We have implemented three new changes to our already successful C5 differential output shafts to further enhance product strength, long term durability and identification of each output shaft as it’s delivered from its respective manufacturing lot/batch number for better QC. This enables us to more closely monitor the manufacturing process to head-off any possible negative issues with the product BEFORE it gets into our (or your) differential. The changes are listed below for your reference.

1. We are now bead blasting each piece as a final step before installation in an effort to further strengthen the shaft’s surface to prevent hairline cracks that may form from repeated shock loads placed on the shaft over time. They will now have a dull gray appearance when completed as opposed to a shiny surface before this process is complete.

2. The splines on both ends are re-designed to fit with more precision on the
respective internal side gear and on the axle joint splines themselves providing increased torsional load-bearing strength. Installation of the side gear and the axle shaft will now be easier due to the greater accuracy of the spline fitment.

3. Each output shaft is now serial numbered to match the respective manufacturing lot/batch it originated from so that we can identify where and when the shaft came from long after it has been sold. The serial number will also be tagged to the respective differential it was installed into when it was built at DTE.

One additional note:
We will be sacrificing one shaft from each lot/batch for specification validation of yield strength, product material certification, RC hardness for both the surface/core, etc… and if any one of these items fail to meet spec, the entire lot will be held or rejected until the issue is resolved. Product material and straightness certifications will be kept here on file for each lot as well. We feel that it’s better to find this information out BEFORE it gets into a differential than to have it fail afterward.

These changes were implemented as of 9-6-04 to further improve an already strong product thus, providing you with the best, strongest and most durable output shaft available for the C5 Corvette differential. Of course, these output shafts are still manufactured of 4340 “300M” hardened steel like they always have been.

Just thought some of you might like to know.


Best Regards,
Phil Rickard
President/Owner
Dynotech Engineering, Inc.

 

Very good to hear. I plan on picking one up when it's time to replace my clutch.

Cheers,

Mark

 

Phil,

This is fantastic news and is proof positive why people should work with DTE for hardened drivetrain components. It's great to see a company focus on quality control in such an aggressive way.

 

http://www.z06vette.com/forums/showthread.php?t=65415
Have you staightened out this mess yet? Many of us are still waiting for the outcome before deciding our next purchase.
Bob

 

When are the short shafts going to be available? I've got gears if you have shafts...
Phillip

 

Phil-
We have the right side output shafts available for immediate shipping now if you have matching side gears to go with them. We are producing the right side gear now as I write this, but it won't be available until validation testing is completed.

16again-
That issue has no relevence to this topic, nor the product either, as this effort was put into motion 13 weeks ago. It takes quite a bit of time to change/upgrade a product's design after production has started and its not something that's completed in a couple of weeks like most people think...

Best Regards,
DTE

 

This looks good! Question though. Were you having some breakage issues with your shafts as they were? I did not know anyone was breaking any of the shaft out there from any of the vendors on this forum.
Also, are your shafts 4340 or 300M. They are not the same thing. That is the only reason that I ask. 300M has a higher carbon and molybdenum content than 4340 as well as silicon, vanadium content.

Good luck and keep up the good work.

PS. We just finished installing your drivetrain brace on a customers Z06. It looks like a good piece. Hopefully we will be able to keep the diff case in one piece this time...

 

Oversimplified, 300M is a designation type of 4340 alloy.

We have not been experiencing any direct shaft breakage to our knowledge, we just have been improving the manufacturing process in an effort to improve on an already good design. One can ALWAYS improve on ANY design if they want to, it just takes time and effort.

Best Regards,
DTE

 

any direct shaft breakage

 

Sent PM

 

Carmen-
That particular shaft had a hardness of only RC26 and all the other 24 pieces in that whole lot/batch had the hardensss to spec of 46RC. Why was it softer than all the others...who know's and niether does the manufacturer that tempers the product, so that's why we have implemented these new changes/QC procedures.

BTW- We still have that shipment-damaged core here of yours on the shipping shelf. It's here whenever your ready to ship it back.


Best Regards,
DTE

 

WOW, interesting reading over there on that forum. It just took me almost an hour to read through all that information. I am just getting into upgrading my C5 and this leaves very negative feelings in my mind on where to shop. Hopefully it plays out well for those involved.

In any case, glad to see a company improving on what looks and reads like a quality unit.

 

Another one of 'those' posts.. Grr. I got really bored after reading the first few pages.. Good God... It never ceases to amaze me .. Someone thinks they are going to drag race ( dozens or hundreds of runs ) without breaking any parts. Drag racing is just about the most abusive ( the launch ) thing imaginable on your driveline parts. No one has a right to beat the crap out of driveline parts and then ask for replacement parts ( free of charge ) when they break. Give me a f..kin break!.

Phil, when it's time to replace my clutch I'll be calling to get an output shaft and most likely a trans brace.

Cheers,

Mark

 

No, it has not been resolved. Nobody but DTE knows where our Getrag is, and whether it will ever be returned. Our best guess is that DTE did not like the results of the testing, and my husband was right. If he sends them back, it might cause embarrassment to DTE, hence the parts "disappeared". Phil knows we will not sue him, so it's all about saving face for DTE now.

We have pretty much given up on them. We should run the car Friday at the Exotic Car Shootout at California Speedway. With absolutely no help from DTE. Matter of fact, it cost us $75 shipping (I think) to allow DTE to steal our parts. Could have bought 15 gallons of 103 with that.

Thanks for Nothing Phil.

Kathy "burned customer" McSwain

 

We are not asking for replacement. Please read the thread or have someone who can read help you with it, as you apparently didn't even get through the first post in the thread. We are asking that DTE return the parts we paid for, and they refuse. They refuse to even tell us WHERE our Getrag is.

And obviously you didn't get to the part where we paid over $500 for gear deburring that was not done, and possibly caused the failure.

If you need help interpreting technical threads, please PM me and I can assist you.

 

Uh oh, post hijack alert!

Dope

 

Yes, hi-jacked indeed. That said, I traded emails with Phil when he did my diff., and without exception he answered each and every one of them with detail and professionalism not commonly found in this industry.

I do agree it is a bit odd to keep a customer's part(s) for analysis against said customers' will. But if that is the policy you agree to when having DTE modify your components, then I suppose you are obligated to do so. One can only hope that the vendor will make every effort to expedite the inspection process, and I don’t think Phil has given anyone here (...) any reason to believe otherwise.

 

I agree, Phil was very knowledgeable and friendly when we contacted him prior to purchasing a DTE "race-prepped" Getrag. We opted for all the available performance options on his advice, and purchased the unit outright.

It was ordered with the 300M output shaft, Motive Gears, blueprinting and deburring.

It lasted less than 10% as long as a factory GM unit did. Which made us question if in fact the unit was manufactured and assembled correctly.

My husband owns an inspection laboratory and knows how long it takes to analyze components. He does parts from simple things like golf equipment all the way up to the bolts that hold the SRB's on the Space Shuttle for NASA. He was involved with the Alaska Airlines horizontal stabilizer failure inquiry off coast of California, and helped determine what the cause of the accident was. He is not naive in this area.

Phil needs to return our parts immediately (it does not take a month to perform the analysis required, usually 5-7 days) in the same condition we shipped them to him. He does NOT own those parts, we do.

At a minimum, he should let us know WHERE our parts are.

Is this a "hijack"? The thread concerns the quality of design and the quality control of DTE Getrag components. Since we own the "only DTE 4.10 Getrag that ever failed (per Phil)", maybe this is not as off-topic as you might think.

Will a brace stop this kind of failure? No. Will a better output shaft? No. Could better prep and QC on the gearset? Very possible.

What does it cost you if you get a bad Getrag component? In our case, $5000. Something to think about. An output shaft failure is going to cost you hundreds, other failures can get far more expensive. It is very likely that if the output shaft would have failed first, we would be in much better shape.

 

Interesting, looks like I will be looking elsewhere for a rearend. I do not understand how you can justify keeping someones parts that you denied warranty on.

 

DTE,

I have to be honest, I was considering using your company but I cannot even begin to consider using you when it is now SEPT 16th and this man still does not have HIS parts back. You published his private emails without consent, you sent HIS parts back WITHOUT his consent, and you seem to think this matter will just go away as you continue to post about "improvements" to your products. SEND THIS MAN HIS PARTS, ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY, UNBELIEVABLE. SORRY TO HEAR THIS TYPE OF TERRIBLE BEHAVIOR ON THE PART OF A 'FORUM' VENDOR.