Axle Update

[Dennis_MN]

Last week I drove my Ranger up to East Grand Forks to visit my cousins daughter and I took my axle along to have my buddy weld the perches on. I got hollered at because I painted it and that the bearings were new and installed. However, I ground off the paint in the area where the perches and brake hose brackets would go and we used the brass vent bolt as the ground connection for the wire feed welder. He had an interesting collection of jack stands and a great adjustable bracket to allow us to set the 5 degree angle and hold it while he did the welding and I did the leveling.

Here are the pictures. Currently I'm adding the brakes and the line bending for the axle.

[Dennis_MN]

I had another picture of the welding to add and while I was at it, I thought I'd repost my travels back on I-29 last Sunday

and here is an interesting link

http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSnBC/Components/Photo/_new/pb-110411-dakota-flooding-05.photoblog900.jpg

http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSnBC/Components/Photo/_new/pb-110411-dakota-flooding-01.photoblog900.jpg

Edited April 19, 2011 by Dennis_MN
Added Pictures and another link

[Dennis_MN]

Today I finished installing the brake calipers, pads, hoses, and the hook up lines. I made the brake line project much too difficult by making a pattern and using my bending tool. I ended up with standard 20 inch and 36 inch lines and I hooked up both ends, of each piece and worked it into place where I could bolt down the hose to the bracket. Hopefully the U-bolts will not interfere with the brake lines. Here are the pictures of the finished axle ready to go under the truck. That project will have to wait until I get back from Burmuda next week.

[Dave72dt]

Before you go putting that axle under the truck, I think you need to switch calipers from side to side. Bleeder needs to be the highest point. You'll end up with an air pocket and soft brakes.

[Dennis_MN]

Thanks for the tip, I never noticed a left or right but reversing them does change the bleeder position.

[Dave72dt]

It's not the first time it's ever been done and surely won't be the last. Out in the open it's easier to see and correct than when it's underneath and on the back side and your wondering why this great idea of disc brakes feels worse than the original system.

That axle cleaned up really nice. Looks great.

Why would those trucks be plowing water off a road? Don't they know water tends to level itself back out? Trucks must have polarized windshields with all the glare off that water to even begin to see where the road is. I've been visualizing those trucks hydroplaning off that road. I wonder how fast those cars and trucks were going also.

[HanksB3B]

Hank

[Dennis_MN]

Why would those trucks be plowing water off a road? Don't they know water tends to level itself back out? Trucks must have polarized windshields with all the glare off that water to even begin to see where the road is. I've been visualizing those trucks hydroplaning off that road. I wonder how fast those cars and trucks were going also.

Apparently the plows were used to clean off any debris that may have floated on to the road and become a hazzard when the water went down.

When I went through there the posted speed limit was 15 mph.

I had my 85 year old neighbor over this afternoon while I was switching the calipers. I told him of the value of the internet and how someone observed the little detail on a picture that the bleed screw was too low. Learn something new everyday. I really appreciate you taking the time to look at those pictures and find that error.

[Dan Babb]

Looks great. Can you send it to me? Then you can do another one just for fun.

[Alshere59]

So what did you use to get all the brackets off? I had a family member pick up a 98 Grand Cherokee axle and he took it to a shop to see about getting the big hunks taken off with a torch. They said it would warp it and offered to put new axle tubes on it. I have just looked at pics so I know its a lot of metal but???

Anyway the best option is angle grinder, new tubes, Die grinder?

My thoughts are just work slow and move back and forth. Torch then grinder.

I haven't done it yet though.

Also how much time are we looking at just for the clean up of all that metal?

Yours turned out well. So any advice?

Al

[Dave72dt]

I would be less worried about warping the tubes than getting the old ones out and getting new ones in straight. I think they're making work for themselves. Axle would have to be completely disassembled, special equipment for tube alignment, reassembled. You could buy a new Currie built to your dimension for what they'd likely soak you. Angle grinders, reciprocating saws, cutoff wheels, plasma ,torch will all get it done.

[Alshere59]

That was my thoughts as well. Not getting an eye on it is killing me. Hoping for a decent plan of attack when I can get down there. Thanks.

[John-T-53]

Looks great...this will be a nice upgrade to your truck. You could do solid lines all the way to the calipers. Just need a flare adapter fitting at the caliper. Then you wouldn't have to worry about replacing the rubber lines every so often...that's a tight bend in them!

[Dennis_MN]

So what did you use to get all the brackets off? I had a family member pick up a 98 Grand Cherokee axle and he took it to a shop to see about getting the big hunks taken off with a torch. They said it would warp it and offered to put new axle tubes on it. I have just looked at pics so I know its a lot of metal but???

Anyway the best option is angle grinder, new tubes, Die grinder?

My thoughts are just work slow and move back and forth. Torch then grinder.

I haven't done it yet though.

Also how much time are we looking at just for the clean up of all that metal?

Yours turned out well. So any advice?

Al

My buddy has a plasma cutter but we didn't use it. The pinion bearing was shot in the unit I bought and I brought it over to a local gas station/garage for rebuilding. He cut off all the brackets with a torch and saved the brake hose mounting brackets for me. Then I ground down the slag with a grinder which took a couple of hours. Hopefully it didn't warp. You can buy a complete new rear end without brackets from one of the jeep suppliers if you want to spend a lot of money.

[Alshere59]

Thanks Dennis

One last question. If I have it right it is a 3 inch diameter axle housing. So do you have the supplier for the u bolts, perches etc.

[greg g]

Tractor Supply Company had spring perches that they sell in thier trailer parts sectioin.

[John Mathias]

I got my perches from a local jeep off road shop. Exact same size: lenth, width and height. $12.00 ea

[Dennis_MN]

Thanks Dennis

One last question. If I have it right it is a 3 inch diameter axle housing. So do you have the supplier for the u bolts, perches etc.

More progess today after a weeks vacation in the Bahamas, I expeced Spring when I returned but the request was ignored.

Today I crawled under and broke the bolts loose and started soaking in wd-40

I plan to use the u-bolts that are there so hopefully the nuts will come off with a little help tomorrow. The plan is to remove the u-bolt nuts, unhook the drive shaft and brake line and jack up the rear of the truck using a big air jack, removing the wheels and then sliding out the old axle. Then the reverse happens.

By the way, the Jeep -35 rear end is slightly less than 3" dia. and the one replaced is exactly 3" dia. I did buy 3" spring perches from Northern Tool from their trailer line.

By the way, crawling in and out from under that dang truck is really not good for fat old guys. Truck restoration is for younger guys

[Young Ed]

Dennis if you have it run a thread chaser or a die(or is it tap dang it) up the threads as far as you can to the existing nut. Even a wire brush to clean all the exposed threads makes a big difference. If the threads arent damaged from rust you should be pretty set after that.

[Dave72dt]

If I didn't have the truck to work on, I'd spend even more time fattening up in the recliner than I already do and why should the youngsters have all the fun. I think we've earned the right to complain about the ground getting farther away and the trucks having less space under them every year.

[Dennis_MN]

Dennis if you have it run a thread chaser or a die(or is it tap dang it) up the threads as far as you can to the existing nut. Even a wire brush to clean all the exposed threads makes a big difference. If the threads arent damaged from rust you should be pretty set after that.

That's exactly what I did today, I bought a 9/16-18 die and cleaned up the threads, then they all came off nicely. I was afraid that I might break a u-bolt but I didn't. I took the U bolts off and cleaned them up with that die so they will be ready to go back on. I'll round up a rear bumper jack thing tomorrow and then Thursday I'll be back under there doing the switch.

The u-bolt and clamps on the truck also hold the shock absorber so it is pretty important to re-use all of that hardware.

I was thinking that those bolts have been there for 62 years, they should be hard to get off.

[Dennis_MN]

I spent the day in the garage today slipping the old axle out and adding the new one in its place. That part went fairly well, bolted right up and centered on the spring bolts. The tough job was getting the brake line apart so I ended up cutting it and re-flairing a new 1/4 adapter in its place. I reversed the old bracket and added a piece to bolt on my new hose from the Jeep world.

The biggey that no one ever mentioned or I missed it, was that the U-Joints attachment was not the same on the Jeep yoke as the Dodge yoke. That happened right at lunch time so off to the computer to search old threads. there it was, Napa sells a Conversion U-joint, get a Jeep on one side and a dodge on the other. My first attempt was not quite right on the dodge side so I had them order another which is supposed to be closer. My first one was a 372 and the Dodge side was too long for the brackets. So I learn something new every day. Hopefully the brakes can be bled and the drive shaft can be installed tomorrow. I've got pictures of the bumper jack, the U-joint problem, and a picture of the wheel installed showing the brake clearance and finally a picture of the attachment of the Jeep center hose to the Dodge bracket. I turned the old bracket around and added a L-piece to hold it in place.

Any one want a 4.11 rear end with great brakes?

[austinsailor]

Is there any reason you couldn't use a similar axle and method on one of our cars? The point would be to gain the gear ratio and rear disk brakes.

[Alshere59]

Is there any reason you couldn't use a similar axle and method on one of our cars? The point would be to gain the gear ratio and rear disk brakes.

This can be done on the cars as well. I bought one out of a 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee for $100. It has rear disc brakes and 3.54 axle ratio.

Here is mine being prepped to put in my 50 Plymouth.

[Dennis_MN]

Amazing day today, I've never changed a rear end in a car that I didn't have to have the drive shaft changed. Still true! Napa couldn't come up with a convesion u-joint so they sent me to a shop that should be able to figure it out. They couldn't come up with the Dodge side so they recommended a new yoke on the end of the drive shaft so I said ok, lets do Jeep to Jeep so there will be no future conversion. Cost was $106 and it went right in, the brakes got bled and it was off to the races. But I have a bit of driveshaft vibration so I need to take off all of the u-joints and the modifyed shaft and bring it back down to the Cities to have it balanced.

Stops great, and I used the existing master cylinder without any proporting valves. seems to work just great with disk on the front and on the back.

My motivation for doing this project was that I made that improvement on the front with disks and I was left with one wheel that had left hand thread bolts. Now everything is right hand thread, I have no need for a special wheel puller, nor do I need a brake adjuster. That really is the most stupid brake system I've ever seen, pull the drums to adjust the dang brakes.

Now I have disks on all wheels and a lower gear as well, (3.73)