The Shaft?

[Randytheroadrunner]

Sorry about the pun on the topic title. Does anyone make a driveshaft kit? I've been searching high and low, and I've found trannies and rear ends, transfer cases galore, but no drive shaft kits. I've got several builds going now and I need a few driveshafts.

[peter31a]

That's a good question for which I have no answer. The only thing I can say is a lot of people make their own with tubing and cut off the universals to add to end of tubing.

[Eshaver]

That's a good question for which I have no answer. The only thing I can say is a lot of people make their own with tubing and cut off the universals to add to end of tubing.

That's what I do too...............

[MsDano85gt]

I have quite a few shafts in my parts box looking for anything specific?

[southpier]

kind of connected (ha ha): who makes a detailed universal?

[Monty]

kind of connected (ha ha): who makes a detailed universal?

I posed that question to our resin casters about a year ago but didn't receive a single answer. Maybe there's something available in metal...

[Randytheroadrunner]

Seems strange that pretty much everything else in the drivetrain is available but drive shafts. Hey resin casters, this seems to be a natural to add.

[Tom Geiger]

I make mine from Evergreen plastic rod. I cut the ends off a kit driveshaft. Then I drill a small hole in both the ends and the rod. I use a small length of straight pin to pull them together. Add a bit of glue after you've done your fiddling, and you're done. The Evergreen rod is easier to cut than metal tubing and if you cut too short, it's cheap enough to cut another piece!

I even do this when building box stock since many kit drive shafts aren't exactly round or have a bad seam to sand down that makes them not exactly round. It's just easier to cut a fresh piece.

Edited September 5, 2013 by Tom Geiger

[Art Anderson]

Seems strange that pretty much everything else in the drivetrain is available but drive shafts. Hey resin casters, this seems to be a natural to adIr aww

It seems to me, as a former resin caster, that casting driveshafts would be almost a fool's errand. Here's why:

For starters, every car ever made on this planet with rear drive and a driveshaft has used its own length driveshaft--so which one(s) does a resin caster make? Couple that with a modeler making any changes whatsoever in the rear axle/differential unit used, also with any change in transmission or engine (which would affect the overall length of the selected engine and tranny), and certainly any moving forward or back of either engine or rear axle complicates matters even more. Further complicating this is the simple fact that the virtually standard way of mounting the driveshaft in any model car is by a small locating pin at each end--one going into a hole in the differential unit, the other into the tailshaft housing of the transmission.

While the first issue complicates any decision(s) on the part of an aftermarket producer as to just which driveshafts to make, the second one would be the rather small diameter locating pins at the ends which would not only make the part more difficult to cast consistently, but would necessarily result in a more than usual fragile part (resin in smaller material thicknesses can break VERY easily!).

Would not a simpler solution for all concerned be for a resin caster to cut the U-joints off a styrene driveshaft, remove the factory locating pin, then drill out the remaining universal joints to accept a length of small brass rod? I think so, and here's why: Using say, a short length of K&S 1/32" brass rod inserted through a styrene U-joint cut from a model kit driveshaft will allow the caster, once the necessary 2-part rubber mold is made, to cut more of the same brass rod to the same length as used in the master, place that in the mold, then pour the resin around it, which will cast a resin U-joint with a brass locating pin as part of the piece. Once this is done, all the modeler would have to do is to sleeve some K&S 1/16" tubing over the brass pin at the driveshaft side of the U-joint, with both U-joints, then sleeve a piece of 1/8" brass rod right over that. 1/8" in our scale being a scale 3.125" diameter driveshaft, that would work. Of course, to make a fatter driveshaft, just sleeve some 5/32" tubing over that, and so on! This way, the resin universal joints don't have to carry the weight of the driveshaft, nor be bothered by any tight clearance in the distance between differential and transmission--AND the resulting drive shaft can be any length the builder needs, along with not having to worry about an otherwise fragile part.

I used this very technique at All American Models whenever I had to make a rear axle casting (and even as axle shafts for several promo-style chassis plates I made) to provide an absolutely break-proof mounting of wheels on the kits using these parts. It works, and the only extra work involved was cutting K&S brass rod stock to whatever length was needed.

For any resin caster wanting to try this, drop me a PM!

Art

[sfhess]

Some of the best scale u-joints I have seen are in the Accurate Miniatures/Revell Corvette Grand Sport kit

[Bernard Kron]

Just to put my vote in for an aftermarket source for u-joints, I do a fair amount of scratch frame building and regularly rape kits from my stash for u-joints. I periodically run out. My favorite source has been the Revell '32 Fords. The actual drive shaft is certainly not the issue, the appropriate diameter styrene of metal tube or rod is readily available. How about a bag of 6 or 8 to make production worthwhile?

[mrknowetall]

I make mine from Evergreen plastic rod. I cut the ends off a kit driveshaft. Then I drill a small hole in both the ends and the rod. I use a small length of straight pin to pull them together. Add a bit of glue after you've done your fiddling, and you're done. The Evergreen rod is easier to cut than metal tubing and if you cut too short, it's cheap enough to cut another piece!

I even do this when building box stock since many kit drive shafts aren't exactly round or have a bad seam to sand down that makes them not exactly round. It's just easier to cut a fresh piece.

Yep! That's the way I do it too!

[johnbuzzed]

I think R&D Unique did make white metal u-joints at one time... I don't know if they're still around. Don't forget to keep the u-joints "phased" . I didn't know.

[Bernard Kron]

I think R&D Unique did make white metal u-joints at one time...

I have a pair in my stash, I've had them for years. They're very nice. I hold on to them for that ultimate emergency when I finally have stolen my last u-joints from my stash. Oh for the day when I can order up a bag 'o (u)-joints from someone!

[Dave Van]

I think R&D Unique did make white metal u-joints at one time... I don't know if they're still around. Don't forget to keep the u-joints "phased" . I didn't know.

They made a nice kit....just add brass tube and go.....but I think R&D is shutdown at this time...Might check with some online suppliers.

[crazyjim]

Hmmm. I think Crazy Scale Auto Parts is going to look into this issue.

[dimaxion]

I am looking for U-joints also . I am turning a "Pig's ear into a (not silk) purse" with the Lindburgh / Pryo Cord . Copyright 1955 BTW , you know this dog . U-joints would fit my "upgrade of details' so lacking on this kit . Thanx ..

I am looking for U-joints also . I am turning a "Pig's ear into a (not silk) purse" with the Lindburgh / Pryo Cord . Copyright 1955 BTW , you know this dog . U-joints would fit my "upgrade of details' so lacking on this kit . Thanx ..

[Randytheroadrunner]

After you build a few 4x4s, you blow through your "stash" pretty fast. I'll be waiting to hear what Crazy Auto comes up with.

[LDO]

Art-

No one offers a wide selection of model driveshafts, therefore your market data is irrelevant. Just think of the possibilities; every RWD car made uses a driveshaft. They could even be cargo in a flatbed. It could be the subject of a diorama: a guy opens a box from Summit Racing and inside is a new driveshaft for his Mustang. Modelers need to expand their horizons.

:-D

[Monty]

Hmmm. I think Crazy Scale Auto Parts is going to look into this issue.

I hope you'll be able to knock this out quickly. Are you planning to create these on your own or modifying decent pieces like the Gran Sport's units? If your fabrication skills are anything like your casting abilities, I'll be waiting, cash in hand.

[Tom Geiger]

Hmmm. I think Crazy Scale Auto Parts is going to look into this issue.

Jim, I'd just cast the U-Joints and I'd cast them around a straight pin, burying the head inside the resin. Once dry you just need to cut off the length of pin. To use them, a buyer would need Evergreen round stock (or you could include a decent length of it) and they'd just have to drill it for the pin at either end once they cut the round to the right length. That's actually how I make my drive shafts.

[crazyjim]

I have 2 sets (don't know what they came from) in a mold right now. I should be able to sling some resin tomorrow afternoon. I sure hope they come out decent.

[crazyjim]

Here's what came out of the mold. There's 2 different U joints in the pic. What do you think?

[Casey]

I would make each u-joint a three-piece deal, as leaving them one-piece doesn't improve upon what you'll find in a kit. Using separate yokes and a spider, the end user can drill through both axes of the spider, pin one yoke all the way through, and pin the remaining yoke from both sides. With separate yokes, you won't have any mold lines to clean up, either.

[Art Anderson]

They made a nice kit....just add brass tube and go.....but I think R&D is shutdown at this time...Might check with some online suppliers.

R&D Unique's been closed since at least 2006 or so.

Art