Epiphany
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I was interested in seeing if the GT350 would come with a CF shaft from the moment the car was announced. Based on the fact that the '13/'14 GT500 came with a fiber unit from the factory I figured it would be a no brainer to utilize one behind the high winding Voodoo powerplant. When I saw a photo of a pre-production car fitted with one it seemed to be a lock. Then something happened. Ford teased the public with several shaded and carefully edited photos, none of which showed the driveshaft. Then just before production I saw it...a two-piece steel shaft. Talk about disappointment.
In the summer of 2015 I attended the "Powertrain Reveal" at the old Ford SVT headquarters in Michigan. The focus was on the engine and transmission and I met with some of Ford's finest engineers and had the opportunity to discuss everything in detail including asking why a CF shaft wasn't being used. Jamal Hameedi (Global Performance Vehicle Chief Engineer) told me they couldn't get the stiffness they wanted from a carbon fiber shaft for use in this application. While it seemed counter to everything he had said about why one was chosen for the '13/'14 GT500 I believe he was indeed being truthful. To date I wonder if his statement could have been further qualified to something like "at what price point did you abandon the CF shaft?" etc, but I didn't press further. It really isn't fair to pry for information that they really can't share. I'd still like to know more about the results they saw and the decision making that followed though.
That left the aftermarket. I figured DSS would come up with something and to their credit they did. In my case, I was looking for something else. I noticed that QA1 had posted a couple of videos stating that they were diving into the fiber shaft foray but I saw no mention of anything GT350 related. It took a little bit and then suddenly QA1 had a listing. I spoke with two individuals that jumped on the bandwagon and both shared photos and their initial observations. Both sounded very impressed and as such I placed an order with LMR for the SFI approved CF shaft from QA1.
https://lmr.com/item/QA1-JJ21208/shelby-gt350-carbon-fiber-driveshaft-qa1-15-17-jj-21208-sfi
It showed up today and I'm a bit disappointed with UPS (yup, here we go). I was out back with my dogs and heard the familiar burble of a UPS truck. He pulled out of the driveway as I got to the front door. Jihadi was apparently placed on the box. This is the same way it was placed outside my door.
The top portion of the box was still there and could be pivoted back in place.
I called QA1 and spoke to a gentleman there about it. I didn't contact LMR (yet) as the unit was drop (I now hate using that word) shipped directly from QA1 and never saw LMR's hands. I forwarded the photos up above. A cursory look shows no visual damage but I'm well aware of how important it is to handle driveline components such as a driveshaft. I plan on installing the unit unless QA1 directs me otherwise. It is indeed a beautiful piece and I'll document that as soon as I can.
In the summer of 2015 I attended the "Powertrain Reveal" at the old Ford SVT headquarters in Michigan. The focus was on the engine and transmission and I met with some of Ford's finest engineers and had the opportunity to discuss everything in detail including asking why a CF shaft wasn't being used. Jamal Hameedi (Global Performance Vehicle Chief Engineer) told me they couldn't get the stiffness they wanted from a carbon fiber shaft for use in this application. While it seemed counter to everything he had said about why one was chosen for the '13/'14 GT500 I believe he was indeed being truthful. To date I wonder if his statement could have been further qualified to something like "at what price point did you abandon the CF shaft?" etc, but I didn't press further. It really isn't fair to pry for information that they really can't share. I'd still like to know more about the results they saw and the decision making that followed though.
That left the aftermarket. I figured DSS would come up with something and to their credit they did. In my case, I was looking for something else. I noticed that QA1 had posted a couple of videos stating that they were diving into the fiber shaft foray but I saw no mention of anything GT350 related. It took a little bit and then suddenly QA1 had a listing. I spoke with two individuals that jumped on the bandwagon and both shared photos and their initial observations. Both sounded very impressed and as such I placed an order with LMR for the SFI approved CF shaft from QA1.
https://lmr.com/item/QA1-JJ21208/shelby-gt350-carbon-fiber-driveshaft-qa1-15-17-jj-21208-sfi
It showed up today and I'm a bit disappointed with UPS (yup, here we go). I was out back with my dogs and heard the familiar burble of a UPS truck. He pulled out of the driveway as I got to the front door. Jihadi was apparently placed on the box. This is the same way it was placed outside my door.
The top portion of the box was still there and could be pivoted back in place.
I called QA1 and spoke to a gentleman there about it. I didn't contact LMR (yet) as the unit was drop (I now hate using that word) shipped directly from QA1 and never saw LMR's hands. I forwarded the photos up above. A cursory look shows no visual damage but I'm well aware of how important it is to handle driveline components such as a driveshaft. I plan on installing the unit unless QA1 directs me otherwise. It is indeed a beautiful piece and I'll document that as soon as I can.
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