BMR front safety loop
Whether you need a safety loop is all up to you.
Here’s NHRA’s take on it..
A driveshaft loop will be required on all cars running 13.99 or quicker and utilizing slicks, except vehicles equipped with street tires running 11.49 or slower.
For those installing a BMR front safety loop, see the installation steps below.
BMR1. Remove the 2 rear transmission crossmember bolts using an 18mm socket.
BMR2. Mount the BMR driveshaft loop mounting angle bracket to the transmission crossmember, re-install the factory bolts and torque to 55 lb-ft.
BMR3. Insert the new drive shaft though the BMR loop and let it hang until the 4 bolts on the driveshaft flange to the transmission output flange are installed and torqued complete.
(no picture)
BMR4. See after step 11.
11. New driveshaft installation
With the e-brake off, clock/index the white-out marks you made on the pinion flange and transmission output flange.
Position the new driveshaft up from the rear in-between the mid-pipes and carefully route up to the front (and through the BMR front loop, if applicable).
Place rags over any sharp objects to avoid scratching the new aluminum driveshaft.
Mate up both ends of the driveshaft’s U-joints against the rear pinion adapter plate and the forward transmission output flange.
Rotate the driveshaft if necessary to pick up the previously used 4 bolt holes in the transmission output flange, and make sure the 6 o’clock markings didn’t move while rotating the driveshaft.
Once everything is in position, Loctite each bolt and snug down tight. Using an ‘X’ pattern, torque the bolts to the following;
Driveshaft to transmission output flange: 76 lb-ft
Driveshaft to pinion adapter plate: 41 lb-ft
Note: A standard socket – universal joint adapter – ratchet combo will not fit squarely on the U-joint bolts. Correctly torquing these bolts will be difficult without a 12 point Crow’s Foot.
If you choose to use a Crow Foot extension, use the following formula to set your correct torque value.
(T x L) / (L + E) = Adjusted torque value (what you set on your torque wrench)
T= target torque value
L= length of torque wrench in inches (end of handle to center of socket)
E= length of extension in inches (center of socket to center of bolt)
If using a 1” Crow’s Foot extension on the front U-joint bolts, here’s the way the formula works out.
(76 x 12” torque wrench) / (12” torque wrench + 1” extension) = 70.15 lb-in torque.
BMR4. Mount the loop portion to the crossmember angle using the supplied bolts and nuts. (no picture)
BMR5. Position the loop so it’s even on both sides of the driveshaft (can use you fingers to check for even gap).
(no picture)
BMR6. Tighten the 2 bolts and ensure the even gap is maintained.
INSTALLATION COMPLETE!
Baseline/comparison photos
Shaftmaster DS is in!!!
Install went down yesterday afternoon at TB's. Install took us a 4-5 hours as we ran into some complications. None of which are the fault of shaftmasters.
Problem 1
Stock DS was very rusted and made it pain to get it off. Problem with solved with a little PB and a rubber mallet.
Problem 2
The Shaftmaster adapter plate requires 8mm hex socket. Had to run to Sears and pick one up.
Problem 3
My ebrake wasn't working. This was from a bad reinstall of the ebrake after my LCA install a few weeks ago.
So with that said the install should take about 2 hours and some change.
After the install I took it out for a spin to TB's proving grounds where I got the car up to 120mph vibration free. Additionally I drove it down from LA to San Diego last night. If I hadn't installed it myself I'd believe it was the stock one.
As far as performance goes the difference is amazing. The rpms's pick up so much faster. Accelration feels faster and smoother. I'm more than satisfied with all aspects of the DS and the level of customer service I recieved from Shaftmasters.
DS clearance- No clearance problems to report. More than inch clearance even next to the infamous "ebrake bracket". FYI- I have Steeda ultralite springs, auto tranny.
Weight difference-
After removing returning home today I weighed the stock DS and it came in at 38.8lbs while the Shaftmaster 3.5" aluminum shaft weighed in at 16.6lbs. That's a 22lb weight difference.
Track times-
Went to the track Friday night. Problem I ran into is that because of my 4.10 gears and the cold weather I wasn't able to get any traction. All my runs started with fishtailing which required me to left off the gas in order to avoid the wall. So because of that all my times were between 10-13 secs. FYI-It's a 1/8 mile track. So because of this I will not be able to provide an accurate difference before and after the ds install. What I can say though is that the DS definiatly registers in the butt-o-meter.
