Failure to crack test critical drivetrain components can result in catastrophic failures. The transmission shown above self-destructed at speed when a cracked gear tooth broke free and seized the main shaft.

Crack Detection and Repair

One of the greatest fears in racing is to have some type of catastrophic suspension or steering failure. The best way to avoid this dangerous (and potentially costly!) situation is regular inspection and crack testing of critical steering and suspension parts. What follows is a brief synopsis of the different crack testing methods readily available to the amateur racer and some considerations to think about when you find that one of your critical pieces is cracked.

X-RAY

Members only$29 / year

Keep going. This is where it gets good.

Sports Car Digest Membership is for people who'd rather spend an hour with one chassis number than skim ten headlines. The rest of this story — and every other one like it — is a few seconds away.

  • 5,000+ members-only stories

    Concours, auctions, race history, driven classics and the full archive.

  • No ads. None.

    The whole site reads like a magazine, on every device.

  • The market, every week

    Auction results and classic-car values from the people who were there.

  • 30% off the shop

    Every Sports Car Digest shirt and piece of merch, all year.

Join Sports Car Digest — Keep Reading

$29 a year. Cancel anytime, no hoops.
Already a member? Sign in

BY CAR PEOPLE, NOT A NAMELESS MEDIA COMPANY. Your membership keeps a small independent team of historians, photojournalists and racing drivers doing this.

Join — Keep Reading $29/yr