The HP Motorsport driveshaft...
The HP Motorsport driveshaft safety loop comes in two main sections-the mounting bracket and the safety loop-along with the necessary hardware to make the assembly a bolt-in job.
Having a safety loop to retain your driveshaft is only being smart. Whether you have a 500hp race car with slicks or a 250hp street car on radials, a driveshaft universal-joint failure can happen to either one. Get a little too aggressive with your clutch work and you just might snap a fatigued or dried-out joint while banging gears.
We're not saying a driveshaft failure is inevitable, but if you drive hard, why not add some peace of mind by installing a safety loop? Without it you could be asking for a hairy ride, as a failure of the front joint will often cause a car to "pole vault" up in the rear and even flip the car over or have it land on its side.
NMRA rules-as well as those of other sanctioning bodies-require a safety loop. Since we had previously installed HP Motorsport's suspension goodies and other trick items on our Real Street project, we decided to install one of its safety loops, the HPM-4000AZ ($39). This loop provides extra clearance for larger-diameter, aluminum driveshafts.
The job requires only a drill and some hand tools-no welding, no fuss. The safety loop can be installed in about an hour. Afterward, you'll feel much better about dropping the hammer.
 Using sandpaper, a flap wheel,...  Using sandpaper, a flap wheel, or other such device, clean the floorpan area where the mounting bracket will be situated. This step removes undercoating, grime, and so on for a nice, tight fit to the floorpan. |  Carefully rotate the safety...  Carefully rotate the safety loop up and over the driveshaft and into place. Align the loop with the mounting bracket and secure the two sections with the included hardware. |  While not recommended for...  While not recommended for safety reasons unless the interior is gutted, we attempted to weld the mounting bracket to the floorpan. Our results were less than stellar. The thin factory floorpan easily burned through in several places. |
 After wire-wheeling the welds...  After wire-wheeling the welds smooth and shooting the bare welds and floor with chassis black paint, we broke out the drill and installed the mounting bracket with the supplied hardware. When drilling you have the option of mounting the nut and washer under or on top of the carpet. Make sure you have clearance during the drilling steps as well. Our Real Street project has a PMS box under the pas-senger seat, which had to be moved during the work. | | |