Well after the Trail gear knuckle thread and the link to IH8MUD with the guy who was giving the LC axles a few inches extra to make the Spring overs nicer I decided to make a wider front end.. I just got it started and have a few pics to put up, I will put up more as I go.. I am going to make it 6 inches wider and am doing it on the short side.. I will be rotateing the knuckles alittle bit also, I was going to rotate them more but just picked up a HP elocker so no need for that now.. My goal is to make a wider, STRONGER, and STRAIGHT toyota mini front housing, I like the thought of a diamond but don't want to shell out the money for one.. I don't wheel hard enough to justify a 60 front.. I have debated the 44 since I have built and narrowed a few in the past, But hell I figure Lets try a toyota housing.. Its just sheet metal right..haha
Nice lathe, I can't believe you got the whole axle housing up there I had a hard enough time spining just the knuckles balls way back when we built a few re-tubed front ends.
that lathe is my buddys, Nice having friends He will be a big help on this thing for sure.. That lathe is huge too.. In the pic you can't see the rest of the bed but it is alot longer.. And you could turn the housing with the third in it no problem if you wanted too and went slow enough
here is a pic of how my runner sits now width wise with crappy wheel spacers and 2" backspaced wheels.. Adding the 6 inches(total of 61.5") should be perfect with the width of the taco rear at 60".. ..
I thought of that, But I will try this first, I think I can make one from a stock housing strong and straight.. And most of all cheap.. With much less time in building it too.. After I see how this one turns out maybe I will move to bigger and better later.. I see the center section being kinda tuff to build and have it correct for myself at least, cudos to the guys who can build the center.. I want to learn..
I called Brian at Front range, He said no problem on a 27 spline custom length axle.. I am going to try the cheap route first to see if the housing holds up and is what I want.. If so then it will be 30 Spline Longs.. Hell, that way I will have a spare anyways not that I could break a longfeild inner anyways
this thing should be pretty sweet when you're all done, it'll definitely be a head scratcher for a lot of people when they see that!! They'll be like, what front axle is that from!?!
i have been thinking about this for a week now, leave long side alone, slide perch over 3", 6" spacer on short side, buy 1 shaft, 2 perches, and 1 bf spacer! notice how most birf failures are short side? now it has more room for twist. i'm glad someone else is doing this so i can see the results. i may wait a few months on mine as i just put 3/8" ball gussets on mine before i saw the cruiser thread.:shaking: should deffinatly gusset the section of tube added.
gusset goes without saying, With that much past where the DOM meets the sheet metal housing, Been trying to think of the best and cleanest way to do it
i would think formed 1/8" plates (forming a complete shell around the tube) all the way from knuckle ball to center section would be adequate and clean looking. any other ideas? i'm thimking about cutting off my knuckle ball gussets soon but i need a tube adapter. got one for sale?
oh yeah a short axle truss would help a bit too. top and/or bottom.
yours will be straighter than mine. for sale- short side chromo 27 spline. new, never installed. $75. i know, wrong place but i'm trying to build an axle so i can post pics of the gusseting. which will happen after i buy a red star...
I need to kinda give my opinion on this axle, i have had a couple emails with people wanting me to make the sleaves to widen other axles, First thing, In order to do this and make it straight you need one of 2 things or both in my opinion.. A lathe and a jig.. when you cut the weld to pull the knuckle ball it needs to be a perfect cut so you have a referance line to get it straight again, then second the jig will do the same thing if you don't have a lathe to do it on.. And I see it going to be a time consuming process to make sure as it is welded up that it stays straight and does not pull one way or the other, My goal is to have it as close to perfect as possible.. Then If i was to make these for others I would want the knuckle ball sent to me since both of the ones off the first axle were not the same exact diameter.. I want it to be a interferance fit, in other words needs to be pressed in or pulled in depending on how i do it.., So a few thou either way can make a differance, Then it will be Ultra important that the housing be reenforced(gusseted) really well, Now we have a whole differant problem, I think great care will have to be taken to keep the housing straight during this process too.. Taking alot of time to weld slowly and jump around to not pull the axle in any direction, I plan on checking for straight many times during this process too.. Lots of pics to come:smokin:
here are more pics, Cut the housing for the elocker today, Had to build up material for the flat section on the elocker then cut the section for the elocker fork
First pic is of a short small weld, I did all the welds this way letting them cool between each weld to keep heat to a minimum. Then then ground it down close to flat with the mounting face of the stock housing, Finnished it off with a long flat file making it level and flat.. Then I cut out the fork notch in the housing
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