Nice job. Great tip on the chromed hydraulic shaft and hydraulic shop to make the bushings. I built my alignment bar out of 2" shaft I center drilled and then checked for straight in my lathe with my 1/10th indicators. I'm in the whole thing about a $100 and half a day. My bushings are perfect when cold with just enough room to slip on with light finger tension but in use they are little tight. The aluminum expands in the housing ends after the final weld but once back to room temp it spins freely again to remove the wheel bearing bushings. Some day I will make all steel bushings. I love narrowing axles because it just a fun project. I can tell you take pride is your rear end narrowing. Other RUclips videos showcase some real hacks doing rears out there. I was 16 when I narrowed my first Dana 60 for a friends CJ5 and 43 years later he hasn't had to touch it. I did that one without an alignment bar. I just squared the ends off the tubes but the splines show no signs of wear yet when I looked at it last year in preparation for his new professionally built AMX 390. I recently shortened it again because I got a pair of gun drilled Mark Williams axles off Ebay that Mark Williams was clearing out overstock. They were made for someone else and the axle order was cancelled just before shipping. They were 1" shorter than my old axles. If I would have had to pay to do that I wouldn't have been able to upgrade my axles so cheap. The new axles and removing the piece of tube cut almost 5 pounds so I added a rear brace I am still a couple pounds lighter than before the work. One side I was able to fully remove the round welded in axle tube. It's a HD rear end with the big housing cut down to fit my sand dragster. Again nice job.
I wish that youtube existed in my day as I quit the day job in 84, moved to anchorage from the prince of whales islands out from ketchikan. I had done heavy equipment repair on off highway trucks, and equipment since I worked for my dad and was too young to argue or big enough to bargain my own choice... turns out, if your even a fair hand twisting wrenches in those days, you could name your wages. I never had a machine shop, actually a blue tarp (or hunk of canvas) was a treat. I did several make it fit so it would work, sometimes for just that day but make it work! I had stuff made that would make some people ask the question "who gave that kid a tool" as he is dangerous/lol, I just could make anything start and run, and I had a photographic memory so its no issue to remember how it came apart... long and short, if it works on detroit, it would apply to other engines. I built my first 855 C.I. cummins engine, a little two hundred horsepower engine when I was fifteen by using a good engine to look at and do the same to one that had flew apart and needed to be salvaged as getting a other engine to fit or even getting one out there was impossible almost and the cost was close to just replacement. I just got some great ideas from this as I should of figured something like this on my own back in the seventies or after nam time. Great video for this young seventy plus years guy
Most axle tubes are DOM which doesn’t require a preheat structurally, as far as preheat to prevent warping welding ends on won’t really cause warpage it’s more of an issue with trusses or long horizontal welds
Technically yes but you can order 3 different gaskets and end up with 3 different thickness between cork, paper, the deviation between brands, or the thousands that ppl just use gasket maker with no difference in failure rates, so I don’t believe it to be critical. (Maybe that’s wrong but I’ve never had a problem) I leave the gasket out because the metal contact surfaces will be perfectly true every time. In theory the best practice would to cut out a metal set up gasket from 18ga to split the difference in thicknesses while remaining perfectly true
Can not believe how many people do not know the correct way to narrow a diff, never cut in center of tube, remove bearing hub and shorten from there, use tool to align to correct straightness and weld. at least this guy has the correct tool to do the job, just not the knowledge.
Excellent explanation on how to narrow a rear end accurately!! Just subscribed!
Nice job. Great tip on the chromed hydraulic shaft and hydraulic shop to make the bushings.
I built my alignment bar out of 2" shaft I center drilled and then checked for straight in my lathe with my 1/10th indicators. I'm in the whole thing about a $100 and half a day. My bushings are perfect when cold with just enough room to slip on with light finger tension but in use they are little tight. The aluminum expands in the housing ends after the final weld but once back to room temp it spins freely again to remove the wheel bearing bushings. Some day I will make all steel bushings.
I love narrowing axles because it just a fun project. I can tell you take pride is your rear end narrowing. Other RUclips videos showcase some real hacks doing rears out there. I was 16 when I narrowed my first Dana 60 for a friends CJ5 and 43 years later he hasn't had to touch it. I did that one without an alignment bar. I just squared the ends off the tubes but the splines show no signs of wear yet when I looked at it last year in preparation for his new professionally built AMX 390.
I recently shortened it again because I got a pair of gun drilled Mark Williams axles off Ebay that Mark Williams was clearing out overstock. They were made for someone else and the axle order was cancelled just before shipping. They were 1" shorter than my old axles. If I would have had to pay to do that I wouldn't have been able to upgrade my axles so cheap. The new axles and removing the piece of tube cut almost 5 pounds so I added a rear brace I am still a couple pounds lighter than before the work. One side I was able to fully remove the round welded in axle tube. It's a HD rear end with the big housing cut down to fit my sand dragster.
Again nice job.
That a great tip!! Never knew that about some plasma cutters!!
Man your videos are gettin way better! The voice over was nice too.
Thanks man! It’s a learning curve for sure, most everything is a 1 and done so I’m learning how to edit on the fly lol
@@nocoastmotofab4181 its a big learning curve, im trying to figure more shit out as I go too
I wish that youtube existed in my day as I quit the day job in 84, moved to anchorage from the prince of whales islands out from ketchikan. I had done heavy equipment repair on off highway trucks, and equipment since I worked for my dad and was too young to argue or big enough to bargain my own choice... turns out, if your even a fair hand twisting wrenches in those days, you could name your wages. I never had a machine shop, actually a blue tarp (or hunk of canvas) was a treat. I did several make it fit so it would work, sometimes for just that day but make it work! I had stuff made that would make some people ask the question "who gave that kid a tool" as he is dangerous/lol, I just could make anything start and run, and I had a photographic memory so its no issue to remember how it came apart... long and short, if it works on detroit, it would apply to other engines. I built my first 855 C.I. cummins engine, a little two hundred horsepower engine when I was fifteen by using a good engine to look at and do the same to one that had flew apart and needed to be salvaged as getting a other engine to fit or even getting one out there was impossible almost and the cost was close to just replacement. I just got some great ideas from this as I should of figured something like this on my own back in the seventies or after nam time. Great video for this young seventy plus years guy
Great video. Would have love to have seen this 40 yrs ago.
nice. best pro work I have seen
Great video. Will be doing this myself soon. Thanks for the brush up! Just subbed.
I've seen a friend scribe a line down the length of the tube to put the end back on in the original position.
Dude! Awesome job! I have a Trail Gear housing I'm putting together so I'll be getting a hold of you here soon to pick your brain a bit more.
Hell yea man give me a shout
Nice work, ZZ Top has a new day JOB
I built a stool like yours from parts from two different scrap yards. It's for my welding shop.
Same, I found the seat and the bottom section at the scrap yard. I wish the stars would align like that again… I could use another one haha!
Excellent video.
Would a large pipe cutter work to cut the tubes? It would stay perfectly straight. I always wondered why nobody uses one.
I’ve heard of ppl using pipe cutters on thin wall DOM, I imagine it would work it would just take a little longer
How would you go about straightening the tubes if they are about 1/8”-3/16” off?
Thanks for the info Bless your heart
Excellent video sir. Thank You.
Thank you, hopefully it helps you
What was the measurement from housing end to end?
Should you preheat the tube to prevent warpage?
Most axle tubes are DOM which doesn’t require a preheat structurally, as far as preheat to prevent warping welding ends on won’t really cause warpage it’s more of an issue with trusses or long horizontal welds
Well done! 👍
Wouldn't a gasket be necessary to centre the diff in the housing
Technically yes but you can order 3 different gaskets and end up with 3 different thickness between cork, paper, the deviation between brands, or the thousands that ppl just use gasket maker with no difference in failure rates, so I don’t believe it to be critical. (Maybe that’s wrong but I’ve never had a problem) I leave the gasket out because the metal contact surfaces will be perfectly true every time. In theory the best practice would to cut out a metal set up gasket from 18ga to split the difference in thicknesses while remaining perfectly true
I was gonna ask about the flats on the ends!!
Thank you!!!
Where are you located?.
I'm in Central Indiana
Central Utah
Haha....I just did my rear end on my 72 mazda...🤘🏿🤘🏿💯
Can not believe how many people do not know the correct way to narrow a diff, never cut in center of tube, remove bearing hub and shorten from there, use tool to align to correct straightness and weld. at least this guy has the correct tool to do the job, just not the knowledge.
Where are located
Utah
81 f150 has 31spline small bearing so I don't think it is very true
The music was a bit annoying...