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tips, technology, tools and techniques related to vehicle driveline components

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Sidecardoug
Doug Rowe
Northern Nevada
(51 posts)

Registered:
07/04/2012 05:09PM

Main British Car:
1969 TR-6 Ford 302

How to narrow a rear axle assembly the easy way
Posted by: Sidecardoug
Date: December 27, 2016 01:21PM

This process will allow you to run whatever offset/backspace wheel you want on the rear axle.... I mention the axle i am using, and the reasons why. You can have this done with whatever rear axle assy you want to use.

I am in the process of doing a '58 Volvo PV444 with a 3.4 Camaro V6. The local rear end guru suggested that since I was going to need to shorten whatever rear end assembly I was planning to use, that my best bet would be the entire rear end assembly from a Jeep Grand Cherokee ( Dana 44 - many gear ratio and limited slip choices easily available) , complete with the rear disc brakes. ( 5 on 4.5 bolt pattern- same as early Volvo, 5 lug Mustang, etc.)
He said the best way to do the job is with the original rear assembly out of the car, get the wheels and tires you wanted to use ( don't worry about backspacing ,offset, etc. - get the wheels & tires that you want to use , as long as they are not too wide to clear the fenders, etc.) Then, with the tires mounted, and rear axle assy removed, place the wheels under the car and lower the car down over them to make sure they clear everything and are in the position you want them. Then, ( carefully ! ) measure the distance between the mounting surfaces of the wheels, which will give you the hub face to hub face measurement , and your rear end specialist can cut the housing and axles to give you that exact length - no worries about back spacing, offset, etc . !

Hope this makes someone's project go easier!
Doug


Dan B
Dan Blackwood
South Charleston, WV
(1007 posts)

Registered:
11/06/2007 01:55PM

Main British Car:
1966 TR4A, 1980 TR7 Multiport EFI MegaSquirt on the TR4A. Lexus V8 pl

authors avatar
Re: How to narrow a rear axle assembly the easy way
Posted by: Dan B
Date: December 28, 2016 11:25AM

So, like Covey, you begin with the end in mind.


MGBV8
Carl Floyd
Kingsport, TN
(4511 posts)

Registered:
10/23/2007 11:32PM

Main British Car:
1979 MGB Buick 215

authors avatar
Re: How to narrow a rear axle assembly the easy way
Posted by: MGBV8
Date: December 28, 2016 02:36PM

Actually, that is an old, old Hot Rod mag method that flat works.

I am waiting for the "How to narrow a rear axle assembly the easy way" part. ;)


tbo
Tim Body
St Thomas Ontario
(221 posts)

Registered:
01/27/2013 06:47PM

Main British Car:
1954 Triumph TR2 stock 2 litre

Re: How to narrow a rear axle assembly the easy way
Posted by: tbo
Date: December 30, 2016 07:52PM

Does anyone mind if I ask a silly question?When you cut the axle housing and the axles,,,do you weld the axles back together or do you take the axles and shorten one end and re machine them to suit. I'm thinking re welding can't give you a strong enough joint to take the torque.I hate to ask but have to know Tim


Moderator
Curtis Jacobson
Portland Oregon
(4576 posts)

Registered:
10/12/2007 02:16AM

Main British Car:
71 MGBGT, Buick 215

authors avatar
Re: How to narrow a rear axle assembly the easy way
Posted by: Moderator
Date: December 30, 2016 11:40PM

Sawing the shafts short and then cutting new splines is more common. Here's a list of related services and their respective charges from one well regarded specialist: [www.dutchmanaxles.com]


MGBV8
Carl Floyd
Kingsport, TN
(4511 posts)

Registered:
10/23/2007 11:32PM

Main British Car:
1979 MGB Buick 215

authors avatar
Re: How to narrow a rear axle assembly the easy way
Posted by: MGBV8
Date: December 31, 2016 12:39PM

Or order new axles the correct length.


tbo
Tim Body
St Thomas Ontario
(221 posts)

Registered:
01/27/2013 06:47PM

Main British Car:
1954 Triumph TR2 stock 2 litre

Re: How to narrow a rear axle assembly the easy way
Posted by: tbo
Date: January 05, 2017 10:12PM

I'm a bit chatty tonight and I hope no one minds but thirty years ago I broke an axle on my TR2 at a stop light as I was taking off from a green light. I thought it was a gun shot from somewhere and a couple across the street ducked and me too almost . My car coasted and I knew something was wrong so I turned on to the smaller side street and pulled over.I kind of figured out what was wrong and being thirty years younger and not too far from home and slightly down hill I pushed the car back home to my place. No hassle with the traffic then but can't do that now. TR2 axles are hard to find as they only made 13000 cars and they tended to break anyway. I asked a machine shop to make me one and they gave me a price of 500 dollars .I searched from California to Quebec and found none. When people had them ,,,they were keeping them. In desperation I called a friend of mine in my home town about 50 miles away from me. and asked him if he knew of anything. He said in a matter of fact way he had a TR2 rear end stuffed behind his furnace in his body shop.He was at the time restoring a TR2 that had been given to him and had a spare rear end to boot . He told me he needed TR2 drum brakes and I said I;m just putting TR3 disc on my TR2 so we swapped an axle for my drum brakes.The extra thing about this story is my TR2 is serial number TS 110L and his is TS 29 L . How two Triumphs of such early vintage ended up in the same small town of 1800 people is beyond me. All the early TR2s went to Toronto or Montreal way back then but how they ended up in my home town of Norwich Ontario is one interesting story.



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