Half Shaft Failure - is it a common Z problem?

[sopwith21]

I had a half shaft fail on my 260z racecar a few years ago. Is this a common problem for Z cars, especially since mine has a welded diff?

We have a race coming up later this month and I'm wondering if I should have an extra one on hand, and if so, exactly what other parts would be necessary to install it? Thanks!

[jmortensen]

Yes, it is common enough to bring a spare. On a 240 you just need 2 14mm wrenches, but I think some of the later cars had the stub that plugs into the diff as part of the halfshaft. Not sure if that applies to 260s or not.

[chris b]

Yes it is. I always take spares. The 260 has the R200 diff so you need to take both (one is longer than the other). Changing is relatively straight forward but a real PITA at the track and can be done in about half an hour. This year I am going with the Wolf Creek set up to overcome the problem once and for all

[sopwith21]

Thanks, that's very helpful. Please take a look at this post. This is not a complete half shaft, but is there anything here that might help?

Please tell me exactly what fails on the shafts, and if I need to buy that part of the shaft or the whole half shaft set. Is this exactly what I'm looking for? I have a welded 260z rear end, so I believe it is still the original R200 (I did not race prep the car - it was built and then I bought it).

I'd like to get the shafts in advance of our race in a few weeks and your advice is appreciated. Tx!

[Zed Head]

I think that the early 260Z's might have had R180's. Which might use the plug-in half shafts.

Those parts in your link are half-shafts for an R200. The shafts are the same length. It's been studied and verified. The distance between diff and hub is different though, probably where the misconception started.

You need to get under your car and see what you have. Pictures will tell the story. And the welded diff would not be helping with parts durability. The early Z axles are kind of weak also.

Betamotorsports.com used to have some good information on both the weak 240Z axles and the halfshaft length issue. But the site is gone and the Facebook page doesn't seem to have them either. Maybe johnc could bring them back to life.

Edit - actually the stories and pictures might be on Facebook somewhere. Facebook is all about getting you to click ads though so it's difficult to organize. Troll through the content and it might be found. https://www.facebook.com/pages/BetaMotorsports-LLC/143989191670

Edited March 3, 2014 by Zed Head

[sopwith21]

Aha. Okay, that's helpful. Thank you.

I guess the first thing I need to know is which diff I have. How can I tell?

My second question is - using only the parts shown in my other thread, am I or am I not prepared to fix a half shaft failure at the track?

[John Coffey]

I threw my halfshaft info up on the FB page.