CV shafts in the works

[Icehouse]

That Ebay CV shaft looks like the same one I took apart. I think the zx short shaft was shorter..... But I can't remember..... I need to bust out all my parts and continue the battle.

 

It seems the way I remember it some of the shafts I took apart had the C clip and others didn't. Its been a while and I can't really remember which ones. I need to post more solid info in these posts so later when I forget I can look back :D

[thisismatt]

These are 720 axles:

 

http://www.autopart.com/axles/axle1983NISSAN720PICKUP.htm

 

I think the hardbody/pathfinder ones are shorter. I'm probably going to pick up an R180 and the CV's and check it out. I really hate spending the money on stuff that might not work, though :

[Icehouse]

These are 720 axles:

 

http://www.autopart.com/axles/axle1983NISSAN720PICKUP.htm

 

I think the hardbody/pathfinder ones are shorter. I'm probably going to pick up an R180 and the CV's and check it out. I really hate spending the money on stuff that might not work, though :

 

Tell me about it! You should see my pile of unused parts.... I got a bunch from friends but still had to buy some. Thanks Bleach :) It sucks to spend 45 bucks on shafts and after a few hours of cutting them apart your throwing them in the junk pile haha. I do know there is a lot of stuff that won't work haha. The problem I've been having is finding zx parts at pull a part..... They are just getting so old there not around so much anymore. I think I could make it work with 2 short shafts but that means 2 zx's.

 

 

Basically we both need to keep searching that way if we keep this thread updated we both won't have to send as much :D

 

 

So your thinking that there is an even shorter shaft? The one I took a part was out of an L powered 720 4x4, which now that I think about it I doubt that is the truck that my buddy got his shaft out of. Those are such rare trucks what are the chances to find one just when he is looking for a short CV shaft. Your thinking that the hardbody may have a better shaft?

[ggzilla]

Do you have any spare 280ZX front strut assemblies? with brakes.

[Icehouse]

Do you have any spare 280ZX front strut assemblies? with brakes.

 

Not to get to far off topic but why do you need them? If you run zx brakes you can't run 12 inch wheels...

[ggzilla]

I've been thinking about a R160 swap in to the back of a 1200. But the P510 suspension is too wide...now that I know about the short ZX axles, it seems it's a go.

[thisismatt]

I've been thinking about a R160 swap in to the back of a 1200. But the P510 suspension is too wide...now that I know about the short ZX axles, it seems it's a go.

The ZX axles don't make the 510 R160 rear end any narrower....and how does that have anything to do with front struts and brakes? :blink:

[ggzilla]

I want it all! But good point about having to go to 15" wheels. yuck. That is so 1980s.

 

The R160 is narrower than the R200, plus with shorter shafts (and narrowing the subframe) would it make it narrower?

[Bleach]

I want it all! But good point about having to go to 15" wheels. yuck. That is so 1980s.

the 280ZX came stock with 14's. :mellow:

[Duke]

the 280ZX came stock with 14's. :mellow:

 

You can even fit 13's over 280zx brakes if you find the right wheels.:D

[heirfaus]

So I read this thread and it excited me. I had set my mind on buying the 900 dollar CV's next winter, but if it can be done for significantly cheaper I'm all over it. And I always prefer the project to outright buying it.

 

A little confused when reading through the thread....

 

Ice and Matt, what are the parts that need to be found and measured to finish this thing up? Is it a shaft less tha 14.5 inches with the Nissan 27 spline? I have about4-5 yards I can go scower hear for some parts.

[thisismatt]

I want it all! But good point about having to go to 15" wheels. yuck. That is so 1980s.

 

The R160 is narrower than the R200, plus with shorter shafts (and narrowing the subframe) would it make it narrower?

icehouse was experimenting with an R180, not an R200. If you want to go more narrow, your best bet is probably just using the stock 510 half shafts which can be narrowed even further.

[thisismatt]

So I read this thread and it excited me. I had set my mind on buying the 900 dollar CV's next winter, but if it can be done for significantly cheaper I'm all over it. And I always prefer the project to outright buying it.

 

A little confused when reading through the thread....

 

Ice and Matt, what are the parts that need to be found and measured to finish this thing up? Is it a shaft less tha 14.5 inches with the Nissan 27 spline? I have about4-5 yards I can go scower hear for some parts.

My current idea is to use an R180 out of a hardbody or pathfinder 4x4 front which uses clip-in stub shafts with the 6 bolt flanges that have the 2 bolt grouping, same as the 280zxt OUTER hub flange. This gets me the 6 bolt flanges on both ends. Supposedly the hardbody/pf shafts have a bare inner shaft length of 13.5" and 27 spline inside the CV's. The outer hardbody cv is a rzeppa joint because it's a steering joint, whereas the inner joint is a tripod. The 280zx joints are both tripod since it's RWD (no high steering angles). Sooooo, if I get 6 bolt flanges on both sides, the hardbody bare shafts, and the tripod joints on both sides, I think it would be short enough to work, or I will have spent a bunch of money for a failed prototype :P I'm not sure if the 280zx bare shaft spline diameter is the same as the hardbody shaft diameter, but assuming both ends of either shaft have the same splines then the joints should swap no problem, allowing the use of the tripod and thus 6 bolt flanges on both ends.

 

I copyright/trademark/register this idea, so you have to pay me royalties/dues/copyright infringement settlements if you use it ;):D

[Icehouse]

The 84-88 200sx non turbo also came with a "C" clip R180 with 3.9 or 3.7 gears. The Axles are also the same as the zxt's as far as the 6 bolt flange goes. I hear what you are saying about the truck axle. So The truck axle has the same spline count as the zx? Not that it maters to much since most of the CV's have the "3 ball system" :D So if the splines are different you can use the "3 balls" from a different axle and make it all work. In my first pics the truck axle I had had more splines than the zx on one end.... Damn... You need to order that axle :D

[thisismatt]

The 84-88 200sx non turbo also came with a "C" clip R180 with 3.9 or 3.7 gears. The Axles are also the same as the zxt's as far as the 6 bolt flange goes. I hear what you are saying about the truck axle. So The truck axle has the same spline count as the zx? Not that it maters to much since most of the CV's have the "3 ball system" :D So if the splines are different you can use the "3 balls" from a different axle and make it all work. In my first pics the truck axle I had had more splines than the zx on one end.... Damn... You need to order that axle :D

I don't know if the truck bare axle has the same splines or not...it has the same number of splines according to a CV rebuilder I talked to, but he didn't know the diameter off hand. The wheel side of the truck CV is a normal FWD style rzeppa joint that is 6(?) balls, not a tripod, but I think the splines on the shaft are the same so a tripod could be put on in its place. I will probably be doing some salvage yard shopping this weekend...going out to barstow for some desert truck action, so I'll maybe check some yards there and bakersfield along the way.

 

edit: errr, so, my point is hopefully I can put a zx tripod on the wheel side of the truck shaft, or just get multiple truck shafts and cannibalize a couple. I already have 3 zx shafts and didn't want them to go to waste.

[heirfaus]

I went to 3 yards yesterday, and not a whole lot of luck. I did find an 86 and 87 200sx. I guess I should go pull the axles from it........

[heirfaus]

So when I was at the yard yesterday I was walking around in the mud and saw a bug with all the body panels sticking out. Saw the CV axle and thought, "hmm, that's intersting" thinking it would likely not work I kept looking for nissans.

 

Then I stumbled across this on the net today.

 

VW bug & bus CV joints

These joints have the same dimensions and strengths as the Porshe joints. The bus joints are slightly larger than the bug joints, just as the Porshe 930 joints are larger than the Porshe 914 joints. After talking with several bug drag racing folks, I became very confident that the bug joint could handle the torque of the Ford V-8 power plant. The main reason that the bus/930 joints are bigger than the bug/914 joints is because of the higher degree of shaft angularity in the bus shafts verses the bug, and the higher power of the Porshe 930/bus power plants. These two sizes of joints have differing 6 point bolt patterns using 8mm bolts, but the center spline size is identical to each other thus they can all use the same axle. With this in mind, I cut four circular discs to become adapter plates for the CV joints, with both bolt patterns for the big and small VW joints, out of steel plate. These plates are 4-1/4" outside diameter with a center hole of 1-3/8" inside diameter cut in them. After these plates were cut out, I welded them onto the Z wheel bearing companion flange that slips over the splines at both wheel axles, and the differential stub axles too. Then I took all four pieces to a machine shop, where they chucked them up in a lathe and trued the outer circumference, scored the circles to allow me to accurately drill and tap both bolt patterns into these pieces and not have any runout, and they trued the faces of all four pieces to eliminate the small amount of warpage due to the welding. I then had a company that specializes in high performance VW parts ship me some high performance custom length axles (1 inch shorter than the standard bug length) to complete the setup.

http://www.zhome.com/rnt/FordPower/HalfShaft.html

 

 

What do you guys think? He custom ordered shorter ones froma bug shop, hmmm............

[thisismatt]

Sure, shortened shafts has always been an option, but you still have to pay for that and find joints that work. The inner 280zx and 200sx joints (the ones that have the spline shaft protruding) are not user serviceable. They have a sheetmetal outer sleeve that is peened/pressed on and if you look at icehouses pictures he had to cut the ring to take it apart. That's my main reason for wanting to go with two of the 6 bolt style joints that come apart easily and can be put back together easily, and then hopefully use an OEM shaft that wouldn't need to be shortened.

 

No point in getting the 200sx shafts...they're too long. Unless you just want them for the joints, but again the inner one will require custom work to take apart and rebuild.

[Bleach]

I think a lot of that mid 80's 200SX stuff (S12) is the same rear suspension as the Z31. WIDE

Wider than a 280ZX rear crossmember, but basically the same design.

280ZX short shafts should be your target.

[heirfaus]

I guess I'll hold off on the 200sx then. I was going to get them for the 6 bolt, but I will wait and see what this VW thing turns out to be.

 

I called Automotive Drive something or other in Portland. He said he has 10,000 shafts on the wall. I asked him about the shorting a VW shaft and he said it would be about 350USD to shorten 2 of them. If we could find someone on one of the boards to do the lathe work, would this turn out to be a decent price?

[heirfaus]

I went to a VW grave yard and picked up 3 cv axle. I think 2 bug and 1 bus. The one I suspect to be the bus is significantly bigger in the bearing area. Hopefully I can tear them apart and get some measurements on them tomorrow.

[Icehouse]

Sure, shortened shafts has always been an option, but you still have to pay for that and find joints that work. The inner 280zx and 200sx joints (the ones that have the spline shaft protruding) are not user serviceable. They have a sheetmetal outer sleeve that is peened/pressed on and if you look at icehouses pictures he had to cut the ring to take it apart. That's my main reason for wanting to go with two of the 6 bolt style joints that come apart easily and can be put back together easily, and then hopefully use an OEM shaft that wouldn't need to be shortened.

 

No point in getting the 200sx shafts...they're too long. Unless you just want them for the joints, but again the inner one will require custom work to take apart and rebuild.

 

 

Yeah I had to cut apart the shafts I bought. I see no problem in welding them back together, basically it holds the boot on which keeps the grease in, nothing structural. I figure a nice small tig weld won't disrupt the spinning weight aka don't want them out of balance. Can you post a pic of the 6 bolt easy to take apart units? They sound nice :D

[thisismatt]

Well, the 280zxt outer ones, and the hardbody/pathfinder inner ones :P The only problem with the 280zxt shafts, at least the ones I have, is that the end of the shaft is peened over to hold the tripod which makes it a pain to remove and reattach. The hardbody/pathfinder, according to the service manual, are circlip/snapring:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[heirfaus]

Hey Matt,

 

So you are using the 6 ball or the 3 ball? and are you trying to use it the same on both ends? I will hold of having the shorting done until we figure this truck axle out.

 

Tell me exaclty what I am looking for and I will hit the yards on Friday to see what I can find. Tell me drivers pasenger, front or rear, whether you wnat inner or outer joints, or just the shaft from a particular car.

 

Get stupid simple with me:o. My head is swimming with this part and that part.....

 

Later,

Chris

[thisismatt]

What I'm looking for are R180 and both CV axles from 1986-1997 d21 hardbody truck, or 1986.5