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Mon Sep 01, 2014 7:28 pm

I know this is Performance Engines & Transmissions but Samba doesn't have a racing topic so I'm posting this here.

Ok, so I've gotten away with drag racing (this is not a street car at all) the same Type 1 IRS stub axles for well over 15 years now and have never had one fail. Yeah, I've been using the SAME stub axles that long !

The engine is a normally-aspirated 2287CC powerplant with aftermarket transaxle internal parts cutting 12.50's in the quarter, no problems there. But I did break Sway-A-Way axles in a race last summer that were older and had more race time on them. Still insist on Type 1 CV's, went to Lobros this summer and they're doing fine.

Now the thought occurs to me next in the driveline to fail: has anyone had the stock stub axles fail/break ever? Are they really bulletproof? If it did break, did the wheel/tire actually fall away at the starting line ? (perish the thought...) :shock:

Tue Sep 02, 2014 1:56 am

I only broke 1 stub in all the years I have raced. It let go at the starting line as you suspect it would. The car launched hard, the RPM shot up and lost all forward power. Felt like a CV joint broke. The tire was tilted in badly at the top, but could be flat towed off track. I carry a spare stub axle and complete axle with CV's. The repair only took 20 minitues. At home, after the race, I replaced the outer axle beaing, the brake shoes, and made a close inspection of all parts.
I guess the axle could come off completely when it breaks, mine did not. If you are using a spool, a crash is very possible. Stick with a super diff to avoid this.

Tue Sep 02, 2014 8:03 am

bugguy076 wrote: Stick with a super diff to avoid this.
thx
I made the big $$ leap to a Quaife last year.
Flat towed....but how if the stub axle broken in half?

Tue Sep 02, 2014 3:57 pm

I have over 2000 passes and never broke a stub axle. You are going to break more type I CV's running 12.50's. You need to upgrade to Type II CV joints. The next thing you will break will be the splines on the output shafts of the Diff. You will probably strip the splines on the brake drums before you break the stub axles.

Tue Sep 02, 2014 4:10 pm

With my IRS tranny. Type 2 CVs with Sway--Away axles to fit the tranny, Berg traction bar. I've never raced it, hardly ever drive it. I've done a few
floored through first, through 3rd, and it made me smile! :wink:

Tue Sep 02, 2014 7:55 pm

vwracerdave wrote: You need to upgrade to Type II CV joints. The next thing you will break will be the splines on the output shafts of the Diff. You will probably strip the splines on the brake drums before you break the stub axles.

The Quaife diff is guaranteed not to strip. Don't have much problems using Type 1 CV's when things set up properly. I use a urethane "bumper" at the outboard end of each Sway-A-Way axle to keep the free-sliding splines from pushing the now drag-race start bounded-up splines on the CV at the farthest outboard travel where it can jam the cage and destroy it. Only time I have CV failures is when they're tired and lots of drag race starts. For example, I went the whole summer racing every other weekend on the same Lobros, no noise, no binding.

Understood about brake drum splines, good point.

Wed Sep 03, 2014 3:54 am

You asked how the car was flat towed after the stub broke. With a 4wheeler. The brake drum was rubbing on the shoes, but not so bad the wheel would not turn. I want to say that the stub axle that broke looked like it had a small void or air bubble, in the steel, close to the center of the axle, at the break.

Wed Sep 03, 2014 7:35 am

bugguy076 wrote: You asked how the car was flat towed after the stub broke. With a 4wheeler. The brake drum was rubbing on the shoes, but not so bad the wheel would not turn.

Wow--I would have paid to see that donkey and cart show :lol: