Thread: How hard is it to shorten the axle?

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and does it cause any problems/weakness?

I am going to do a mini-tub on a 51' ford F1 so we can fit bigger wheels and tires, but am thinking that I might have to shorten the axle as well because the wheel has to have a lot of backside spacing because we can't come out any more in the front, and I'm not finding any 10" wheels with 8" backspacing.

Anyways, Ford 9" rear end out of a bronco.

Thanks.

Red

i have cut many... i like to bevel the tub were the cut is going to get welded . i do this on a lathe for the bearing end and housing with angle grinder

Takes some fixturing and precise measurements to shorten the tubes and reweld them correctly, not exactly a job to do on the garage floor!!! When you're done, you will either need new axles or have the axles you have now cut and resplined.....if the axles are large enough diameter when you have them cut to allow resplining.

Many companies, Moser and Currie are the ones I use, will sell you a housing with the correct length axles for any rear end width you specify....

yes you need a true shaft and bushing to hold the alinement of the center of the housing to the ends you cut off .you can buy this or make one if you have a lathe

Just make sure you measure before you reinstall. I took mine to Currie, they
did their thing, new axels, bearings, spring perches etc.. brought it home
put in and they failed to narrow the housing. The computer said it was
done but the tape measure proved other wise. 2 weeks more to correct it.
luckily I live close to the place

Good chop saw and some time setting up housing you can cut tube's with success . If it is a 28 spline you will have to locate 31 spline axle's and center section to shorten axle's . I am looking into this also and all i have seen for sale are 31 spline never called to see if they make 28's. I have a 9" but it is a 28 spline and i would like to drop of a couple inch's also. Possible axle's from shorter rear ends may be a fix for 28 spline .

i have had many 28 resplined but if you take a small amount out of the rear end . you may not be able to use the old axles there is a under size so you can not get them splined in the under size part of the shaft . they roll the splines from ford not cut so it get big as it get rolled thru when splined the low spot is part not rolled . if you can find 31 you can get them turn down and splined if you have a 28 center some times you can get one axles shaft cut down and move them around in the housing sometimes this works to if you want the drive shaft on center

Pat you just answered the question of why its narrower after the spline.

Drop down a few threads and read my trials with my latest 9". It's a long ways from my first 9" and I've done a lot of other rear ends too.
When you add in all the shipping costs both ways and local outside labor it is very close to a wash cost wise to just go and buy the housing and axels right from Moser or Currie.

I can narrow most housings and even charge less than Moser and Currie but you you still need a unit so there is cost there. Add this to the narrowing cost and shipping both ways and you have a new housing..pretty close. Resplining axels is around $100 pluss shipping both ways. For about another $175 you can get bullet proof axels. Plus you can get them machined at no extra charge for sealed ball bearings instead of the dam tapered rollers and goofy seals. You can get any bolt pattern, no charge, they may charge for tapping for studs but it is cheap. While you are at it have the housing ends for the ball bearings put on. No extra charge at Moser. The end result is that about all you have to do is add suspension mounts. You can even have these added for some applications. It all sounds expensive when you look at the info on Moser and Currie but unless you can do a lot of it yourself it is hard to beat.

You can probably save on setting up the center section yourself. It's not hard but does take a dial indicator and mag base. You'll need a couple of gear pullers to get the original apart. Being a cheapskate I made my own just for the 9" a long time ago. An overhaul bearing kit gives you everything you need pluss the pinion housing spacers. Get a pinion bearing spacer kit and toss the crush sleeve. It's only about $14 and will save you a trip to confession for using bad words. haha

If you absolutely must do it on the cheap, dig into everything very closely and check shipping costs especially the heavy stuff.

Oh yeah, be sure you have a look out when you got to clean things at the car wash. I'm banned from 3 of them now. I think there is a conspiracy going...when they see a clean black Dodge dually pull in they hustle on over to check out what I'm doing.

Originally Posted by bluestang67

Pat you just answered the question of why its narrower after the spline.

yes it is all that size before it gets rolled with the splines. this move the steel making it bigger

I talked to Currie and they said they can go between 4 and 6" off each end on a factory rear end, IF everything is right, so many variations of the rear end housings from ford that there is not telling. best case scenario, 300 bucks w/o shipping, worst case new housing and axle 800 bucks. if we were going that route I'd go even narrower and move the springs and such. going to call my uncle this afternoon and see what he wants to do. his truck, his money.

without doing that we can't get any wheels with a deep frontside depth. what a pain in the butt.

Red

i have cut more then 12 off a side out off a 9 if using a ford truck rear end like the 80 s truck and up this has very thick axels . a ford you can get in more trouble trying to take out 2to3 out of the housing if you try to get the old axels resplined

Talked to my uncle and he wants me to do the 6" off, supposed to talk to Snow-White customs locally (his friend is friend's with one of them) and see if they or somebody local does it, otherwise go currie. Hopefully they can cut that much off these. apparently too much is problem because of the hardening of the axle and not wanting to get past that.

Red

i do not think that ...but you have to make sure the spline is rigth there was a guy doing them here and was just wrong and they failed fast .the splines were to a point and pitch was off .. if running on the street i have had them cut down and put over 600hp thru the ford truck axels no big deal...

Originally Posted by pat mccarthy

i do not think that ...but you have to make sure the spline is rigth there was a guy doing them here and was just wrong and they failed fast .the splines were to a point and pitch was off .. if running on the street i have had them cut down and put over 600hp thru the ford truck axels no big deal...

Hmmmm. 600 Horse???? Must of had 2 of them chebbie engines!!!!!