How Much Can I Safely Shorten Drive Shaft Length?

[nicholastanguma]

I'm looking at a fiberglass VW buggy that's got an overall width of 66 inches; tires are 30x9.5 (235/75r15). I want to turn the vehicle into a center seat, single seat "motorcycle on four wheels," and reduce the overall width to 60 inches while keeping the same 30x9.5 tires. So I want to cut out 3 inches of width from both sides of the vehicle.

How much can I cut down on drive shaft length before suspension action starts to go awry?

 

[pappawheely]

You mean the axles? The maximum cv angle will limit the axle length and wheel travel. The shorter you go, the more cv angle you will get.