Drive shaft tubes

[woodbutchergraham]

Any one have an idea where i can get some 1- 1/8" stainless steel drive shaft tube from ?
3" dosent seem to be a problem for exhausts

[chris]

just wondering
why get stainless for the drive shaft when the original mild steel shaft can last for 40 years and longer with proper care

[phil]

If they are going to look original they need to be plated= $$$, how many do you see where the original plating is still intact? [no rusted through spots or pimples] Way less than 5% of the total here.

[woodbutchergraham]

I quite agree but waying up the cost of replating to stainless just avoided the inevitable in the future!
May be I have ventured into the twenty first century. May I assume all of the purists among you will never fit stainless bolts? But why John sells them!
We all know there not original but there can’t be many 100% original Seagulls left

[phil]

Was not too clear I guess, I was supporting the use of stainless for the drive tube. Especially for the garden variety late 60s and 70s motors. If it was an earlier motor and one were a purist that would not do of course.

[Charles uk]

The other Charles has the tube specifications,
I think it was 10 gauge wall thickness.
Seems a lot of work & cash to spend, to make it look like chrome.

[woodbutchergraham]

I’m just trying to way up the reduced maintenance as apposed any other reason.
As for cost that will depend on finding some! Seems there’s a lot of 1-1/4” about with not too much out lay.

[woodbutchergraham]

I have finaly secome to the idea that 1 1/8" stainless is rearer than hens teath in 10 guage, so has anyone a half decent short shaft drive tube to spare?
A least one i could purchase without resulting in me having to sell off one of my kidneys!

[SAE140]

Porters in Wisbech had some useful tube a while back, although a little bigger than you want. I bought only a foot of the stuff to make some adapters with. It's 33.4mm OD, and has a 3mm wall thickness. I believe it to be 316. Stainless at the time was £1/kg. It might be worth checking their yard to see if they have smaller stuff.
Next time I'm there I'll check.

[skyetoyman]

long shaft tube on ebay at the moment.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/British-Seagull-d ... 20b0e60be9

[40TPI]

long shaft tube on ebay at the moment.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/British-Seagull-d ... 20b0e60be9

A word of caution if considering cutting down 24.5" longshaft casings to use on standard shaft motors. Not all longshaft drive shaft casings are born equal..... even if they are the same overall length.

Note that the longshaft Silver Century Plus and Century Plus models ( direct drive and clutched ) use the CPC1355L part. These casings have thicker gauge walls over most of their length. The last inch or two of the lower end is turned down to allow it fit into the water pump housing. The area where the engine support lug clamps around the casing is similarly reduced. These types can't simply be cut down because the larger diameter of the cut end will prevent assembly into the water pump housing.

The longshaft direct and clutched 40+ & Silver Century models along with direct drive Century models use the SJP/1355L and the C/1355L which are a constant diameter along their total length. These types can be reduced to any length and will always assemble into the water pump housing after cutting.

The photo of the eBay item is not too clear but appears to be an SJP/1355L. ( No hole drilled for the clutch lever stud).

Peter

[SAE140]

Porters in Wisbech had some useful tube a while back, although a little bigger than you want. I bought only a foot of the stuff to make some adapters with. It's 33.4mm OD, and has a 3mm wall thickness. I believe it to be 316. Stainless at the time was £1/kg. It might be worth checking their yard to see if they have smaller stuff.
Next time I'm there I'll check.

Just done some research on stainless tubes/pipe - and I concur that 1 1/8" ( ~ 28mm) is nigh impossible to source. In fact the industry seems to be a law unto itself: for example - the Aalco spec for 3/4" pipe is 1.050" (26.7mm) OD; 1" pipe is 1.660" (33.4mm) OD.

[Charles uk]

Aalco can get 28mm 316 stainless 2mm wall at over £50 per meter min order 6 meters, so why would you bother.

To replace the tube you'd be faced with the cost of boring out the motor mount casting, braizing in the stainless replacement & hope that the pinch bolt will squeeze up the extra 23 thou & hold it tight. That makes £40 pounds which seems to be the average cost of rechroming, look cheap.

[woodbutchergraham]

Primer and paint did it in the end. Black gloss was the result after reviewing lots of photos of others motors. Stainless would have been nice but the net result was, the lack of stainless at the correct size, too much machining to do it out of the solid.
Re-chroming was the other option but the drive shafts i have are in too poor a condition to chrome.