1 piece aluminum driveshaft experience please...

[sbird1]

The carrier bearing is not necessary. That thing is annoying as piss anyway. As for all of that rubber crap, I didn't touch it. Slid the old one out and then slid the new one in.

[94_240sx]

The carrier bearing is not necessary. That thing is annoying as piss anyway. As for all of that rubber crap, I didn't touch it. Slid the old one out and then slid the new one in.

I'm not talking about carrier bearing. I'm talking about just the outer bracket that holds the carrier bearing. 2 plastic clips are holding top and lower brackets together. If 1 piece driveshaft breaks, it should stay in there instead of flying around. Not sure it'll work that way, but just the thought.

[sbird1]

Sounds like preference. I just left it off because I hate that thing so much.

[94_240sx]

Sounds like preference. I just left it off because I hate that thing so much.

I'm not sure even that thing will fit, but I'll give it a try. If it fits, I'll just leave it there just in case.

[Didderson]

Leave the carrier bearing piece in place incase you bust a U joint or something your driveshaft won't go flopping all over screwing up everything in your trans tunnel.

Great thread +1
Modified by Didderson at 10:21 PM 1/26/2010

[94_240sx]

IMO i wouldn't leave it on. It'll just rub against the drive shaft if it gets loose and you don't want that noise. btw i've been watching this thread for awhile, great thread +1

Yeah, I'll test fit it first and remove it if it rubs. Aluminum shaft is 3", so yeah, it might rub. One more thing. s13 dust cover/boot should be bigger than s14's, so I'll buy that one and try. I have s13 and my transmission is from s14 and I removed dust boot to replace rear seal on the transmission. s13 people, did you have to remove the dust boot just like s14 people did?

Placed an order yesterday and received a tracking # from shaftmaster this morning. Turn around time is pretty quick. They don't keep it in stock. They make one after you palce an order.

I'll do the 5 speed swap soon and update this thread about the driveshaft later.

[M3SP5]

DOES ANYONE HAVE A ALUMINIM DRIVE SHAFT, ALUMINUM UNDERDRIVE PULLEY, AND LIGHT FLYWHEEL HOW DOES IT FEEL ?BECAUSE I HEARD THAT FOR DAILY DAY DRIVING ITS KIND OF BAD BECAUSE THE DRIVE TRAIN IS TO LIGHT COMMENT PLEASE

[94_240sx]

DOES ANYONE HAVE A ALUMINIM DRIVE SHAFT, ALUMINUM UNDERDRIVE PULLEY, AND LIGHT FLYWHEEL HOW DOES IT FEEL ?BECAUSE I HEARD THAT FOR DAILY DAY DRIVING ITS KIND OF BAD BECAUSE THE DRIVE TRAIN IS TO LIGHT COMMENT PLEASE

I've heard about that too. It'll rev faster, but at the same time RPM will drop faster too. I also got Fidanza lightened flywheel, so I want to know about this.

[sbird1]

I have everything but the flywheel. Feels great to me. No complaints.

[x240xdrifter]

I gotsa 1 pc. shaft

[My RB25]

I was just talking about this the other day to my boss, good thread timing.

I have a UA Aluminum Pulley, not flywheel or driveshaft. I've heard the pulley and flywheel alone can cause nasty idle issues at red lights. I never even thought if the driveshaft would amplify that problem. I was gonna ask and reasearch about the aluminum flywheel when the time came to do a clutch, but if anyone has some advice, now would be good

[sbird1]

There is no way the driveshaft would affect your idle. It doesn't move at idle so I'd say it's a safe bet that there are no idle issues caused by the shaft.

[My RB25]

That what I was thinking, someone mentioned the aluminum parts make the drivetrain to light, it makes the crank to light. The transmission freewheels in neutral.

[Gspec]

I just got a killer deal on a used DriveShaftShp one piece aluminum DS...($240 shipped!) and i gotta say it smoothed things out alot, esp on the freeway...car feels a little more responsive, but that could just be my imagination.

[positron1]

You don't have to cut it. You can just pry it out or use a hammer to bang it out. It'll just pop out like this.



Thanks you!!! I did some more research and I'd like to buy one with Nissan OEM u-joints. I'll keep in mind that shaftmaster is the better bang for a buck.

I already have s15 Helical internal in my open diff pumpkin, so I just need regular s13 drive shaft without ABS.

How o how did you get that freakin' dust boot off the transmission. I tried pulling it off with pliers and knocking at it with a hammer and no go. I'm currently trying to remove the dust boots from my SR transmission and my KA transmission so I can swap them out. I banged the KA boot up so I might just get another one but I still need to get the one off my SR somehow?

[ka24deColt]

+1 for shaftmasters aluminum 1 piece..

had mine for a while and the car definately feels more responsive than before.

plus you cant beat the price..

[94_240sx]

How o how did you get that freakin' dust boot off the transmission. I tried pulling it off with pliers and knocking at it with a hammer and no go. I'm currently trying to remove the dust boots from my SR transmission and my KA transmission so I can swap them out. I banged the KA boot up so I might just get another one but I still need to get the one off my SR somehow?

This should work. Put a wrench extension like this, and bang it out with a hammer. Don't work on one spot too long and move the extension around and hit. I'd spray PB Blaster also. Let me know how it goes.

[94_240sx]

Received the driveshaft right away and finally got a chance to take some pics. It's a good product and I'm very pleased with the quality. It's REALLY light. I noticed that it's about 5mm shorter than stock driveshaft, but I don't think it'll be a problem.

Side by side shots with s13 oem driveshaft

s14 dust cover on s13 shaft

s14 dust cover on shaftmaster driveshaft. No, it won't work. You have to remove it.

stock shaft has this small cover, so debris won't get to the seal

On the other hand, this one doesn't have it.

Close up shot of weld

Close up shot of joint

This is an oem loop that holds carrier bearing on s13 driveshaft

I'm trying to leave it on the car like this since loop is recommended by all aftermarket driveshaft shops. But, still I'm not sure it'll work like I expect.

More pics...

[positron1]

Man that is nice, I gots ta have it! You'll no doubt let us know when you get it installed about the difference?

[Rockwell240sx]

Great Posts. Thanks.Lookin to upgrade asapF the driveshaft carrier bearing

[94_240sx]

Great Posts. Thanks.Lookin to upgrade asapF the driveshaft carrier bearing

You are very welcome. I ended up spray painting u-joints with high temp rattle can. Somehow water touched it and saw rust building up right away. (Rained, and I left it right next to garage door.) They were not treated at all. It was just bare metal.

[sbird1]

So you still have yet to put yours in? It's not a big difference in power or response but it is noticable.

[94_240sx]

So you still have yet to put yours in? It's not a big difference in power or response but it is noticable.

Next week!!! Pedals and clutch hardline are in, all the necessary parts purchased, arrived and ready to go.

[bolenballa]

I got mine from shaftmasters as they are close to me. They even let me go back into their shop and check it out. (I'm a welder and wanted to see their set-up). They are a great company to work with.

[94_240sx]

I got mine from shaftmasters as they are close to me. They even let me go back into their shop and check it out. (I'm a welder and wanted to see their set-up). They are a great company to work with.

Oh, yeah. I could tell from the conversation I had with David and the quality of the product. BTW, Shaftermaster and Drive Shaft Shop both use Spicer U-Joints(Made in U.S.A.).

[94_240sx]

Finally, installed it. I love it!!!! You can really enjoy the torque from KA. It's bit noisy, but not too much. I had to fabricate dust cover though. Here's some pics.

I have s14 transmission going into s13. s13 dust cover is on the right side(black one). Unfortunately, it's too small, so won't fit on s14 transmission. I used a stainless steel container to fabricate it. I got the idea from turbo heat shield made out of a big pot.

I cut the mating piece from s14 and welded on to the container. Used a Dremel and some cutting wheels for all these.

It fits perfectly clearing everything under the car and driveshaft.

I also installed carrier bearing loop from old drive shaft and fits just fine. This loop is highly recommended by drive shaft shops.

[Soravia]

I'm planning a fab for the VQ swap. Thanks for the write up.

[sbird1]

Nice job on the dust cover!!! Looks great. I hate that carrier bearing loop sooo much. I just left it off of mine. It just holds the shaft more in place in case of a failure? Looks great man. Enjoy that extra wheel torque!!!

[positron1]

Excellent job! I swear everything on 94's car is ultra-clean! I am mad with the jealous!

[homeslicej2]

Nice job on the dust cover!!! Looks great. I hate that carrier bearing loop sooo much. I just left it off of mine. It just holds the shaft more in place in case of a failure? Looks great man. Enjoy that extra wheel torque!!!

yeah, using a one piece metal shaft without a loop is dangerous. If the joints or teh shaft fail the loose shaft will beat the crap out of the floor pan and if it breaks at the transmission there is a risk of the shaft stabbing into the ground and launching the vehicle into the air/flips/etc. The stock shaft, since it's two piece, would just beat the floor pan up (if the loop wasn't there or it broke at the diff). Anyone using a one piece metal shaft (steel or alum) needs to run a drive shaft loop in case of failure even if you're no where near the hp limits of the shaft. Check with NHRA or another drag race sanctioning body for guidelines/rules governing thickness and construction of loops. It'll let you pass tech (if you drag) or at least let you know how to build it right for max. safety. If you drop the $ for a carbon fiber shaft, were it to break, it would just broom (fray out in fibers) and basically "sweep" your floor pan clean and shiny.