driveshaft safety loops.

[muzza]

Im putting a safety loop in sons nissan gloria, looked up other questions about subject matter, when I remembered when I worked for auto parts in dunedin back in my youth,we wrecked a 57 ford with a standard 272 & manual, which rodger devlin put in wild honey ,I digress we were wrecking it because the driveshaft had come out of the gearbox,came up through the floor behind the front seat & hit the roof putting a massive dent(up) in it. A very good to have a loop in a modified car.

[Justin]

Thanks Muzza.

It's often argued that driveshaft safety loops are an over-the-top requirement. As you have pointed out here there are very good reasons for the requirement, and lets face it, you can pick up a universal fit loop for around $60, so it's not a big cost to prevent a potentially disastrous outcome.

Another fairly recent example is one where a drive-shaft was modified in a back-yard as part of an auto to manual gearbox swap. The car was then sold, and while driving it home on the open road the drive-shaft failed, dug in to the road surface sending the car into an uncontrollable spin, and sideways into a power pole. The driver was killed instantly. He'd owned the car for about an hour.

Thanks again for your comments.

Justin