Experience with twisted inputs needed

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mathews8pt

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I have a Sonnax input that has been in my truck a few years now and just recently pulled the trans to have my TC re-stalled. While it was out i figured id go back through it and check for wear(i built the trans). Well everything looked good inside, but i noticed that the input looked odd. Turns out i slightly twisted it sometime this summer.

input.jpg


Now the TC was a Low stall(~200 under stock) and its getting loosened to a stock stall right now. I always locked the TC after it shifted to 2nd. I did have traction problems a few times at the track which caused spinning 4wd launches. Im assuming this is probably the reason for the twisting?? Shock loading it like that cant be good.

My question is how many of you would run this still? Im going to deal with my suspension setup to get it to actually hook and not spin, but im still kinda worried that the looser TC is going to make things worse. Funny part is im still running the stock output shaft and i have problems with this.
 
I had my sonnax input shaft break on me and it took out the converter, stator, and input shaft. I would suggest repacing it since you will still be drag racing with it. Since you are redoing the converter have them swap the hub and go to a larger input shaft.
 
I wouldn't bother with a larger input shaft. TCS Aermet input is the way to go.

With that being said it may run for a long time with that amount of twist in it, and never give you any trouble.
 
Replace it!! One of mine twisted and the failure ended up being stripped splines inside the TC...





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Big Swole said:
Replace it!! One of mine twisted and the failure ended up being stripped splines inside the TC...





d52ad358.jpg
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I am not saying don't replace it, if you look at your twist compared to the one posted, you can distinctly see in the OP pic where it leaves the splines of the convertor. Yours are wavy.
 
dvst8r said:
I wouldn't bother with a larger input shaft. TCS Aermet input is the way to go.

With that being said it may run for a long time with that amount of twist in it, and never give you any trouble.
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Agreed
 
you caught it at the right time, it is weakened, and part way into the breaking process, it shows where the torque hits the hardest, the shaft is talking to you
 
I would replace it. It has been my experience that if it is starting to twist it is on its way and it wont take too much more to finish it off and cause a lot of damage. I think when the steel molecules are stretched and pulled like that they never really recover they just get weaker. I am using one of M J Tool and Fab's Monster shafts they seem to be holding up for me and I have busted a bunch of the Sonex and the TCS shafts .
 
My gut said to replace it as soon as i saw it twisted, but i may have to put it back in and just stay away from the track til winter, then tear it down and upgrade. What i dont want to do is put another new stock size shaft in and have the same thing happen. Next year this truck will no longer be my daily driver so hopefully with a few minor changes it will go faster.

Ive seen Mike's setup and opies phat shaft, are there any other options? I would love to see a high 10sec pass out of this truck some day, and really hate doing things twice at this point.
 
zstroken said:
How does the aermet compare to 300M shafts?
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We could break the 300m small shafts at will, literally not even a pass on a shaft, a good launch would snap it. The Aermet we twisted but it went over 20 passes (many deep in the 9s @ 6900lbs) and two sled pulls. We replaced it just before the Edmonton races just a precaution.

I was very skeptical going to another small shaft, but it has been a beast.
 
dvst8r said:
We could break the 300m small shafts at will, literally not even a pass on a shaft, a good launch would snap it. The Aermet we twisted but it went over 20 passes (many deep in the 9s @ 6900lbs) and two sled pulls. We replaced it just before the Edmonton races just a precaution.

I was very skeptical going to another small shaft, but it has been a beast.
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This^^^^ I have broke 6 Billet inputs all from different manufacturers at will. Heck some even broke when I was trying to keep them together and launch soft. I just swapped to the TCS A-100 shaft and knock on wood it is holding.

That being said if it is twisted replace it if your going to keep on it hard. It has gone passed it elasticity point and next time it hits hard you will be replacing more than the shaft..
 
Since it's twisted, you know its tempered soft enough to not shatter and destroy everything, I'd run it if you plan to upgrade the power later on since I don't think they stock sized shafts will last long term in a 10 second full-weight truck.
 
Big Blue24 said:
Since it's twisted, you know its tempered soft enough to not shatter and destroy everything, I'd run it if you plan to upgrade the power later on since I don't think they stock sized shafts will last long term in a 10 second full-weight truck.
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Have you broke a Sonnax shaft before? I have and when they go its not usually a pretty break and they tend to split as well.
 
Big Blue24 said:
... if you plan to upgrade the power later on since I don't think they stock sized shafts will last long term in a 10 second full-weight truck.
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You do realize that the truck I am talking about that runs the aermet shaft is a stock sized shaft and was 6800-6900lbs for those runs with 5 of them being 9.55-9.51@148-149mph, and then hang 1000lbs and go sled pulling?
 
dvst8r said:
You do realize that the truck I am talking about that runs the aermet shaft is a stock sized shaft and was 6800-6900lbs for those runs with 5 of them being 9.55-9.51@148-149mph, and then hang 1000lbs and go sled pulling?
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Do you also use an aermet intermediate and output shaft on that truck?

Just curious because it seems like shafts and torque converters are the weak link on these 1000+ HP drag racing full-weight 6000+ pickup trucks.
 
Big Blue24 said:
Do you also use an aermet intermediate and output shaft on that truck?

Just curious because it seems like shafts and torque converters are the weak link on these 1000+ HP drag racing full-weight 6000+ pickup trucks.
Click to expand...

We use an Opie fatshaft intermediate and the TCS fat 9010 (not certain that was the alloy number or not) output shaft.

We used to run the opie fat input, intermediate and output. The opie 300m output was too soft and it would get chatter marks on it, eventually causing it to bind, so it was swapped out for the harder TCS fat output. We couldn't get a torque converter to hold with the fat input, so we skeptically gave the aremet input shaft a try and it has been great. If the Opie intermediate ever fails it will get the TCS aremet shaft to replace it, but it has been going strong for three seasons now, the only reason we wouldn't put another opie shaft in to replace it, is it is much easier for us in Canada to get a TCS shaft then an opie one.
 
I didnt see see any mention of an aermet shaft on TCS's website(at least for the 47/48). What kind of price are they?

My truck weighs ~6700 with me in it right now, but hopefully i can get it down a few hundred pounds this winter. Its never going to be a light weight, so i need somethinging this time around that i wont have to worry about. Thanks for the imput guys!
 
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