Revology Cars is always looking for ways to make their new reproduction 1960s Mustangs and Shelby GTs better.
The latest innovation involves the driveshaft—a critical part in a high-performance car, but one that does not always get the attention it deserves.
Not so at Revology Cars, where the quest to continuously improve driveline refinement led the Orlando, Florida-based manufacturer of reproduction original Ford Mustangs to the best in the business.
“The driveshaft doesn’t just transfer power; it transfers noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) as well,” says Tom Scarpello, Revology’s founder and CEO. “If not designed properly, at worst it can make a car unsafe; at best, miserable to drive.”
After dealing with quality and delivery problems with its previous supplier, Revology looked for a new supplier that could deliver a driveshaft capable of handling up to 750 horsepower smoothly and quietly and could meet the volume and timing requirements to keep up with Revology’s assembly line production format. It found a well-established business in North Carolina, called appropriately enough, the Driveshaft Shop.
Lee Mejia of the Driveshaft Shop takes up the story.
“Our company was founded in the 1970s and we have been making driveshafts for a long time, focusing high performance aftermarket applications,” says Mejia.
The Driveshaft shop has been working with the 5.0 liter Ti-VCT “Coyote” engines in the recent generation Ford Mustangs, so is familiar with driveshaft issues associated with this powertrain.
“ We are different from other driveshaft makers out there,” says Mejia. “We are an actual manufacturer and the vast majority of the components in our products are made in house. We have a full CNC machine shop and we make a lot of parts that no-one else does.
“We have also a full custom shop, as a big part of our business is with customers putting modern drivetrains in classic cars.”
In the case of Revology Cars’ reproduction Mustangs, the Driveshaft Shop supplies driveshafts made of aluminum for naturally aspirated models and carbon fiber for supercharged cars.
A key element in the Driveshaft Shop’s products is the integration of constant velocity mounting technology in the driveshaft design. This overcomes the vibration issues that can arise from the male/female spline connections in stock driveshafts.
The challenges inherent in designing a driveshaft are underscored by Aaron Wright, Revology Cars chief engineer.
“There are an incredible number of criteria to consider when designing and appropriately applying a driveshaft with consideration for functional strength, NVH, durability, and corrosion,” says Wright. “The Driveshaft Shop did all the hard work establishing and refining their driveshafts. All we did was determine the front and rear working angles, the allowable difference between the working angles, and the length required. From the first prototype to the latest production order, we’ve had consistent quality.”
