Aluminum Driveshaft

Benz510

Active Member
Feb 19, 2016
171
70
38
Oakland California
Hey stangnetters.

Got a question for everyone. Probably a dumb one. I was wondering if anyone knows how many different manufacturers make aluminum drive shaft for the fox? I know someone who's getting rid of things in their garage and has an aluminum Driveshaft in their position. He's not sure what brand it is and it doesn't have any kind of part number or anything.

It looks similar to a Ford Racing driveshaft but it's hard to tell. He's getting rid of it for $100. It looks like it's in good shape and almost brand new. I just want to make sure it's not a cheap pos. Kind of hard for me to tell at this point.

Any ideas on what to check for to determine the brand or if it's high quality?

Thanks
 
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A lot of guys will use an aluminum driveshaft from an Aerostar as an alternative. They're pretty easy to identify. The FRPP driveshaft is 3.5" in diameter and the Aerostar shaft is only 3". Not a bad choice, but I'd insist on having it checked before dropping the cash. A lot of them were recalled due to balance issues.
 
A lot of guys will use an aluminum driveshaft from an Aerostar as an alternative. They're pretty easy to identify. The FRPP driveshaft is 3.5" in diameter and the Aerostar shaft is only 3". Not a bad choice, but I'd insist on having it checked before dropping the cash. A lot of them were recalled due to balance issues.

Here's thr best pic i have of it. Looks fairly new.
20160422_140107.jpg
 
Looks like it could be from an Aerostar. Hard to be certain from the pic. Your best bet is to get under your car and measure it from center to center, then make sure this one matches. If it does and it's only about 3" in diameter, it's from an Aerostar.
 
I have the frpp drive shaft in mine, and it did not come with the large damper on the slip yoke. That looks suspiciously like an OEM shaft.
 
And if it is an Aerostar shaft, you'll need to transfer the front yoke from your Mustang anyway.

If the dimensions are correct and the balance is ok, I wouldn't necessarily take a pass, but I'd certainly try to knock home down to about $80, or less.
 
someone could have swaped an AOD front yoke onto it

Yeah, I guess you are correct, but the two main ideas of the upgrade are to reduce imbalance and rotating mass, and to put that yoke on a performance shaft would be less than...well, I'll be nice. There are small yokes out there that fit the AOD, so either it is a stock unit, or I gave the guy too much credit.
 
Yeah, I guess you are correct, but the two main ideas of the upgrade are to reduce imbalance and rotating mass, and to put that yoke on a performance shaft would be less than...well, I'll be nice. There are small yokes out there that fit the AOD, so either it is a stock unit, or I gave the guy too much credit.

FWIW, I used the smaller yoke that came with the Ford aftermarket driveshaft with no issues on my AOD.