The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop anybody weld your own driveshafts???

on my new project i have cut the drive shaft to shorten the front one. i am wanting to weld it myself. my grandfather used to do it but i can't speak for how well that worked out- it was before my time. ;)i was considering clamping it in a piece of angle and tacking 180 deg then turning it and reclamping and doing 90 deg then taking it out to finish. i can always take it in to get it balanced later. i will only use it at low speeds for now. any advice or knowledge will be appriciated. thank you, hr

I had a friend of mine shorten and weld mine. He actually ground off the old weld and pulled the yoke from the end of the tube. He shortened it, and reinserted the yoke then welded it up. It turned out great. Hes been welding all types of metals for the past 25 years and I trust him far better then I would myself.

One thing I would be sure to do is index it so the yoke can be put on correctly to be in sync with the other u-joints.

I never had mine balanced, he did an awesome job, and I have no vibration at speeds of 50+mph.

Jeff

You won't be driving in Dallas - Will you?

I've shortened driveshafts before. I just did one for my '52 3600. I converted the front driveshaft to open driveline for my heavy duty 3 speed. Photo
I shortened a front shaft from a 1 1/2 ton.
Do not cut the shaft and try to weld it back together. Carefully remove the yoke, cut the shaft down, preferrably with a pipe cutter, insert yoke and measure from the other end all around the yoke to get it straight. Tack one spot, move 180 degrees, measure again, tack, etc. My shaft is only about 30" long. I haven't run it yet, but I don't anticipate any problems.

Don't take this the wrong way, but if you don't consider yourself at minimum a "good" welder, don't try it. If you don't have a 220 volt welder, don't try it. I wouldn't screw around with a longer drive shaft either, best to let a professional do it.

As the former owner/operator of a driveline shop I think I can offer solid advice on this subject. I have literally made hundreds if not thousands of drivelines of all descriptions from the smallest of small to the largest used on drilling rigs. It is a simple matter but not for the inexperienced or under=equipped. It requires a lathe and dial indicator plus misc. small grinders, etc. not to mention skill and patience.

If you do not have these tools and the knowledge to use them then by all means take it to a driveline shop and have it done. Shortening a shaft is simple and inexpensive. It can be done while you wait if they are not busy. Done properly driveshafts do not need to be balanced. That is a production method shortcut to speed up manufacture.

Don't be misled by unknowledgeable people who don't know what they are talking about.

I shortened the one on my '56 with a cutoff saw and a mig welder. I have had no problem in over 6000 miles. I may be "unknowledgeable" about how it's done in a "real" shop but I have done several over the years. Never had problems with any of them.

I say if you have the tools, try it. If it doesn't work, take it to a shop.

I was about to chime in on this thread, but Dave said it all. Trying to do it yourself will create more work, and will probably cost you more money once you take the shaft to a pro to straighten out your mistakes. If you can work to a runout (wobble) measurement of less than .010" and put a perfect weld bead all the way around the joint where the tube meets the yoke, go for it!
Jerry

thank you all for your advice. i do want to try doing this myself, not just to be hard headed but for the experience aswell. if you guys would see the rest of this project the driveshaft would be the least of your worry. i have several 220 welders, dial indicators and holders, v blocks, i also have a lathe but it's nor big enough to put the chuck driveshaft in. i am not that worried about the weld it'self but getting it perfectly straight when the weld pulls it. i have welded lots of pipe together over the years and it's a little tricky to get it perfectly straight. i don't want to make any of the pros cringe, so sorry if i did. the truth id this will prob never see 3000 rpm's, but i still want to do as good as i can. like i said the whole project isn't perfect, so we will see. thanks again, hr

well i finished up on this today and i am happy i decided to do it. not saying i am rivaling any pro's or anything, but i think it will work. it turned out pretty well. thanks to everyone for their suggestions and advice. hr

it is not that hard i made a fixture and have welded many. also i have narrowed 9" and 12 bolt rears with no problems.

yes, i'm glad i gave it a whirl. i just had never tried it before. i remember watching my grandfather do it in the 70's when i was a pup. i have welded pipe before and had found it was sometimes a chore to get it perfectly straight. i haven't done that for years though. forgot to say oldbluetruck, i hope i don't have to make that long of a treck to dallas for a while.