Son of a &^%$#@!!!!

[GreenFish]

ok, so I'm installing my new garage door opener, and i need a part. Got to go to homedepot. Its just something small so what the heck, its a nice day, lets fire up the Cuda and take it.

I'm on my way back minding my own buisness driving down the highway doing about 60mph and BOOM!!!!    sounded like something exploded under my car. Of course my heart just falls into my gut. I slow down and get the car pulled over. The car wont move but the engine is still running. (good news) I shut it off, get out and take a look underneath. My driveshaft is laying on the ground. 

I get a tow truck, get the car back to my house, and get a good look. The universal joint or yolk in the rear of the drive shaft just let go. The input for the shifter for my Tremec is bent and it wont go into 1 st or 2nd. How the heck does the yolk break in the rear and damage my tranny???  Oh.. and there is a four inch x about half inch rip in my rear frame where it looks like a piece of shrapnel went through it.

I almost want to say i ran over something but i didnt see anything. the whole thing is just wierd.

[AprilsPink72Cuda]

Oh My God!  That is horrible.  I can only imagine how upset you must be. 

[Grec]

I wonder if your flailing driveshaft hit the ground and grabbed enough to do something to your tranny.

Hard to say.

That's alot of torque to just have spinning out of control.

Sorry about your car, but glad you didn't lose a limb!

[GreenFish]

Thanks April,

I have actually calmed down. It doesnt look like too much cash to fix. The rear end is fine, and it shouldnt be to much to have the tranny fixed. The drive shaft is actually still intact. It will just need a new yolk. Could have been a lot worse.

[GreenFish]

I wonder if your flailing driveshaft hit the ground and grabbed enough to do something to your tranny.

Hard to say.

That's alot of torque to just have spinning out of control.

Sorry about your car, but glad you didn't lose a limb!

thanks, Yeah, i thought of that, glad that piece didnt come up through the floor. I have a lakewood bellhouseing up front so I am safe there. But on of the yolk pieces was missing, im thinking that was what went flying, just an idea. who knows.??   

[Oldschool]

Thanks April,
 The drive shaft is actually still intact. It will just need a new yolk. 

Even though the driveshaft looks ok after all that flailing around under the car, I would get it checked for straightness and any other damage that you might not be able to see with the naked eye by a professional drive shaft shop.   After what just happened, you don't need to get everything repaired and then put a damaged driveshaft back in the car and have the same thing happen again....   my 0.02.......             

[JCWCuda]

Damn that would get me pissed to  with Old Cool on this one ,it won't cost ya that much and could save ya Bunch

[willhaven]

Do you have a driveshaft loop? If not, be glad it broke in the rear. The last thing you want to do is be pole vaulting on the freeway.

[JS27N0B]

Just cruising along nicely and this happened, no vibrations beforehand?
Very weird, glad your okay.

[Jacksboys]

Sounds almost like what happened to my father's Dart a few years ago, except that one of the screws in the cap came loose and boom.  

Sorry to hear that happened, but glad to hear it is fixable.

[Street_Challenged73]

Wow, that really sucks!  Sorry to hear about the damages, but at least nothing happened to you when it let loose.

[Chryco Psycho]

Rev & Redline will recall a similar incident

[4Cruizn]

Whoa  . . . not fun.  Glad you're ok!  Now  - - > 

[GreenFish]

Well I had a loop before when i had the 727 tranny in it. I had the bolt in loop that attaches to the crossmember. But it doesnt work with the tremec so I havent put one in yet. But I think that will be coming when i reinstall the driveshaft.

[HP2]

Did the rear yoke actually break or did the u-joint straps just come loose? I've also seen u-joint caps that have degraded overtime and grenaded which allows everything to get loose, start a big vibration than seconds later explode.

Looking at the break, if there is one, can tell you if there was a minor fatigue crack that just grew with time? The catastrophic crack will all be light grey and sharp. The original failure point will be darker and/or show some corrosion.

If all you did was bend a trans part and tweak the driveshaft, that is not really too bad for that type of failure. I've blown up rear u-joints that have completely cracked trans cases and shattered extension housings.

Definetly have the driveshaft checked before reiinstalling it. All that flailing around could have bent it or maybe even knocked a balancing weight off. It simple enough to avoid the situation, or bad vibs, again.