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Carbon vs Chromoly vs Aluminium: Choosing the Right Tailshaft for Your Build 

GJ Drivelines Mustang Manual
Upgrading your tailshaft?

The material you choose isn’t just about weight or looks — it directly affects your build’s performance, strength, and responsiveness. Whether you’re building a street car, drag car or drift setup, each material behaves differently under torque and speed.

Explore our custom tailshaft manufacturing options or get in touch for tailored advice.

Chromoly Steel Tailshafts:
Strength for Serious Torque

Chromoly is a high-strength alloy steel — and the go-to material for builds that push hard torque through the driveline.
  • Extremely durable and fatigue-resistant
  • Great for high-horsepower street builds, off-roaders, and 4WDs
  • Heavier than other materials, but ideal where longevity and load capacity matter most
Best for:
  • Turbocharged street builds
  • Supercharged V8s
  • 4WDs running large tyres and lockers

Aluminium Tailshafts:
Lightweight Response

Aluminium tailshafts offer a solid middle ground between weight and strength.
  • Much lighter than steel, reducing rotational mass
  • Improves throttle response and acceleration
  • Slightly less torsional strength than chromoly
  • Good for lighter vehicles or moderate builds
Best for:
  • Drift cars needing fast directional changes
  • NA performance builds
  • Street-legal tuner cars with moderate power
Want to compare product types?

Carbon Fibre Tailshafts:
Maximum Performance, Minimum Weight

Carbon tailshafts are the premium choice — and with good reason:
  • Incredibly lightweight, with reduced vibration and smoother rotation
  • Absorbs driveline shock instead of transferring it to other components
  • Extremely expensive and sensitive to impact damage
Best for:
  • Dedicated drag cars
  • High-end track builds
  • Applications where maximum RPM and response are critical
GJ Drivelines Mustang Manual

So, Which Material Should You Use?

There’s no one-size-fits-all — it depends on how you use the car:

Use CaseBest Tailshaft Material
Daily driven street carAluminium
Turbo or supercharged buildChromoly
Drag racingCarbon Fibre
Drift or fast-reacting throttle buildsAluminium or Carbon
4WD / off-roadChromoly

At GJ Drivelines, we don’t just sell shafts, we build them to suit your exact goals, power output and suspension setup.

Talk to our team about building the right shaft for your setup.

Enquire With Us today

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Identify Transmission

Chrysler – Dodge
727 – 30 Spline 1 11/16″ Seal Diameter
904 – 26 Spline 1 9/16″ Seal Diameter

Ford
C6-T56 – 31 Spline 1 11/16″ Seal Diameter
AOD & C4 & T5 – 28 Spline 1 1/2″ Seal Diameter
4 R 7OW – 28 Spline 1.598″ Seal Diameter

General Motors
T-350 700R4-4LLOE – 27 Spline 1 1/2″ Seal Diameter
T-400-4L80E – 32 Spline 1 7/8″ Seal Diameter

Note: Transmission slip yokes are manufactured with various U-Joint Series. It is important to match Horsepower and Torque requirements to U-Joint Series. For aftermarket transmission applications usually a spline count and seal diameter will identify slip yoke required.

Identify Rear U-Joint

diagram-d

If Pinion Yoke has Placement tabs that retain the U-Joint, measure inside tabs. See Diagram D.

diagram-e

If Pinion Yoke does not have Placement Tabs that retain U-Joint, measure from flat of yoke inside to inside. See Diagram E.

diagram-l

If 4 bolt Flange is used on pinion, measure Pilot Diameter and center to center diagonally bolt hole to bolt hole. See Diagram L.

diagram-a

Universal Joint Size. There are hundreds of U-Joint sizes or “Series” to accomodate many different applications of power and desired longevity for your automotive, 4×4 truck or auto racing requirements, these 4 series of joints cover most needs.

1310 Spicer Series: 1 1/16″ Cup Diameter (Dim C – Diagram A) 3 7/32″ length (Dim B – Diagram A) Certain Ford applications have 2 cups 1 1/8 Diameter. Appropriate horse power range is up to 500 in circle track or road racing, small tire drag racing and 4×4. Also available: Performance Dynamic Cryo Joint.

1330 Spicer Series: 1 1/16″ Cup Diameter (Dim C – Diagram A) 3 5/8″ length (Dim B – Diagram A) Certain Ford applications have 2 cups 1 1/8 Diameter. Slightly stronger than 1310, Used in 5.0 Mustangs. Also available: Performance Dynamic Cryo Joint.

3R Saginaw Series: 1 1/8″ Cup Diameter (Dim C – Diagram A) Retained with internal clip 2 5/8″ (Dim B – Diagram A). Most common GM joint. Horse power range up to 700 in road racing and circle track. Solid drag racing U-Joint can accomodate most sportsman classes. Also available: Performance Dynamic Cryo Joint.

1350 Spicer Series: Manufactured with OEM tolerances and treated with our Cryogenic Process to yeild the strongest U-Joint available. For drag racing applications a solid non-lube design U-Joint is recommended because of the tremendous initial shock load, or short duration of high torque the joint must be able to withstand.

 

Driveshaft Measurements

diagram-n

If PST is supplying you with transmission slip yoke, Pinion yoke and driveshaft yoke measure Dim W. See Diagram N.

If PST is supplying you with transmission slip yoke and driveshaft measure Dim X. See Diagram N.

2 Piece driveshafts use Dim Y + Z. See Diagram N.