When is the intermediate shaft needed? Can the stock shaft hold any power? I have a complete tranny everything is built or billet except the intermediate but I do not have any money for one? Do I not have to worry about it? Do they rarely brake? If it dos brake can it take any other parts out with it or is it safe for it to go and it will be the only thing to brake? I want to know if I can have the rest of mind or if I always need to be thinking about it and be ready for it to brake?

 

the stock intermediate can take alot, mine is stock.i have over 40 hard boosted launches at the track this year. all is good so far.

 

Yeah, the stock intermediate is by far the strongest of the 3 shafts. They hold up pretty well to drag racing and general thrashing. Many of the people that have problems with the stocker are towing heavy and using an exhaust brake.

 

ok cool sounds like i can be safe with just spending money on the output shaft to complete my tranny and have ease of mind that i built the tranny to hold the power.

 

it's highly recommended to be replaced if you plan on 4x launches. I wouldn't risk it myself cause if it goes, it's not the only thing that's going to be destroyed. It will take out most of the trans with it. Be safe and replace it man !

 

why do i always read of people braking shafts (input, output or intermediate) and the only damaged caused is the shaft? if other problems do come from a shaft braking why is it?

 

inputs and outputs won't do near the damage a intermediate will. I bet you haven't seen a lot of intermediates because it is the others that will break easier. I don't know the inter working of the trans that well but, ask any trans builder what will happen if you shatter a intermediate.

 

Your original post said you had all billet, except intermediate??
Either way, I agree with 'jrussell'. The only mid shafts I know of that broke (2) were due to excessive boosted launches... 30+ psi. The number of stock intermediates that have not broken at the track are thousands.
My builder said "you don't need to spend the money"!! Mine has held for 5 yrs and 130,000 miles.

RJ

 

dang you tritont... i was hoping to get my output shaft in and be done with it.... o well guess ill start saving for a intermedate... i hate how i built this truck, with spray im around 900 hp but i cant use any of it because i built power first and now im building the truck to handle it. ive had this truck built with this power for over a year now but im to scared to bring it to the track to se what i will run sence its not built to handle it. o well quess ill stick with my dyno's till i get my truck built up... thanks 4 the help tritont.

 

sorry i just consider my tranny all billet except for the inermediate because the output is awaiting me to pay for it. i had one already shipped to a vender by me so i can pick it up from him. so my tranny is all built when i slap that output into it except for the inermediate. so i guess i will wait till i buy a inerm also to install the output and interm at the same time.

 

When I was gettin mine built by Dave he said definately get a billet input and output but the intermediates are very strong factory...That being said he sent me a 4140 steel shaft. I went to launch at the track one night at 35psi boost in 4 hi and snapped it smooth in half. Now I have the stock intermediate back in and have done a bunch of hard boosted launches at 20psi and have had no problems. Anything can break though but I have heard the one you want to break would be the intermediate, if the input grenades it could smoke your converter and trash your pump...or worse.

 

Nope, the one you WANT to break is the output...it doesn't usually take anything w/it. Both the input and int shafts can be really bad to the rest of the tranny.

 

If you read more about intermediate shafts, stock ones seems to help cushion the rest of the trans and make the other shafts last longer. I'll bet if you did a poll, 9 times out of ten, the billet input or output broke before a stock intermediate.

From what I've read, you should keep a stock intermediate or you will break numerous billet output shafts when you launch at 30 psi or do locked converter shifts with the giggle gas flowing.

Your truck, your money, your choice, just my opinion.

 

Who the heck is launching above 20#? The most I have ever launched at was 25 and it was an accident. What is the reasoning for a 30# launch? You are begging for failure. I got my 12.76 run off a 15# launch and still pulled a 1.66 60' time....JMO....but dang...

 

HUH? ok so your comparing a 35 psi launch to 20 psi?

The Int shat is the last shaft you want to break! That being said they are also the strongest and the stockers have been believed to be better do to flex. The input is the shaft you should negver go with out if you put any kind of real TC and VB. I left my output stock because if I do break something that what I want it to be dont even have to pull the tranny to repair it.