sliding shafts

[vispucee]

So i started a thread in the smale scale section about small sliding drive shafts but i was curious aswell about making my own. I'm busy designing a 1/24 scale crawler with a 113 mm wheel base and is 132 mm wide. (similar in size to the mini z monster which it is based on) I'm just waiting to get the last of the tools for machining the gearboxes and stuff so hopefully i begin building soon. I was wondering if anyone has made their own drive shafts before and could help. Or maybe even a suggestion would help. right now i'm thinking of having a cylinder and a smaller cylinder that slide into each other. the outer cylinder will have a round grouve in the inside and the inner cylinder one on the outside. in these grooves there will be small metal balls that will alow the shaft to change lengths but not twiss independently. thanks

[JasonInAugusta]

Sounds like Stampede drive shafts would work.

[vispucee]

do you know the pede shaft dimensions?

[JasonInAugusta]

Off-hand, no.

But at such a short wheelbase you'd likely have driveshafts kinda like I had in my '50 Willys with a small block and TH350...just a couple of yokes. :lol:

[vispucee]

from my measurements the shaft needs to be 28 mm from joint to joint at its longest and about 23 mm at its shortest

[Plays_with_Toys]

I'm telling ya, square shafts!!! There was a guy who welded some steel square shafts for his TXT. They were two large square shafts which slid within one another.

[Artstu]

wow u gave me a great idea :shock:

[vispucee]

ok so i will try the square shafts. thanks for the advice and replies

[Ace]

Vispucee, Do you live in Longmont Colorado?

My plan on my custom axled crawlers was to build square tube driveshafts. I bought some telescoping brass square tube. I planned on drilling out a round shaft and then soldering in the square tube. The round would look better and help support the thin square tube.

Then I "wimped" out and went with maxx sliders...

On my other custom crawler I went with lengthened dogbones. Works well but that crawler has pretty limited suspension movement.

Since then I've thought of taking round shafting, milling a rectangular grove and making a top to solder on from another piece of shafting. (square hole in a round shaft) Then male square would be easy of course.

[JamisonWorkshop]

First thing I thought was square shafts. Been runnig one on the front of my Toyota for years. works great. cant go fast. but for these apps. it is perfect.

[vispucee]

i do live in longmont Co. i busy right now figuring out the square shafts so hopefully i'll have a design soon. Which metal would you guys recomend?

[Ace]

I live in longtown too.

Gotta get together sometime!

[vispucee]

i just need a crawler first