Both Mercedes and BMW (as well as others) use a flex disc or Guibo (guee-bo) between their transmission and their driveshafts. Most of the 6-cylinder ones are rated up to 3-400 foot pounds of torque but some of the bigger V8 ones and even the V-10/V12 ones from 7-series or S-class are rated up over 1,000 foot pounds of torque. They are about $50 from a BMW dealer and you can get aftermarket urethane ones too. It helps cut down A LOT on vibration.
http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=1413&mospid=47322&btnr=26_0023&hg=26&fg=10
(realoem.com and then click on the "enter here" link to browse)
They don't give you the bolt spacing but they come "compressed" with a steel ring (like a hose clamp) around them so you could walk into a dealership and ask to see the parts. Also - if you find something you may want to use I can get technical specs on them from a few BMW factory guys I know. The fancy, more modern ones come with a double-cup around the flex disc that bolts in place and prevents the thing from blowing up on itself if you were to ever exceed the 700-1,000 foot pounds of torque they are rated at.
For vacuum bagging stuff you should look on craigslist or in your local newspaper for foreclosure auctions or medical supply house closures. You can get a brand new pump from a medical supply house for $400 and pick up a $700-$1k pump used for $50-$100 from a dentist's office that is closing or upgrading from single office units to a central vac system.
http://www.jamestowndistributors.co...ct.do?pid=3755&familyName=Vacuum+Bagging+Pump
I own that pump and its worth every penny of the $500 (I got it at cost but you can get used for like $50-$75).
You are correct on the kevlar - it "pills" when you sand it and turns fuzzy - its a royal pain in the rear end to work with (need diamond blades to cut it, can't sand it, etc.) but its not bad to use as a middle layer in the lamination process. Kevlar doesn't splinter though - and its very impact resistant.
Enough rambling on for now - I come from a world where cars have two-piece driveshafts and if you don't balance them together as one unit you'll be sorry... Just be careful balancing those individually. Get yourself a vacuum pump and play around with stuff - its a bit expensive to get into but once you get the hang of it you'll be able to use balsa core and carbon/kevlar weave and make it 10x stronger and probably 10x lighter as well.
Cheers & keep the updates coming!