i just bought an LS1 aluminum driveshaft from a junkyard ($125) and well it has some rust spots....can i sand it down and paint it? without it affecting anything? or can i just take a regular SOS pad and wash it down that that. as long as i dont really mess with the yolk part?

 

Ummmmm, Dude aluminum doesn't rust

 

well not all of it..just where the yolk connects...i dont think the yolk is alum. just the driveshaft part...can i wash that without touching the actual yolk..the thing in the middle?

 

just install it and dont worry about it.

 

No one is gonna see you have a rusty spotted driveshaft. Who cares? Install it!

 

do you have to change the torque arm if your convert to a 1 pice driveshaft? i definitly want to get rid of that 2piece crap.

 

no its a simple bolt on. should take no more than an hour for us slow folks.

 

does changing the drive shaft actually improve anything?

 

Less weight. It'll probably rotate easier, I'm not sure.

 

HUGE difference.

You can actually feel it in the seat of your pants. I swapped from the stock steel 2-piece in my manual '98 to the stock steel one piece unit. So I didn't even get the 1LE aluminum and I noticed a difference. Spun first gear relatively easily, and now if I catch it right I will spin half-way through second gear as well. Where as before I could only scratch second gear.

Stock 2-piece weighs 34 pounds. Stock steel 1-piece weighs 15 pounds. So you'll lose 18 pounds off your drivetrain. That's shedding some parasitic drag, in effect probably like gaining 20-25 horsepower.

With the aluminum you'll gain a tad more. Plus you get the strength and piece of mind with a 1-piece.

I paid 50 bucks for the stock 1 piece steel unit. 125 aint bad for the aluminum and If I can find prices like that I'll swap again.

The new one will go in in about 5 minutes taking your time. The hardest part is dissconnecting the 2 piece driveshaft from the torque arm. That takes a while. But after that, it comes out as a 1 piece will, just be ready. It's heavy!

 

the steel 1 piece is more like 25lbs. and you won't gain anything close to 20 to 25 rearwheel HP from a reduction even to a slim 10lb 1LE units. most of what you gain is in the feel. the whole drivetrain becomes less rubbery and more responsive. you'll obviously be able to launch better. but if you get even 5 rearwheel hp from going to the 1LE consider that a decent gain. i remember seeing dyno slips on the web with before and after. and this was on an V8. the largest gain was 5 rearwheel hp, but peak HP only went up by maybe 3hp.

 

You need to watch more carefully to what people say before you respond to something they say. They may (like me) be choosing their words extremely carefully and being very precise.

If you go back and re-read my post I clearly stated...
Notice the part that said "in effect probably like gaining 20 to 25 horsepower. Which is true. If you gain 20 to 25 horsepower. You'll see a gain of about 4 or 5 HP at the rear wheels, and you can feel that difference. Much in the same way, parasitic drag, and the removal of it, is not gaining you horsepower, but it is free'ing up what is already there.

And, as for the weight, I did place both on a scale and I am correct. They are 34 and 18 pounds respectively.
For your reference...
The aluminum 1LE driveshaft weighs in at 12 pounds.
And the RKSport driveshaft weighs in at about 11 I believe.
And on down the list to the Carbon Fiber driveshaft from Trick Racing that weighs about 8 pounds.

Thanks.

 

play symantics if you want. the point is if you gain 25 rwhp you will easily drop .3 to .4 off your 1/4 ET. BUT, you'll be lucky to drop .1 sec. going from a 2 piece to a 1LE.

the lighter driveshafts DO reduce parasitic loss of power as you say. BUT, the reduction is not as radical as you're suggesting. that's why your gains will be just as modest.

your post is easily misleading (esp. for some others with little, real, hands-on knowledge). that's why i responded.


P.S.
if you gain 25hp at the crank how do you expect 80% of it to be lost in the drive train (having only 5hp go to the rear wheels)? even if you calculate parasitic loss at 30% you should see a gain of 17-18hp at the rear wheels, not 5. in other words you're saying our engines rated to put out 200hp at the crank only deliver 40hp to the rear wheels. that's absurd. so no, "freeing up" 5hp with a lighter driveshaft is not "like" gaining 20-25hp. its "like" gaining 7hp, to put it in terms you will understand.

see how misleading your post was?

 

zzzzzzzzziiiiiiiippppppppp........flame suit goes on

 

don't listen to the kids.......it's an easy swap other than removing the swing bearing mount from the tq arm as they said.......and you'll feel some sotp gain, nothing huge, but it's noticeable