MightyMike Posted April 14, 2010 Author Share Posted April 14, 2010 Here's a pic of the driveshaft loops. Other bits are still out getting powdercoated. Work was done by Tom Beauchamp of Beauchamp Racing and Restoration. 3520 N. Prospect St. Colorado Springs, CO 80907 Phone: (719) 635-1201 Tom's handywork is featured in the book, "Lotus Seven & the Independents". He is expert on all things "Seven" along with many other British sportscars. I'm fortunate to have him nearby. http://i41.tinypic.com/2d8faqa.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MightyMike Posted April 17, 2010 Author Share Posted April 17, 2010 Back from the powdercoater... http://i39.tinypic.com/vo7psl.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHKflyer52 Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 Tunnel cover looks good. Now you just need to make a shifter boot out of some glove leather to finish it off so heat and road noise dose not come up and into the passanger compartment. I could not find a shifter cover that fit the hole in mine so I used a steering rack boot that fit the hole and the shaft of the shifter and then just cut it down to the correct length and in all the time I have had my car no one has ever noticed it and it was a cheap fix that seals very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scannon Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 Mike, it looks great but that's going to be one hot mutha without carpet or padding on it. Next time you come by I'll give you some spacecraft insulation to put on the underside so you won't burn your arm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MightyMike Posted April 17, 2010 Author Share Posted April 17, 2010 I've got a plan for the shifter boot and arm rest... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Locofinn Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 I used prefabed parts from AA Mfg. .25" x 2" hoops mandated by SCCA mod rules. I added 1.8" plates to the sides also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Automoda Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Now that is one fantastic piece of fabrication. Bravo! I'd love to see how it is done. Ok so I have a question: Which part of the shaft is the danger? It looks like if it blew the front U-joint it'd do more damage (if it hit the ground and bounced back up). Seems like the framework at the back of the seats would prevent damage to the driver from a blown U-joint at the diff. Is this the case--the front is the problem? So I have an idea: Why try to stop it with brute force like that? Why not get some nice steel cable with sturdy loop-ends or crimped connectors on each end and bolt it to the frame so that it loops up over the shaft? Its the ultimate in easy to remove and cable is not going to break when it is beat with a metal stick. Seems like it'd be lighter, too. You'd just need to weld on a nice mounting for the bolts. You might have some damage to the tunnel but it wont take your leg off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slomove Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 On the few pics that I have seen the front joint broke but I am not sure if that is just coincidence. One thing to also consider is that in many Sevens the fuel lines run through the tunnel. Even if a broken shaft stays inside I would hate for it to rip up the high pressure fuel tubing next to my butt since I guess there will be sparks flying, too. When I built the propshaft cage for my Birkin I considered re-routing the fuel lines to the side but ended up with several steel strips between the propshaft and the fuel lines for simplicity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
escondidoron Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Over the years I've seen both U-joints fail on drive shafts (although not both at the same time). On conventional cars, if the front joint fails it can get pretty messy if the end falls down and then gets caught in a pot hole. On our cars, as mentioned previously, because of the brake and fuel lines running through the tunnel, it can get ugly in a hurry if either of the joints fail. Not to mention the 3" diameter pipe spinning out of control next to your hip, contained only by a thin sheet of aluminum. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, MightyMike, gorgeous work on the Birkin tunnel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaskossie Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Mike Rohaley, Since you are apparently following this thread, could you contact me by e-mail? I've been unable to raise you by e-mails. Thanks. Alaskossie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitcat Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Guys: Is this primarily an issue w/high hp cars? Or is this one more safety issue for me to worry abt, even tho my engine wont break 100 hp after being warmed up on a cold morning w/5 weight oil? Are there wear items that I can check, or preventative maintenance measures that can be taken to prevent problems? Thx, Mike M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBEARDEN Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 (edited) Taking the console out of the Birkin this weekend to so some insulating and thought about the driveshaft hoop issue...I may be off base with this idea but what about making a couple of hoops out of 2 inch nylon strapping ( Tie Downs)...and bolting them to the floor channels. It would be easier to fabricate for most of us. Edited May 25, 2012 by MBEARDEN typo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Automoda Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Yeah I've thought of doing it with a steel cable if I ever get around to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHKflyer52 Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 (edited) Skip, the tubes will not protect you. This is what can happen when the driveshaft lets go http://www.gt40s.com/images/jensenfailure/failure4.JPG Part of the problem is our square tubes are very thin gauge. The other problem is that when the driveshaft comes apart, the tunnel allows too much room for the driveshaft to whip around. I think it's alright to not have one, but definitely don't think that the tubes will be adequate in protecting you. I was looking for some wheels the other day and stumbled across this Caterham for sale listing for a Caterham that is run in NASA. http://www.lotusowners.com/ForSale/PDCat/index.htm "Competition Hamlin propshaft safety loop (NASA-approved)." http://www.nasasevens.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=263&g2_serialNumber=2 Here is a drive shaft gard that you can have made up or you can make youself out of some scrap plate. If you need to change the dimensions to fit your trans tunnel it is easy to do. I would make two of them and place them so they are 2 inches aft and fwd of the universals containing the driveshaft. Just my thoughts and hope this helps. If you want a drawing for this to take to a shop and have made e-mail me and I will make one to your dimensions for you. Guys: Is this primarily an issue w/high hp cars? Or is this one more safety issue for me to worry abt, even tho my engine wont break 100 hp after being warmed up on a cold morning w/5 weight oil? Are there wear items that I can check, or preventative maintenance measures that can be taken to prevent problems? Thx, Mike M A drive shaft hoop is always a good idea even with only a 100 HP car but that is just my belief. The hoop will help contain the driveshaft within the trans tunnel and help reduce the damage to the driver and or passanger if it should fail. If you need a drawing to take to a shop to fab one up e-mail me and I will send you an file of a drawing that will work. See post 18 of this posting for a photo with dimensions. Edited May 26, 2012 by MHKflyer52 Removed photos that did not show in post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimrankin Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 I kind of went overboard size wise but used up some flat steel strip stock I had around. I beleive it was 3" X 1/4". Small world, I also bent mine around an old small starter case. Since the drive shaft was already in place and I wanted to keep the "containment area" as small as possible I made a bolt in piece to act as the "floor" of the loop. The other two holes bolt it to welded in mounts on the lower frame rails so you can take it out to work on/remove the drive shaft if need be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimrankin Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Drive shaft loop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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