I have a stock 97 Camaro with an auto, with basic mods, but I will be in the process for rebuild to a 383 in a year or two. Is it wise to keep my Steel drive shaft it weighs 16 pounds and versus aluminum which is 10 pounds. Will this make a big difference? I heard that with slicks it could damage the aluminum but would it be better for that to take a beating versus the tranny and beyond?

 

The HP difference with aluminum is small. Here's a dyno test:

http://www.ws6.com/mod-1.htm

I've seen bolt-on cars twist the 1LE and LS1 aluminum shafts. A 383 with a blower turned a Lingenfelter 3.5" aluminum shaft into a (broken) pretzel. I like chrome moly.

 

I had a custom 3 1/2" aluminum drive-shaft with 1350 yokes built locally. Without the damper it ended up lighter than the LS1 drive-shaft. It has already been through one complete race season, so I don't expect any problems with it. Also, 1.48 60fts with 10.5 slicks.

WD