narrowing an axle

[rustymudder]

I might be getting my hands on a ford 9", but I want to narrow it to the CJ7 width or maybe the narrow track waggy width, I havent decided yet.

Would it be better to just cut the ends off and weld on new flanges, or I've also seen people cut the tube somewhere in between the center section and flange and cutting out a section and welding it back together with a slug.

I wouldn't think that would be as strong as cutting the ends off.
Where would be a good place to have the axles cut and resplined or custom length ones made? Moser maybe?

I've never cut into or modified an axle before, so any tips would be appreciated
Thanks for any help

[Max-Bilt]

grind the welds off the flanges or just cut them if you have access to new flanges, then cut your axle where it needs to be and weld on the flanges, I havent narowed a rear end yet but have done several front ends so it should be easier and follow the same principal. moser will cut, respline, and rehole your flanges for your particular wheel bolt pattern, (though you shouldnt have a problem with that) for under a hundred bucks for the pair and they will get them back to you within a week usually

[Max-Bilt]

oh yeah tip:
measure twice, na measure 10x then cut once and make sure everything is very square and true before welding, and bold everything together before you weld, and preheating helps the welding

[rustymudder]

I'm not sure how thick walled the axle tubes are on a 9". It maybe to thick for my welder. If so then I'll just tack the flanges on and take to a local welding shop to fully weld.

Most 9"s are the same as the CJ pattern so that shouldn't be a problem

My plan is to get a Waggy front 44 and either cut it down to CJ7 width or leave it waggy width and outboard the springs and cut the 9" to match. Then put on a 4in lift, tube fenders, and 35-37in tires. Now I just need to get the money for all of that. hmm.

[thantos858]

If you take it to a shop make sure they have done the kind of work your planning. Its easy to warp metal and ruin it if you do it wrong. Like Max-Bilt said measure until you can't take it anymore then do it one more time. Also make sure everything is square with a quality square. Do light tacks and check for square from as many points as you can. Make sure you use the right size and kind of wire/rod for the job. I have seen horrible weld jobs because people don't want to spend the money on the right stuff for the job.

What kind of welder do you have?

[dawgates]

Cut the old flanges off and like Max-bilt said measure, measure, measure... You can buy new flanges from Jegs.com or Summitracing.com. It would be worth a few dollars extra to get the new flanges. You want the old style large bearing.
If you cut a section of the tube off and weld the tube back together you may have a few problems, One is the alginment of the tubes, Two you could have a possible leak in the middle of the tube and Three, the area around the weld will be weaker then the weld, so it's possible it could crack.
As far as the axle shafts, Any good machine shop worth the weight in gold should be able to respline the axle shafts.
Well before we go foward, what did the axle come out of? A car or truck? If it came out of a car, it's possible the axle shafts are 28 spline. If you running 33 or larger tires, throw the shafts in the trash and buy some 31 or 33 spline. You will twist the 28 splines. If the axle came out of a truck, It should have 31 spline axle shafts. these are keepers and have them resplined.

[Max-Bilt]

Originally Posted by rustymudder

I'm not sure how thick walled the axle tubes are on a 9". It maybe to thick for my welder. If so then I'll just tack the flanges on and take to a local welding shop to fully weld.

Most 9"s are the same as the CJ pattern so that shouldn't be a problem

My plan is to get a Waggy front 44 and either cut it down to CJ7 width or leave it waggy width and outboard the springs and cut the 9" to match. Then put on a 4in lift, tube fenders, and 35-37in tires. Now I just need to get the money for all of that. hmm.

I have a 9 inch from a bronco in the rear and an axle from a 78 chev that I cut down 4 inches ( i would rather do that then outboard the springs) in the front (a 44) and a skyjacker 4 inch lift tube fenders and 35 inch tires. so if you want an idea of what yours might look like heres a pic

[Max-Bilt]

I have no flares which really make it look like the axles stick out crazy far, but I like the look of no flares

[rustymudder]

the axle I believe is from a truck.
I have a lincoln flux-cored welder. I have it setup to run with or without gas, but without I can weld thicker metal. It can go up to 1/4in with multiple passes.

what width are J10 axles? I'd like to stay at roughly the waggy width (roughly 60") so if I cut down the long side of a J10 Dana 44 wouldn't it be roughly the narrow trac waggy width, but then I wouldn't have to outboard my springs.

BTW, Maxbilt that is a awesome CJ7

[CSP]

Jtruck axles are about 4" wider than waggies.

So far nobody has mentioned bearing alignment. To get the flanges on correctly you need dummy carrier bearing pucks and alignment rods to make sure everything is perfectly square. If you don't do this you'll have sealing problems and oddball bearing wear. This is where a rear axle is more difficult than a front axle.

[Max-Bilt]

Yeah thats why we always bolt them together before welding

[Duble-it]

Originally Posted by Max-Bilt

I have a 9 inch from a bronco in the rear and an axle from a 78 chev that I cut down 4 inches ( i would rather do that then outboard the springs) in the front (a 44) and a skyjacker 4 inch lift tube fenders and 35 inch tires. so if you want an idea of what yours might look like heres a pic

What's your WMS to WMS measurement?

[dawgates]

Here's my CJ right after the axle swap. My front axle is 61 1/2" end to end. The rear is 60" end to end. (wheel surface)
I took 4" off the short side of the axle (Chevy 3/4 ton). Ford rotors and Chevy brakes. Moved the long side spring perch to meet the CJ spring width.

I did lower it 2" after this picture.

[bdmonist]

Originally Posted by CSP

Jtruck axles are about 4" wider than waggies.

So far nobody has mentioned bearing alignment. To get the flanges on correctly you need dummy carrier bearing pucks and alignment rods to make sure everything is perfectly square. If you don't do this you'll have sealing problems and oddball bearing wear. This is where a rear axle is more difficult than a front axle.

CSP - can you explain this a little more? A 9" narrow is in my future and I always figured I didn't have the tools to ensure everything was perfectly square - and always intended on taking it be done elsewhere. Can you elaborate on how to ensure you get it perfectly square? i.e - How does a home mechanic go about this task? Thanks.

Edit - Found some threads elsewhere with some info - Anything to add to the info here?
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=166574&highlight=ford+9

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=124310

[CSP]

Post #20 by scottybaccus in the first link sums it up really well.

The jigs referenced in that thread are exactly what I was talking about.