OOPS broken intemediate shaft

[jpratt]

Last year after a car show I was on my way home when my 4 year old asked me to hit it after a stop signs. I gave it about 3/4 throttle and the snap... the car rolled to a stop. Luckily I was only a block from the house and the wife used her minivan to pull me home. Took out the trans and sent it to a buddy to rebuild it. Here are a few pictures of what happened. This one was built in Texas.

I bought another trans while this one is being rebuilt, Brian Hofer built.

 

[TurboDave]

I lost count how many times I did that. Until I finally replaced it with a billet piece. Try as I may, I haven't been able to break the billet shaft.

 

[Alky V6]

That's not a stock drum. Looks like a reworked stocker? There's welding around the base of the spline. I wonder whose drum that is?

 

[Alky V6]

Sure makes me cringe to read that someone's trying to break a trans.

 

[TurboDave]

Sure makes me cringe to read that someone's trying to break a trans.

I wasn't "really" trying to break it. It's just that it held up for all those years of hard racing out there in southern KA. :biggrin:
Still going strong.

 

[chris718]

looks like someone welded it up .i cant see that being good no matter how its done.

 

[jpratt]

looks like someone welded it up .i cant see that being good no matter how its done.

It came from a shop in Richmond, TX.

 

[jpratt]

What are the "correct" names for those two parts?

 

[Lee Thompson]

The piece that broke

Is the forward drum shaft. I have welded many without any failures. I believe that the type of weld is the difference. I wire weld mine which produces much less heat as compared to heli-arc welding them which is what that one has had done to it. Go ahead, I got my suit on. I'm not saying it takes the place of a billet piece but IMO is better than stock.

 

[Alky V6]

looks like someone welded it up .i cant see that being good no matter how its done.

I agree with Chris. The metallurgy and heat treatment is very, very critical at the location. Too hard to control by welding like that. Not to mention trying to control stress risers after the welding.

We played around with that with Neals car and it didn't make it past the first test drive. Granted we were not at all careful with filler rod material, heat and procedure. Just playing around. But it did show us how critical it was.

 

[Alky V6]

I wasn't "really" trying to break it. It's just that it held up for all those years of hard racing out there in southern KA. :biggrin:
Still going strong.

I know Dave. Just busting balls.