Tucson Dragway

The name Mark Williams is one of the best known in the world of drag racing, no, not as a racer, but as a manufacturer of the highest quality axles, brakes and driveline components available. Mark Williams Enterprises was born in the early 1960’s as a race car chassis shop. Back then the business was building top-notch dragster chassis as well as a variety of funny car and altered frames for NHRA National event winning drivers. Mark took great pride in the quality and craftsmanship in his chassis but felt that many of the driveline components available back in the early ‘70s just weren’t of the quality he expected.

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Axle breakage was a big problem, so Mark decided to design and build an axle that was as close to unbreakable as could be built. This revolutionary design led to the industry’s first guaranteed steel axle. With more and more time being devoted to the development of new driveline components, Mark decided to build “Kit Cars” for dragsters and funny cars instead of complete racecars. This transition was the beginning of a “New-age” business of building race components, so efficient, only computer controlled manufacturing could provide. 

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 Today Mark Williams Enterprises resides in a 32,000 square-foot facility located in Louisville, Colorado, with a staff of 38, including designers, manufacturing technicians and sales and service personnel. When I arrived at the facility, I was greeted by Bret Goethe a new products designer for MW, for my guided tour. We began with the driveshaft manufacturing area. Bret showed me the different materials used to build driveshafts. Depending on the use, these shafts are built using mild steel, chromoly, aluminum or carbon fiber.

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Typically the yokes are welded into the driveshaft tubes at either end, but a new process utilizing a precise press-fit with glue is now become popular with top Pro Stock racers. The yokes are available in 4340 steel, 7075-T6 Billet aluminum and Billet titanium for maximum strength and reliability. MW utilizes a highly sophisticated 10,000rpm balancing machine that balances the driveshafts at actual operating conditions under load, in addition the balancer can replicate the universal joint operating angles that commonly occur between transmission output shaft and the companion flange of the differential.

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 This process is standard on all driveshafts manufactured by Mark Williams Enterprises. Next we checked out the brake rotor grinding machine which actually grinds both sides of the rotor simultaneously which eliminate warping, typically found on rotors that are ground one side at a time. Bret pointed out that the MW calipers are constructed of an aircraft alloy aluminum that is 30% stronger than 6061 material commonly used by other manufacturers, for the highest strength on the market.

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As we moved on I was shown a gear set that was that had undergone a process MW calls “Supra-Fin”. This is a fine micro finishing process which reduces friction and eliminates the need for break-in procedures required to assure a long gear life. I was told this surface improvement process costs $125.00, but is well worth the money in gear set longevity.  Finally I got to see the axle manufacturing. This is what made Mark Williams famous! While MW manufactures axles with all popular spline configurations, including Dana 60, 12-bolt Chevy and 9-inch Ford, it’s the MW special 35 and 40-spline that is so popular with drag racers. Bret explained that if you have a choice of a new axles and spool combination these are axles of extreme reliability. This choice is important since locked (spool-equipped) rear ends are subject to as much as twice the torsional load of standard open-type differentials. Adequate in most applications, the MW 35-spline axle with a 1.500” diameter with 45-degree pressure angle, is 61% stronger than the Chevy 12-bolt with 30-spline, 45% stronger than the 9-inch Ford with 31-spline and 3% stronger than the Dana 35-spline with a 30-degree pressure angle. Combined with the extra benefits of MW’s Nickel Chromium Molybdenum alloy forging characteristics and Austempering heat treating process, the MW axles display an even higher strength benefit.  For maximum strength MW offers a huge 1.708-inch diameter 45-degree pressure angle 40-tooth spline that is 51% stronger than the 35-tooth MW spline. Mark’s philosophy is to manufacture products as efficiently as possible and incorporate the highest quality. Mark Williams Enterprises offers a wide range of products, including tools, complete rear-ends, spindles, steering boxes, steering wheels and much more. To see all the new developments and the complete line of products and check out online specials, visit www.markwilliams.com.