t seems impossible to
believe the C5 (1997-
’04) and C6 (2005-’13)
Corvettes have been on
the road for as long as they
have. Quite a few were purchased new and
put away in the garage for sunny pleasure
cruising and canyon cutting. Others have
racked up a lot of miles and are becoming
long in the tooth. It is these ones that may
be begging for a little close attention.
Regardless of your C5/C6 Vette’s usage
status, it’s probably ready for a fresh set
of halfshafts because these guys do a lot
of work. They transmit power to the driveBY JIM SMART (^) I PHOTOGRAPHY BY THE AUTHOR
[ TECH]
Get The Shaft
GForce Performance Engineering offers you two choices
of brute-tested tough halfshafts for your C5 or C6 Vette
wheels and they have to articulate with
the independent rear suspension. Because
the Corvette has had a fully independent
suspension system since 1963, it is safe
to assume yours is fitted with a centrally
located differential with two halfshafts, free-
floating control arms and disc brakes on
each side.
GForce Performance Engineering offers
you two levels of halfshafts. The all-new
GForce Renegade halfshafts are a direct
replacement for the factory units and are
designed for high-performance cars with
everything from mild bolt-on items to those
running superchargers and turbos. The
Renegade shafts are designed and engi-
neered for outrageous amounts of power.
The all-new Outlaw halfshafts have been
upgraded from their previous design with
premium CV joints. The Outlaw CV main-
tains the 108mm design but features a bet-
ter alloy in the billet machined internals.
This is what makes it the better choice
over the Renegade axle. Each Outlaw CV
receives an isotropic surface finish for a
mirror-like polish for reduced internal fric-
tion and heat. Less internal friction means
more power where the rubber meets
the road. This high-tech surface finishing
provides smoother operation for the CV
joint, which dramatically reduces heat and
premature wear. This technology also aids
in grease migration throughout the CV
01
Here’s a brief overview of what
you’ll need to disassemble to
get to the halfshafts. First, support the
lower control arm on each side, then
disconnect the upper control arm at
the riser (orange), along with the tie-rod
end (blue), and unbolt the upper con-
trol arm at the chassis (yellow). Next,
unbolt the bottom shock mount (red)
and remove the shaft locknut (white).
Do not disturb the lower control arm
alignment eccentrics.
52 VETTE 19.07