Hey all, long time since I posted due to selling the Roush over a year ago. I have another 2014 GT now that was heavily modified and I'm returning it to stock to sell. I have an issue that I can't figure out with installing the factory drive shaft. I had a Driveshaft Shop aluminum shaft on the car and had no issues with the 6 rear bolts. However, when reinstalling the stock driveshaft, the 6 bolts seem to be bottoming out before the head is seated. The lock washer is able to be spun by my fingers when the bolt is completely tight.

What am I doing wrong? I don't know if the bolts were changed when the aluminum shaft was installed and if they are longer than factory, but they won't tighten completely. I rotated the drive shaft at the rear to the six different bolt positions hoping that they would seat differently, but no go on that.

Any help is appreciated.

 

The bolts are swapped out because of the different flange used by the aftermarket driveshaft. They do that. You'll have to source stock/same spec as stock ones to put back on the stock driveshaft.

I bet there's a junkyard nearby... Maybe you just go looking and just "happen to find" them lying around... *whistles innocently...*

 

maybe you can find the original bolts, if you did the install yourself

 

I determined that the bolts used on the aluminum driveshaft are replacements that came with it. I was provided all the factory parts, supposedly, but it appears not as I can't locate these. So is anybody familiar with this aluminum driveshaft? It also appears that a mounting plate is installed to the rear.

Do all '05-'14 driveshafts have the partial circle spacers between two bolts as I've seen online when others are replacing their driveshaft?


Here's the driveshaft and it states that there is no adaptor plate, but watching videos of the install, it shows an adaptor plate being installed, and it looks like I have that plate. I may need to re-investigate what's there and what stock looked like.
https://www.driveshaftshop.com/domes...-direct-fit-cv

 

Another question? Do you guys think it would be ok to just trim down the bolts about 1/4"? Or, should I try to locate factory original bolts? Cutting these down will only take time and they are the correct bolts for the driveshaft, as they came off the car in that use? I can do either option and not cutting is easier, but trying to locate the factory bolts may prove to be a project also.

 

I do not remember those partial circle spacers on my '13 when I upgraded the driveshaft, but that was 5 years ago.

 

Ok, time for a talk. This is a driveshaft, and on a car that's got driveshaft issues by design, if the looking around about this is any indication... Simply put, you *do not* want to introduce any weirdness to the situation. The driveshaft in any car is stupid for balancing issues, and with all that rotational/centrifugal/centripetal force going on, messing around with what's supposed to be done on these, whether the OEM or the replacements, is not advised and may actually hurt your car. Please do what's correct and called for by the people who make these driveshafts.

So for the OEM one, it's this: Ford put those spacer/washers/links/plates/?, three of them, on their driveshafts at the axle end on these cars. I can't be sure why, but they're there. If they're not, somebody messed around with it for some reason. So... it may be that you can just get appropriate sized washers and run that, although I'd be a little leery of doing so for balance and/or clearance issues. And also the lengthening of the head away from the secure surface of the flange may not be a great idea on top of it all... lots of dynamics get messed up with high RPM spinny things...

As far as trimming down the bolts... surely you can just find shorter correct bolts? I'm not saying go to Ham Debone or Flows and get them, but... it's *bolts*. Cheap in the long run. Don't be messing around, c'mon. BUT... that said, sure, a hacksaw and a grinder to chamfer/round the end of the bolt, then chased with a die, can maybe do the trick, but now the bolt's been heat treated in a weird way and I'm not doing that on a driveshaft. Maybe a non-important part, but never a drive shaft. No freakin' way. Yeah, I'm chicken, so what, rather the driveshaft/axle/transmission don't go kablooey, ok? Ok.

Your absolute, best, correct course of action is to go to your local Ford dealership and buy the correct hardware. They'll probably have to be ordered, but that's the deal, IMO. And yes, Ford won't be the cheapest, but it'll be right.

OR... that whole 'found it!' up there I listed is still in play.

Just my thoughts on this overall experience you're having. I hope you get it figured out. Good luck!

 

I went to my local dealer at lunch and asked about the bolts. They had them in stock and wanted $46 per pair. So Ford wants $150 for 6 bolts? The parts guy said that for that cost, he'd just cut the bolts that were in there to fit.

So, I did just that. All 6 bolts were cut down to the exact length of the factory bolts. That curved spacer doesn't feel heavy enough to apply any pressure between the bolts and the aftermarket driveshaft didn't use 'em. What I'll do is test drive the car after the SuperCharger is removed and see if there's any vibration. If there's anything to be concerned about, I'll buy the factory set, and hope that fixes any vibration. I'll let you know.

 

I still say junk yard. But you do you!

 

At that price I am happy that I kept my bolts when I swapped drive shafts in case I ever have to go back to stock.

 

Update...The car drives just fine with no driveline vibration at all. Cutting the bolts that were used in the aftermarket driveshaft are working just fine. Thanks for your suggestions.

 

Thanks for the update! And gratz to ya!