Ams driveshaft safety loop available soon!

This is another product we have had in the works and another new introduction for the Z32.

When replacing your stock Z32 drive-shaft with the one-piece aftermarket units you eliminate the OEM safety feature. AMS INC. has developed a competition grade Safety loop that maintains the factory safety parameters while offering ease of install and affordability into the equation. This is compatible with all Z1, CZP, AMZ etc drive-shafts on the market.The AMS INC. Z32 Drive-Shaft Safety Loop eliminates the chance of cockpit entry and the shaft digging into the ground should the drive-shaft break.








More information to follow shortly!

 

Excellent work, this has been needed for a long time.

 

Just a note for those in NZ, unfortunately this does NOT comply with the rules set out by LVVTA for complying modified cars for road use. I have tried very hard to get it across to them it is far better than what the rules ask for but sadly no dispensations can be given, blanket rule for ALL cars, shaft safety hoop must be no more than 150mm back from the centre line of the front uni joint & if two piece shaft then one no more than 150mm back from the second joint also.

The AMS safety hoop is exactly the same as what I designed and fitted and submitted - sadly no good here in NZ, currently installing something that will comply with minimal butchery of the car. I REALLY hate drilling holes in floor pans etc just for the sake of a legal technicality but it's what we are going to have to do here

VUK, the new hoop will use the components you have pictured here from the original hoop and will have a couple of brackets to be fitted to the trans tunnel with doublers etc. You might be able to offer them as an optional extra for those in NZ or other countries or under governing bodies that require the hoop near the front (LVVTA must have got the idea from somewhere!?)

Original install:


Around 500mm back from joint but significant structure to attach to and no added maintenance issues or potential stress raisers on the chassis/floorpan:


Proposed new version (will submit pictures BEFORE drilling holes!):


Cardboard is to protect shaft from scratches and also to help set the position while developing the product:

 

After a ph call from LVVTA turns out the rule was amended to 250mm to fix some problems people were having as per:

http://www.lvvta.org.nz/documents/i...aft_Safety_Loop_Requirement_Clarification.pdf


Remembering this is important info for the NZ readers only but might be of some interest to others.

 

Will this work with 3" inch diameter one piece steels shafts? Thanks

Kind Regards

 

Wow the pictures do look similar ? Our client who is an engineer (retired) had the drawings done which were different than the drawing we gave you a few months back to discuss (that was a one piece design). I showed him my original custom fabbed one pc unit and he said why not make it 2 pc for ease of install. We then decided to mass produce them and paid for the tooling which wasn't as cheap as it may seem.

Locally we have seen a couple aluminum 1 pc shafts snap at the welds on 450 rwtq Z32's on the street. These were aggressive drivers btw and the damage in the under carriage was not pretty. Way too many 1 pc shafts locally and stateside that would benefit from this inexpensive safety feature. Wouldn't want a shaft failing at highway speeds etc.

Very strict rules in NZ btw! Thanks for the advice.

Regards,

Vuk@AMS

 

You shouldn't be using Aluminium shafts on higher hp cars.

Aluminum has a very high ultimate tensile strength but it has a pretty low fatigue limit. This means that once you pass a pretty low threshold the metal begins to weaken each time it is stressed beyond that fatigue limit. Over time, the metal will weaken until it snaps at a stress point, which is usually a seam or weld. To compound this problem, aluminum is very rigid meaning it doesn't tend to flex much which would absorb energy, spread the strain out, and lessen the strain on the part.

To the layman the high strength rating of aluminum looks very attractive, but usually when an engineer designs something out of aluminum they design around its fatigue limit.

 

Since the failure of the aluminum shafts over 7 yrs ago we haven't recommended nor sold one locally. We have been installing custom loops even with steel shafts as a safety precaution-cheap insurance basically and peace of mind

 

I don't think the AMS tailshaft loop will comply with ANDRA rules either.

I think ANDRA specifies within 6" of the front uni.

 

The Hoop is good for its purpose

Or use C/F shaft no hoop

 

It is a pretty simple and inexpensive looking bit of kit for those who need it. Nice work

 

I can not get over how similar your design is to the AMS one.

I looked into this a long time ago when I fitted the 1 piece, ANDRA rules mention a loop with in 6" (same as NZ rule) for cars faster than 10.99.

There are other mentions throughout various other motorsport, some mentioning the distance from front, some not.

My interest was purely considering issues surrounding the 1 piece modification, so motorsport rules were not the motivation.

I looked at the easy install using existing mount point and envisioned what both you and AMS have come up with, but was not so concerned about its position.

Asked a local workshop to make something, but they were not interested.

Like you I did not want to drill holes to mount within 150mm of the front uni, but kudos for designing it, I would encourage you to produce/offer premade ones, it would save a bit of stuffing around for people.

Found this: http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/roads/vehicle_regulation/bulletin/pdf/Street_COP_sec_2.pdf

Not sure if that applies to a 300ZX.

Either way it is good that a bolt on part is available, I will be buying one even with the position question mark, I have no doubt it will perform its job and I do not want to drill holes in the pan.

I am sure Mungy will knock out the odd rule specific unit on request, I am sure he made templates.

 

The Zed is definitely NOT a street rod. A street rod is a hot rod pretty much.

 

I had to go back through emails as I thought I might have sent pics and forgotten but nup, it just looks like a simple case of it being so simple that the end product will look near enough the same.

I've spoken with the certifier and he is happy with the new design (old design with added brackets to move it forward). Holes have been drilled, doubles with countersunk bolts used, sealant applied to keep out water and all fitted up perfectly. Car is still on the hoist and will be taking critical measurements before lowering, very simple design so easy to replicate, AMS may choose to offer as an option for those who need to comply to certain rules.

With the current design I've managed to find what is pretty much the only flat area of the trans tunnel you can mount the hoop to, any other location has corrugations etc and will result in crushing of the structure with clamping up between the plate and the doubler.
Doubler is required by law here as well, I know of one car that had a failed gearbox resulting in the shaft dropping and taking a section of floor with it - including the passengers seat belt buckle.
She was not impressed but unhurt thankfully!
Law has changed to include the doubler and four ten mm bolts minimum to help spread the load out more, still most cars it's only .8mm steel panel you're bolting this to

 

Would it be possible to mount a loop that is on a bracket bolted to the gearbox mount and the centre uni mount?

 

Yes no doubt there can be some massive forces involved, enough to tear the floor pan open like a can opener and threaten the occupants.

ANDRA engage the requirement at a performance level, the likelihood of such a failure increases at higher power levels.

The two most severe risks are tearing the floor pan open and entering the cabin or pole vaulting a vehicle from the road surface.

A loop aims to minimise/negate both these risks.

Whilst I think there is benefit in containing the shaft as close to its regular axis to minimise forces, I think the position requirement is also to ensure that the shaft will not come in contact with the road surface in varying installations, for scrutineering it would be a nightmare, yes it has a loop, but does it stop the shaft dropping on to the road surface ?

On a 2+2, mounting as per the AMS item it would be 35cm aft the yoke centre.

Using the centre bearing mount points is a matter of simplicity and using pre-engineered mount points that are integral to a reinforced member. Substantially stronger then a 0.8mm sheet mount point

I think both designs have merit, meeting rules in some instance is not negotiable, shagger spec will do that but with the forces mentioned, reinforcing anchor points would be advisable as mentioned IMO.

For people that do not need to meet a category rule I think the AMS designed item will be more then up to the job and a simple installation that is a cost effective solution. (That is if the price reflects what it is, a couple of bent bits of metal. )

Does it come with appropriate hardware ?

 

Yes a street rod is a hot rod.

In Queensland light vehicle "minor modifications" do not require written approval where "complex modifications" do.

No reference is made to light vehicle tail shaft replacement status.

But I will take a punt what an insurance company would say if a 1 piece caused damage and were aware of it being a modification.

I will make some calls on Monday out of curiosity.

 

When the loop was being designed we had given the engineer here the original OEM shaft with loop. The shape looks nearly identical to the OEM unit which both resemble also Our unit is 6mm thick steel and 50mm wide which is up to the task of containing a breakage as this type of steel and thickness is used for much higher HP cars stateside for dragsters/race cars competing in various races.

Your design seems interesting and a must for compliance so if there is a demand I am sure something can be worked up by Glen Excellent attention to detail for sure.

Regards,

Vuk@AMS

 

I will send you an email with the dimensions Vuk, very easy to make and then you can offer as an option for those who require it
Or maybe I can just build a few sets and fire them across.
Will need a few of the hoops in any case so I'm sure we can work something out

This will give AMS the ability to offer the hoop to bolt in on the hanger bearing mount for those that wish or to fit to the trans tunnel if required - slightly harder install but if that's the rule you have to follow at least you could buy a kit rather than scratch build the whole thing.

 

If you are going to make a few sets up Glen I will have one.