Did you use the complete drivetrain as pulled from the '02 Camaro? If you replaced the clutch and pressure plate or flywheel you wouldn't be the first to get one that was out of balance. I put a Sachs kit on my new engine and the builder installed everything and tested it.

Is it solely speed related or can you notice it at around the same RPM or even sitting still with the trans in neutral? How is your pinion angle versus your transmission angle?

 

Place the car on its own weight on tires and measure driveshaft to trans angle and compare to the driveshaft to pinion angle; they should be within 0° to 1° difference.

 

http://www.prostreetcamaro.com/dshaft.shtml

 

Perfect! I need to set up the pinion angle on my 50 tonight!

Let us know if your 68 was out!

 

Is the engine internal or externally balanced, and, was the flywheel balanced accordingly?

 

get an angle finder and post the diff, driveshaft AND trans angles. the trans/differential is as or more important than the driveshaft to diff angles.
I just fixed my ls1/4l60 drivehaft vibration yesterday.. my pinion angle was 4* too low and my trans needed to be spaced up .5" :beers:

 

u-joint working angles 0-5 degrees

Any suggestions? I love '68 Camaro's but hate mine.

Pinion angle is the first thing I thought of too and better safe than sorry but he did state the above.

 

Thanks, everybody.

I have measured trans and different u-joint angles with the socket / digital level technique. I built a different trans. x-member so I had the ‘room’ to shim the trans up / down A LOT. I have tried angles from 0-5 degrees and the changes didn’t affect the vibration.

The car is lowered 2” or so, so my driveshaft is running uphill on the way to the axle. I have a 2 degree pinion angle shim that I have used “both ways” to adjust the pinion angle and I have tried many combinations including setting is parallel to the transmission output shaft. None of the combinations have changed the vibration.

I’m just about ready to pull the trans out again and remove the mainshaft / output shaft. Either replace or put it between centers to check for runout, but I can drive with my hand on the transmission case (I haven’t patched the trans tunnel hole yet) and it doesn’t seem to be vibrating significantly.

Clutch / Flywheel are new, but the vibration is unchanged even when coasting with the engine OFF.

 

Take the driveshaft to a drivesahft/axle shop and let them straighten/balance it.
Max runout on each end of the driveshaft is 0.010".

Pinion and trans should be parallel to each other.

 

I'll check runout on the driveshaft, but I've had 3 different ones in the car without any change in vibration. All were new / balanced and the last one was built by a well respected vendor, Denny's in Buffalo.

I think I'll be pulling the mainshaft / output shaft from the tranny this weekend, but it's a ton of work just to inspect a shaft!

 

I wouldn't pull it. You can get a magnetic base dial indicator from Summit for under $30. Stick it somewhere and set the point on the yoke tube, zero it, then with the car in neutral rotate your driveshaft by hand and see what your runout is. If it looks off, then pull it and see what's up.

 

Are you wearing out any transmission output yokes or tailshaft bushings? Check for any wear on just one side of the yoke. I had a problem like this and it was a twisted/bent transmission output shaft. Another sign of this is that the yoke won't easily slip all the way forward on the splines.

 

I'll pull the trans output shaft seat and check for wear..... good idea. I have already had a dial indicator on the rear of the shaft and the slip yoke and T.I.R was less than 0.005" (some of that is just the roughness of the shaft). I even pulled the rear housing off the trans and did the same thing on the shaft a few more inches forward....less than 0.003" runout.

My problem is, I have already replaced everything. It's always possible to have replaced parts with other 'bad' parts, but not very likely, and I have never noticed any change in the vibration.

I'll try adding an extra exhaust hanger on each side to stiffen the long straight sections.... maybe something is exciting a vibration in the pipes??

 

I have a 10 page pdf file that deals with vibration solutions. Shoot me a PM and I'll email it to you. It's too large to attach directly to this post.

 

Onovakind67,

PM sent. Thanks

I still need to hang plumb-bobs from the centerline of the balancer / transmission yoke and differential yoke to see if I"m lined up that way, but I honestly can't think of another thing to check out.

 

I know you said you have new tires and rims, but have you had them road force balanced. Other than that it seems you have tried everything and I'm stumped as everyone else.

 

I bought the wheels / tires mounted and road-force balanced from TireRack. The other set I tried on the Camaro had been running on a friends car for years without issues.... I didn't notice any difference in the vibration with 'em.

thanks again.... I'm stumped.

 

Someone mentioned running up the engine in neutral to see if the vibration presented itself. Did you try that? I know this is a longshot but any possibility the rear axles are bent? Are you able to tell if it coming from the front or the rear?

alan

 

Thanks for the file Mike,I'll see if any of it helps me.

Steve

 

Alanrw,

I haven't tried running the engine in neutral with the vehicle stationary. But, I have tried blipping the throttle in neutral at highway speeds and even turning off the engine (neutral with the clutch engaged and disengaged) and they don't affect the vibration.

It feels like the entire vehicle is shaking. Can't tell if it's the front or the back. I have had 3 different sets of axles, 2 different carriers and 2 different housing.... and many different combinations. Nothing changes the vibration.

I might try pulling the driveshaft at the top of a hill....coast up to 50-60 and see what happens on the way down the hill. Or, maybe find a friend with a pick-up and rent a tow dolly.

 

Are you sure its not a wheel balancing problem or a bent spindle, where dose the vibration feel like its coming from.

 

I haven't been able to isolate the source of the vibration. I am using Del-A-Lum bushings front and rear which dont' offer any damping / isolation. I have had someone else drive while I 'felt' for vibrations in the drivetrain by reaching through an oversized shifter hole. I didn't appreciate any excessive transmission vibrations. I let the slip yoke slide past my fingers at 60mph (that's not exactly in teh owners manual, but I"m desperate) and didn't feel or see any vibration.

I have had all 4 wheel / tires rebalanced. The shop didn't add, take away or move any weights, but they said they were OK.

How could I check for a bent spindle?

 

As you stated, find a tow bar or a hill and remove the driveshaft and coast.
I have seen shocks being too soft allow an imbalance.
Bent spindle would be seen by one wheel not parallel with the other side.
Bent axle flange cna be measured with a dial indicator, total runout less than 0.006" right on the flange.
Vibration moreso in the back seat than front seat(s)?

 

What about a tow dolly for two wheels. then you could test front/rear with and without the driveshaft installed to isolate it further?

It sounds like a bent spindle is the only thing really unaccounted for. Although, Have you inspected the tie rod and sway bar bushings and their mounting hardware?

 

I'm watching to see where this one goes. My 68, all new front end (Moog)torqued to spec,new wheel bearings,spindles are good,all new bushings on frame and rear end,alignment is right( checked and rechecked),bellhousing alignment is OK,new bronze pilot bushing,new clutch,new pressure plate,surfaced and balanced flywheel,new tailshaft bushing in trans,new driveshaft(balanced and rebalanced)new u-joints,driveline angles all check out OK over and over,new tires (balanced and rebalanced),basically everything except axles,so guess where I'm going to check next.Have run it up to speed on stands and it doesn't seem as bad with the tires off the ground.It has a good shake at 60,not a buzz but a shake that you feel in the seat.Don't ask if it always did it ,when I bought it the suspension was junk and it wasn't driven over 40.

 

make sure nothing from the drive train is touching the body. I had a bolt on my shifter linkage touching the tunnel that a caused nasty vibration.