The Silver Buick's well Silver Buick!

[TheSilverBuick]

Unfortunately my clone is only 4 weeks old and not quite ready to hold a wrench! And the wife still frowns on the idea of taking him out to the shop, lol. There are some home improvement project's I've been neglecting, also much to my wife's displeasure, d'oh!

The question becomes, as I expect to have the vibration back when I re-install the other shaft (the drive to work was nice and smooth for the first time in three years....) do I try and play the old "hose clamp balancing" trick? Try and take the shaft in somewhere to be re-balanced/checked over? Get a new one made up? I don't feel comfortable leaving the short shaft in place, and I don't have anywhere local to simply take it too. Because I have the time, I'll probably try the hose clamp balancing trick.

[squirrel]

Was the driveshaft balanced? does it have weights on it?

Usually we get them balanced with the driveshaft yoke as part of the driveshaft. Wonder if the yoke is out of whack?

[DanStokes]

Hey wait a minute! I didn't know you guys reproduced! Congrats. More data needed.

As far as driveshaft balance - seems like the mine would have someone come in to check and balance the machinery. Seems like you might be able to piggyback on one of their trips to Ely and have your shaft checked/balanced, too. The balancing equipment doesn't know or care what it's hooked to.

Dan

[squirrel]

if the balancing equipment doesn't have a way to attach that size U joint to it, you won't get far.

[TheSilverBuick]

So to be complicated with the story, the driveshaft is from American Powertrain, same place I got the yoke, but it came in a separate box, but the shaft ended up being 2" long because the new 1350 yoke was a lot longer than anticipated, so I went to a driveshaft shop in Elko and had them cut it down, and I am not sure if they checked the balance or not. It has a weight welded on at both ends like most all driveshafts I've seen. By my best measuring abilities it appears the yokes are square with each other. I'm leery of returning my business to the Elko shop right now, as maybe they flipped the welded on yoke and didn't re-balance or removed the weight and simply eyeballed welding it back on? IDK.

I'm currently using the American Powertrain yoke on the "short" shaft right now without any vibration issues. In the off chance they did in fact balance the shaft with the separately boxed yoke, then it's possible that flipping it 180º on the shaft may help, but considering its working with the stock GM shaft, I'm skeptical the yoke is a factor.

And for Dan. Little Dmitry is a month old now.

[squirrel]

probably not balanced by the shop that shortened it. Some do, some don't, some charge extra....

[DanStokes]

if the balancing equipment doesn't have a way to attach that size U joint to it, you won't get far.

The industrial balancing guys I worked with used equipment that attached to the non-rotating parts (usually the dyno frame casting in our case). He'd spend however much time it took to assure proper alignment then move on the measuring (using specialized accelerometers) the X, Y, and Z displacement caused by the rotating assembly. His equipment (high buck electronics) would tell where and how much to add or subtract and sometimes it took a few runs at it as the act of balancing could make another imbalance node show up. He usually got everything sorted in a half day or less depending on how funky it was to start with. I worked with him, providing tools, running the engine, etc. as needed so I have many hours working with Da Man. This is fascinating stuff for a physics junky!

And CONGRATS on little Dimitri! Is he Dimitri Randal? Or something like that. Best to the Mom Person, too. Let the Grandparents spoil him rotten - it's their job and I, for one, take it seriously.

Dan

[squirrel]

you could probably find an app for that...just put your phone on the floor when you drive, and it'll figure out the rest!

[TheSilverBuick]

you could probably find an app for that...just put your phone on the floor when you drive, and it'll figure out the rest!

Apparently only for Apple phones.

But there is this app on Android that is supposed to show vibrations? Maybe I can do some "low" speed vibration analysis on jackstands for quick work?

**edit, found the free version of the smart tools app called vibrometer, will have to try it. I'll make a baseline with the short driveshaft before I remove it.

[DanStokes]

Now THAT is way cool! Almost makes me yearn for an iPhone - or I could bribe ME to put that app on hers. I had no clue that there was an accelerometer built into iPhones. 'Scuse me whilst I go drag my knuckles. I wonder how accurate it is but I'll wager it's close enough.

Dan

[Deaf Bob]

Pretty close Dan, man. In fact very close! We have checked them and the results were repeatable!

[Beagle]

Maybe I should look at that Facebork thing or something, had no idea... Congrats on Dmitri!

[Beagle]

... the wife still frowns on the idea of taking him out to the shop, lol. ..

quoted for posterity... won't be too long and she'll probably be SENDING him out to the shop!

[Deaf Bob]

"It's your turn! I had him allll day! I need my me time!!"

[TheSilverBuick]

On a completely separate note. I've been thinking of doing a preventative maintenance rebuild on the TKO-600. I've got at least 100,000 miles on it since 2008 as there were a couple years I racked up around 18,000 miles a year and a few others over 12,000 (each Drag Week has made around 4,500 miles in Septembers alone). Other than a little grumbly going into 4th when I don't lift on the throttle (the flat shift seems to have "cured" that), it doesn't have any outwardly showing issues. It's gotten five or six fluid changes over the years as well so shouldn't have any fluid issues. Just figure higher mileage inspection for wear and such.

Going into that, it seems very difficult to get a rebuild kit, or even maintenance parts (like synchro's, bearings and seals). So I posted the complaint on Tremec's Facebook page and within 20 minutes they responded and one of their people messaged me about getting parts. The tech agreed that it seems odd that after nearly 20 years of TKO production they sell very few service parts for them. They put me in contact with a vendor that can order the parts and after talking with the vendor, they said Tremec doesn't offer any kind of kit, so they have pieced together one based on what they feel it should have. I brought the "lack of kit from Tremec" thought back to the Tremec representative, implying they may sell more service parts if they put together a rebuild package that is more customer friendly. And of course hoping there would be a cost break bundling the parts and hopefully make up the difference in new sales. Also mentioned if they did something like that, advertising a bit more boldly that parts are available to the DIY'er may generate a few sales as well. Many who do these types of swaps are hands on capable people.

End of the day, the pieced together "rebuild" kit from the vendor is $550 (practically a 1/4 cost of a new transmission), and that particular shop charges around $200 labor to R&R it. The good news is the shop has the parts on hand and can mail them out quickly, versus Tremec that says it takes them 30-45 days to get parts out to the vendors after they are ordered. I was hoping for a ~$250-$300 price range for a few synchro's, bearings, seals and gaskets, so I'm not sure if I'll go down the path of rebuilding it this winter or not, but it's something I've given some thought to.