corvetteflorida

OK, maybe I am just too picky to be healthy. I have my C5Z06 torn apart in a shop waiting for a new clutch, and because of the pilot bushing going bad (yes, bushing, not bearing), I'm thinking perhaps replacing the torque tube input shaft with front bearing might be a wise idea. The tech at the shop says the old shaft has zero runout and zero play, and he polished up the stub that goes into the pilot bearing nicely. But still, better to be safe than sorry, right?

Well, the "new" shaft came in yesterday, so I grabbed my camera and took some closeup pics of it. And this is what I see:
























I asked the place I bought it from and was told that the C5 torque tube input shafts are no longer available new, so the C6 input shafts are being machined down to fit the C5.

Well that is all and good and everything, but darn if it doesn't look like the area in front of the splines was worked over with a hand file. And honestly, I'm not all that crazy about the stub that goes into the pilot bearing just left with the raw machining marks rather than being polished.

So let me ask you this. Would you put this input shaft in YOUR car? Am I just being way too picky about this? Or will this be perfectly OK?

jmd

iTrader: (4)

The cut back splnes are a non-issue in a non-stressed area.

As to whether the surface for the pilot is partially welded, I don't know, but the surface would be fine in a bronze bushing.

corvetteflorida

But how about for using a pilot bearing? I had a pilot bushing in there before, and I am not happy with the very short period of time it lasted before causing me problems. So my intention is to use a bearing this time around.

AMP-D

If this came from us, it will be just fine. The sleeve pressed on is a case hardened bearing material and designed to work with a pilot bearing. We are having to machine the C6 shafts we produce to work with 01-04 C5s until our C5 specific shafts are finished later this summer.

corvetteflorida

Interesting. I didn't realize I was looking at a pressed on sleeve. Well, I'm not sure if it came from you or not. I will PM you and let you know who it was I got it from.

But those striations on that sleeve that would go into the pilot bearing won't be a problem? Honestly I had thought that "stub" would have been polished a bit more than it is. So is the way it is by design rather than an oversight? I'm not so much worried about the shaft being damaged as I am about the relative roughness (and I have to admit this is a very magnified close-up shot from my camera) damaging the pilot bearing.

And are my eyes deceiving me about the area in front of the splines being done by hand with a file, instead of being machined?

I'm not trying to belittle the quality of anyone, just trying to understand what I am looking at and if this will cause me any headaches going into my car. I've certainly had my fair share of such headaches, and am probably being pretty hyper-critical about everything these days.

corvetteflorida

So the machine marks on the stub of that input shaft have been bugging me ever since I received it. I talked with AMP-D and expressed my concerns, but he said it will be perfectly fine "as is". So I asked him if I could polish it up a bit, or would that negatively impact anything by doing so. He said it likely wouldn't have any impact either way, and if it would make me feel better, and I didn't get carried away with it, to go ahead.

So I did....

Chucked it up in my little lathe and then used increasingly finer grit polishing paper (from 1500 grit to 3000 grit) and then applied some Simi-Chrome.








BEFORE:



AFTER:


I wasn't inclined to take off too much metal to try to get all the machine marks out, just enough to make any riding surfaces of the shaft on the pilot bearing smooth and silky. As frictionless as practical. Shaft nub feels smooth as butter now.

95sscamaro

iTrader: (6)

I have a stock c5 shaft at the shop if you want oem parts for it

corvetteflorida

Thanks much for the offer, but I think I'm good. Hopefully the car will be back on the road by next week.