[David Brinza]

Originally Posted by alysume

Our team is planning our drivetrain for next year, and we are considering using hex shafts instead of a key, as we have done in previous years. What are the pros and cons of each? I've heard that a hex broach costs quite a bit of money, but that's about all I've heard. Also, how do hex shafts work with e-clips?

A couple more hex related questions:
-When we buy say 3/8" hex stock, is 3/8" the diameter of the incircle or the circumcircle?
-If we buy 3/8" hex stock, I'm assuming we would use a 3/8" hex broach? Would we drill a 3/8" hole, then broach it, or drill some smaller hole?
-We only have a manual lathe. If we wanted to turn down the ends of the hex shaft so that they fit into bearings, is the interrupted cut hard to deal with?

Thanks a lot!

There's a lot of relevant discussion (including alternatives to buying a hex broach set) in this thread:
Chief Delphi Forums - Hex Broach Options Consensus is: buy the hex broaches, they're easy to use and are very reliable.

Here's a page from McMaster-Carr for broaches:
McMaster-Broaches
A 3/8" broach uses a 3/8" drill and creates a hex hole with the inscribed circle 0.376" across. A 3/8" shaft should fit snugly in this hole.