Help me prioritize Driveline Upgrades!

[1998Venom]

Granted that my TOB has gone, I've ordered a 2001 Clutch Kit (same as FRPP 11" Upgrade Kit), and am trying to determine what additional changes should I do at the same time. I'm trying to spread out the cost over a period of time, therefore, which was is the smartest while the tranny is down:

1) Pro 5.0 Shifter
2) Aluminum Driveshaft
3) 4.10 Gears

Thanks guys!

 

[Doug]

get the shifter, the gears, and some sticky tires.

don't bother with the driveshaft, its a waste of money.

 

[Wylde Horses]

Yeah, leave the DS. But if you plan on launching on sticky tires, get yourself a diff. cover girdle. It'll help everything stay together in the back.

 

[MidNight Snake]

Dont get a diff cover unless u get gears, axles, and a new posi. Adding one strong link in a chain doesnt make the chain itself any stronger.

 

[1998Venom]

Thanks guys - that's how I'll proceed.

 

[mustangdan429]

what kind of axels and posi are good?

 

[Wylde Horses]

31 spline axles. The stock posi will probably hold together well as long as you're running NA on drag radials.

One of the main causes of breaking the stock 28 spline axle is it rotating just a little, which the girdle cover prevents. I've heard of one guy who was running slicks dipping well into 1.6 short times with a girdle cover on the stock axles for a couple seasons. When he upgraded to 31-splines for a little more peace of mind, he said the original axle looked as good as new. I'd say a girdle cover will at the very least buy you some time before you are forced to replace the axle. Real cheap insurance.

 

[HISSMAN]

In this order...

Shifter
Gears
Aluminum Drive shaft

 

[HISSMAN]

Originally posted by Wylde Horses
31 spline axles. The stock posi will probably hold together well as long as you're running NA on drag radials.

One of the main causes of breaking the stock 28 spline axle is it rotating just a little, which the girdle cover prevents. I've heard of one guy who was running slicks dipping well into 1.6 short times with a girdle cover on the stock axles for a couple seasons. When he upgraded to 31-splines for a little more peace of mind, he said the original axle looked as good as new. I'd say a girdle cover will at the very least buy you some time before you are forced to replace the axle. Real cheap insurance.

This is true, but he will have to change the posi diff to 31 spline if he goes with 31 spline axles. You can't have a 28 spline posi and 31 spline axles. They won't mesh.

 

[Wylde Horses]

Originally posted by Hissman
This is true, but he will have to change the posi diff to 31 spline if he goes with 31 spline axles. You can't have a 28 spline posi and 31 spline axles. They won't mesh.

Hehe, had a little brain fart when I worded it the way I did. Meant to compare the stock setup to the aftermarket, not to give the impression that you could mix and match parts.

 

[Doug]

i've personally seen two mustangs on BONE STOCK REARENDS with nothing but et drags bolted up to it run really low 6s in the 1/8th mile, and one of them ran 5.80s Yanking the both tires and deep into the 1.4s.

However, I myself, have personally broke an axle AND the spider gears on the stock unit with drag radials

I'm very pleased with my used 31 spline unit out of an 4wd explorer. Didn't even have to be repacked.

The first things you need is a gear and some tire; hands down. Your diff will hold up forever on the street. even on slicks. I wouldn't spend money on an alum d/s. They aren't any stronger than the stock one. I've seen alum d/s rip in half just as much as i've seen steel ones rip in half. Just get a good d/s safety loop.

If your gonna be running at the strip, don't waste time and money with bfg drag radials. Just get some nice ET Streets or ET Drags. They cost the same amount of money and will last longer cause you don't gotta heat them up as much.

 

[HISSMAN]

The only reason I would get an aluminum drive shaft is to drop rotating drive train mass. It felt like I had just installed an aluminum flywheel when I installed my DS.

 

[MidNight Snake]

Originally posted by Doug
i've personally seen two mustangs on BONE STOCK REARENDS with nothing but et drags bolted up to it run really low 6s in the 1/8th mile, and one of them ran 5.80s Yanking the both tires and deep into the 1.4s.

However, I myself, have personally broke an axle AND the spider gears on the stock unit with drag radials

I'm very pleased with my used 31 spline unit out of an 4wd explorer. Didn't even have to be repacked.

The first things you need is a gear and some tire; hands down. Your diff will hold up forever on the street. even on slicks. I wouldn't spend money on an alum d/s. They aren't any stronger than the stock one. I've seen alum d/s rip in half just as much as i've seen steel ones rip in half. Just get a good d/s safety loop.

If your gonna be running at the strip, don't waste time and money with bfg drag radials. Just get some nice ET Streets or ET Drags. They cost the same amount of money and will last longer cause you don't gotta heat them up as much.

You have to heat slicks or ET streets up more. Your not even saposed to really heat up DRs. You are just saposed to dust them off.

 

[HISSMAN]

Yeah, you have to heat ET Streets up a lot more than DR's. I agree. With Drag radials you are only really dusting them off. As soon as you start to see an even amount of light tire smoke let off. ET's or full drag slicks on the other hand you heat up until the rubber compound is in an almost "melty" state.

 

[Doug]

uh....WishIHadaCobra...have you ever run a drag radial on the strip? i've yet to see a drag radial drag car roll up to the starting line after "dusting them off"and then bust off an 8s 1/4mi pass...but what the hell do i know, i've never used either on the track or the street.

and its not all about rotating weight...while an aluminum d/s is lighter than its steel counterpart, its diameter is also larger. You could have a 10" tall tire that weighs 10lbs, or a 30" tall tire that weighs 10lbs...its gonna take more power to turn the 30" tall tire even though they weigh the same. simple physics.

while even though it may save on "rotational weight" it is by no means worth the money on a daily driven street car. this money could be very much used elsewhere, like stickier tires or a steeper gear, or to go to building the rearend. Nothing will help your times more than hooking. You guys seem to forget this. Sticky tires will help you SO much more than a alum driveshaft EVER would

 

[GR8WHITE]

When you swap the gears it is a good idea to change the driveshaft due to the rotational harmonics. The weight savings are OK, but harmonics are a better reason. You can also ditch the "dogbone" under the differential since it was for the stock 3:27's

 

[Doug]

you can fix driveline harmonics with a hose clamp and a little bit of patience

 

[Cantoodler]

dont listen to doug he has no clue what he is talking about

although he is right that drag radials must be heated up
i know this from first hand experience

 

[MidNight Snake]

Originally posted by Doug
uh....WishIHadaCobra...have you ever run a drag radial on the strip? i've yet to see a drag radial drag car roll up to the starting line after "dusting them off"and then bust off an 8s 1/4mi pass...but what the hell do i know, i've never used either on the track or the street.

and its not all about rotating weight...while an aluminum d/s is lighter than its steel counterpart, its diameter is also larger. You could have a 10" tall tire that weighs 10lbs, or a 30" tall tire that weighs 10lbs...its gonna take more power to turn the 30" tall tire even though they weigh the same. simple physics.

while even though it may save on "rotational weight" it is by no means worth the money on a daily driven street car. this money could be very much used elsewhere, like stickier tires or a steeper gear, or to go to building the rearend. Nothing will help your times more than hooking. You guys seem to forget this. Sticky tires will help you SO much more than a alum driveshaft EVER would

Uh... Doug, I dont mean to bust your balls but your wrong. Yes, DRs do need to be heated up a little bit, but not much. A quick spin till u see smoke is all you need.(Also refered to as dusting them off) Not some smokey burnout, like slicks do. You dont believe me then look what the manufactures and the profesionals sugest. I have read alot of your posts and respect ur knowledge for the sport, but in this instance, Ive seen, heard, and experianced to much to the contrary.:beer:

 

[MidNight Snake]

To my understanding, an aluminum shaft does little to cure drivtrain vibration. If someone had put in an aluminum shaft and afterwards noticed improved drivtrain vibration, then they most likely had a twisted drive shaft to begin with, which is not unheard of. A carbonfiber driveshaft on the other hand will help drivetrain vibration. It also has the added benifit of being able to store inertia. Plus, if it or a u-joint were to break, the driveshaft would shatter instead of acting like a pogo stick.