<VV> LM Rear Axle Question

[Sethracer at aol.com]

In a message dated 10/31/2009 2:44:00 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time,  
wblanning at comcast.net writes:

I have  seen some LM rear axles with balancing weights and some with no 
weights.   Does anyone know how GM (or its supplier) decided to balance the 
axles or  not?  Has anyone ever had these axles checked for balance?  If so,  
did they need balancing?

Wade





Wade - My guess (just a guess) is that they checked all of them. If one was 
 more then "X" out of balance, then they added a weight to semi-balance it 
out.  If it was less than X - nothing was done. Remember that the Corvair 
axle spins  at only about one-third of the speed of most conventional drive 
shafts because  it is on the output side of the differential. The flip side of 
this is that they  have to transmit more torque than the equivalent 
front-engined cars, since  the differential multiplies it. I twisted one into two 
pieces once -  shearing all the welds at one end - It took a 
foot-to-the-floor power-shift  under full- E-flow turboboost at Fremont Drag Strip. It was 
probably a  late-Friday welded shaft. <grin>
 
Seth  Emerson

C's the Day! - Corvair, Camaro,  Corvette