310...p-jk-wrangler/
    Last edited by welchct; 10-25-2017 at 03:39 PM.

  4. #4
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    You probably do not want to spend the money but Drive Shaft Shop sells a chromolly one piece shaft with CV at diff end and adapter and U Joint at trans end. It adds some clunking and vibrates a bit over 100 mph on the highway but is pretty durable.

    If you have an E36, I assume you are using the heavier duty M3 guibo and are breaking quality versions of it like those from lemforder as opposed to junk dorman guibos.

  5. #5
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    I'm just going to build my own shaft. I have most of this stuff in stock. I'm also a Spicer dealer, so it's definitely not worth the added expense to me for their off the shelf product.

    With solid mounted engine and transmission and unbalanced tires, I don't think I'll notice the added vibrations at that speed. Lol

    It's an e46 and I've been buying the cheap ones ECS sells. I've gone through four flex joints and I'm on my second carrier bearings this year. I'm ruining one every other event basically.

  6. #6
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  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by welchct View Post
    I'm just going to build my own shaft. I have most of this stuff in stock. I'm also a Spicer dealer, so it's definitely not worth the added expense to me for their off the shelf product.

    With solid mounted engine and transmission and unbalanced tires, I don't think I'll notice the added vibrations at that speed. Lol

    It's an e46 and I've been buying the cheap ones ECS sells. I've gone through four flex joints and I'm on my second carrier bearings this year. I'm ruining one every other event basically.
    How much torque are you making?

    Mike
    IG: @mikevanshellenbeck

  8. #8
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    Hardly anything. Maybe 250lb/ft at the crank. Running a 3.43 diff and 205's. Everything is hard mounted though, so there's nothing to absorb shock load, except the flex joint.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by welchct View Post
    Hardly anything. Maybe 250lb/ft at the crank. Running a 3.43 diff and 205's. Everything is hard mounted though, so there's nothing to absorb shock load, except the flex joint.
    I have 600 ft-lb and everything hard mounted with a 3.15 diff on 265s and I have had guibos last me all season. How do they look when you pull them out?

    Mike
    IG: @mikevanshellenbeck

  10. #10
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    Rips with fibers sticking out everywhere.

    - - - Updated - - -

    ... and yes, I'm making sure they're in the right direction.

  11. #11
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    Well, I got my yokes built. But I ran into an even bigger problem. Seems the shaft is too long. The new yokes give me a driveshaft length of 55.25". Even with 4" tube (which wouldn't fit. 2.75" is the max diameter that will fit) to span that distance, I'd only be capable of 4900rpm, and will likely pick up a vibration closer to 4300.

    My only option is to retain the two piece design. So I'm going to swap over to a pillow block and a 31" solid tube rear shaft without a slip. Then use a slip shaft to span from that to the transmission. I should be able to spin the driveshaft up to around 6k RPM without any vibrations.

  12. #12
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  13. #13
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    I need to sign up for a new hosting site. I'll try to mess with it tonight and get some posted. They're up on our local drift club FB page, 501 Drift, if you care to go join and see.

  14. #14
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    You can load them straight up to the forum. So easy! Just click on that picture of a tree at the top of the "make a post" window and upload them right there.

  15. #15
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    Man, I use to be able to. Now there's no upload button. It just has the drop down to chose the photo off my phone, but there's no button to post it.

  16. #16
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  17. #17
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    20171103_111841.jpg20171103_155811.jpg20171103_105152.jpg20171103_105200.jpg20171103_102849.jpg

    Apparently you have to be on the desktop site and not mobile view.

  18. #18
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    Whoa, that is killer! Are you sure you can't create enough clearance to run a larger diameter single tube? My recollection may well be flawed, but I was thinking the only place that was really tight was where the CSB mounts in that tighter area? Even if the tight area isn't where the CSB mounts, I thought I had noticed that the tight area could easily be cut out to leave a nice spacious tunnel...

  19. #19
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    The biggest obstruction is the shifter. Beyond that, the factory tank, and several ribs in the tunnel create a tight fit. To get a 4" shaft in there I would have to ditch the stock tank, build a custom shifter and cut several reinforcements out of the tunnel.

  20. #20
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    What is wrong with a 3 inch shaft? I think my DSS one piece chromolly is 3.0.

  21. #21
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    Too long to safely be run at the speeds my shaft would see with the 3.46 diff and 205/40r17's I run.

    Screenshot_20171104-192900.jpgScreenshot_20171104-192856.jpg

  22. #22
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    I swear, there's an app for everything.

    Status: Someone put glitter in my oil. Wait. Why's all my oil outside the engine? What's that knocking?

  23. #23
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    When measuring for the app, do you include just the shaft or also the ujoint/guibo and CV?

    On my 08M3, I have a 2.75 od one piece carbon fiber shaft that measures 55 inches from the forward edge of the triangular guibo flange to the rear end of the CV and it works with 3.85 years and an 8600 rpm limiter and 295/30/18 rear tires. It retains the guibo but I am not counting the guibo width.

    The 3.00 od one piece chromolly shaft with u joint at front in place of the guibo and cv at rear is pretty close to the same length as above if I include the guibo (as a substitute for the u joint). I forget the exact measurements but it is very close. I run a 3.15 diff and 7200 limiter and 275/40/17 rear tires and there is noticeable nvh above 100 mph in 5th. I don't really like it. I have read that it's much better with a 6 speed conversion since the shaft is shorter. I am tempted by a T56 Magnum conversion -- much sturdier trans also longer.

    If you are not twisting the stock DS in two (like I have dobs) maybe just a heavier duty guibo would work. Could you adapt the larger later triangle flange and maybe even a later stronger DS?

  24. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by protomor View Post
    I swear, there's an app for everything.
    Those are screen shots from Spicer's website, where i found a convenient calculator.

    Quote Originally Posted by pbonsalb View Post
    When measuring for the app, do you include just the shaft or also the ujoint/guibo and CV?

    On my 08M3, I have a 2.75 od one piece carbon fiber shaft that measures 55 inches from the forward edge of the triangular guibo flange to the rear end of the CV and it works with 3.85 years and an 8600 rpm limiter and 295/30/18 rear tires. It retains the guibo but I am not counting the guibo width.

    The 3.00 od one piece chromolly shaft with u joint at front in place of the guibo and cv at rear is pretty close to the same length as above if I include the guibo (as a substitute for the u joint). I forget the exact measurements but it is very close. I run a 3.15 diff and 7200 limiter and 275/40/17 rear tires and there is noticeable nvh above 100 mph in 5th. I don't really like it. I have read that it's much better with a 6 speed conversion since the shaft is shorter. I am tempted by a T56 Magnum conversion -- much sturdier trans also longer.

    If you are not twisting the stock DS in two (like I have dobs) maybe just a heavier duty guibo would work. Could you adapt the larger later triangle flange and maybe even a later stronger DS?
    Well, the carbon shafts can definitely be spun much faster without becoming unstable, when compared to their aluminum or steel counterparts.

    One aspect of this that is probably overlooked by you guys who have been here, is I'm going to be running a slip and spline shaft like this.

    1984-1990_Bronco__85837.1482781028.jpg

    That slip and spline adds a lot of mass and has a very narrow diameter. This amplifies the instability at speed, over a large diameter tube. The weight and mass of the slip and yoke are much higher and this allows a jump rope effect to start much sooner.

    At this point, I'm feet first into this project and I've already sacrifice my stock shaft. I've yet to see anyone do a two piece shaft with u-joints and a solid carrier bearing setup like I have envisioned. So I'm going to keep plugging away till I have a working system.
    Last edited by welchct; 11-05-2017 at 10:28 AM.

  25. #25
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