Narrowing a 9"

[Boss Hugg]

I thought I'd do a write up on my experience with narrowing a full width housing for my 73. Hope you kind folks don't mind.

3-19-2020 EDIT: I uploaded some video of some more recent work on a housing. https://youtu.be/wK0HuaWsF1I and https://youtu.be/QaESeMNzPi4 Now back to regularly scheduled posting.

Background: Last year just before OCBR, I finished my explorer 5.0/4r70w/d20 swap. However, with OD and 3.50 gearing I can't useOD unless I'm cruising around 55. It takes too much to push the brick thru the air at 65-75 where I like to drive. So I've been needing to regear, knew it would come, and now I'm there. But before rehearing a 28 spline rear, why not build a 31 spline? I bought shafts for it two years ago for Christmas so let's put them to use. I am going 5.13 gears for two reasons: 1) to self regulate my speed on the hwy (we all know no one should drive an EB the way I do). And 2) I rose with Bubba at prerun a few weeks back and WOW! I want some of that! As for lockers, I've got a spartan in front, and since I REALLY want an air locker (e locker if one comes available), I'm going to put another Spartan in the rear. And for the record, I've recently bought 35's to go on it.

I went round and round with going full width in my bronco, but having already bought shafts and, recently, gears and an install kit for the low pinion, and finding how much more the high pinion gears cost, plus a restocking fee for the ones I would return, plus the extra work of rebuilding my 1 ton steering linkage (and if you pull the front axle out, you might as well stretch the WB a little, and throw on some homemade long arms, yards yards....) I don't plan on beating my truck hard on the trails, but I do intend to go where I WANT to go. All the above can come later as needed.

So this build is using some BB 1/2 bolt ends from quick performance, which I just, while typing this, got a notice that they are waiting for me right now in the mailbox. I have already cleaned up the old spring perches and shock brackets. Time to get started. So here's some eye candy.

Just for yalls''' information, in the future I think it'd be cool to build a homemade double dana 20 (formerly known as the cold duck), but mine would be build so the shift rail is on top so it won't leak. I figure the difference between length of front and rear drive shafts MIGHT allow them to swapped to make up for the added length of the doubler setup. (Man, I'm getting all kinds of key words into this first post!).

Until next tim! (I need to do some work now!)


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[Skiddy]

better hurry you only have a few months left;D

 

[Boss Hugg]

better hurry you only have a few months left;D

I meant to post this with the first pics.

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[Boss Hugg]

After measuring twice and cutting fourteen times because it was still too short...

Anyway.... I put the end pieces on the shafts and bolt them on tight, as pictured.

Got my measurements from the inside end of the end pieces to the end of the shafts, and marked those measurements on the tubes using the fancy tool I picked up from the 'Bay.

Head the new end piece to the cut off tube to check fit. You'll see tgat I left a little past the line. I was afraid by my measurements that the new end's tapered end might go inside the tube messing with measurements. It doesn't appear that will be the case, so I get to cut it again.

I cleaned up the burrs from the cut and stuck in my line up jig (also from the'Bay, leadmine products), put the bar in and found a potential issue.

If you look real hard, the new end is hitting off center after cutting the tube off. So my thought was that the bar must have a bend in it. However, spinning the bar inside the housing does not change the location of the end piece. So I'm gonna quit here for the night and think about it in my sleep.


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[Boss Hugg]

The only reason I can come up with is the welds where the shock mount came off...

It lines up with the wide gap at the end of the tube.


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[Rustytruck]

With a weld on the side of the tube like that the tube will usually pull twords the weld. At work we use to make tube structures. We use to use alternate welds to pull the structures back in line. Are you planning to truss the housing? You may be able to Pull some welds to recenter the tube some.

 

[Boss Hugg]

Narrowing a 9"

With a weld on the side of the tube like that the tube will usually pull twords the weld. At work we use to make tube structures. We use to use alternate welds to pull the structures back in line. Are you planning to truss the housing? You may be able to Pull some welds to recenter the tube some.

Was thinking about putting a rosebud to it and then truss it top AND rear. But first I'm going to cut the other end off and see where it sits then. After looking at it, I may have measured 14 times and cut once, leaving this side a 1/4 short already. May have to pull a good housing from my big bronco parts truck and start over....


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[Rustytruck]

Eaiser to run 2 passes of weld on the end of the tube and then grind back to the length you need.

 

[Boss Hugg]

Eaiser to run 2 passes of weld on the end of the tube and then grind back to the length you need.

I'll keep that in mind.

I just cut the other end off a little long (what I thought would be 1/4".) did some more measuring, and its only 1/8" long now. Thinking about leaving it right there. A little slack at the end of the shaft won't hurt. The first end is exactly where it's supposed to be....

As far as the misalignment. When I press the tapered part of the end piece into the tube on both ends it actually shows there's about 1/8" bow in the center, which means there'd be some preload built into when I weld it up. Not sure if that's too much considering this is not a full size truck or bronco carrying a load.


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[JWMcCrary]

Just for yalls''' information, in the future I think it'd be cool to build a homemade double dana 20 (formerly known as the cold duck), but mine would be build so the shift rail is on top so it won't leak. I figure the difference between length of front and rear drive shafts MIGHT allow them to swapped to make up for the added length of the doubler setup. (Man, I'm getting all kinds of key words into this first post!).

Until next tim! (I need to do some work now!)


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To clock it to where the shift rail would be on top would require a cable shifter, probably ditching all the park brake stuff, plus you still have to get to the shift rails on the main case. There's good reasoning why it's clocked the other way and it doesn't leak bad enough to fret over. I've been using one for 4 years and changed the seal once. Easy to change seal, not like changing on complete D20. I had shafts made and for them to be right are still a little different in length, BUT, you can split the difference between the 2 for a spare that will still work in both places.

The shaft to connect the 2 cases is the main thing needed that has to be custom made. I was going to use the shaft from my 2nd cold duck and have one another made, but after searching and talking with others I have no knowledge of one having ever been broken, although it certainly could happen.

 

[Boss Hugg]

To clock it to where the shift rail would be on top would require a cable shifter, probably ditching all the park brake stuff, plus you still have to get to the shift rails on the main case.

I've got it figured up where I can clock it with the rail on top, basically with the front case hanging a little lower than the rear, and use shifting linkage just like the twin stick d20 setup, just longer links. Gonna be nifty. Maybe production worthy....???

It's gonna take some time to get to that project tho. Gotta get my gears done, and that includes building this rear end first.



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[Boss Hugg]

As far as the narrowing project, i got some advice from a few folks to heat the tube on the side that needed to pull over to center it over the alignment bar and the new end piece. Another suggestion was to cut/grind the weld where the tube joined the center housing, so that it had some movement and weld in place with it centered up. I tried the rosebud idea, and one side moved over almost perfectly, so I'll probably weld it up there. The other end doesn't seem to want to move. I'm thinking I may just cut the tube halfway around and weld it back together, hoping it draws enough as it cools. Hopefully not too much....

But at this point, it's back to the work week, so...


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[sprdv1]

Good Luck Adam..

 

[NYLES]

Adam what did you pay for those aglinment tools?

 

[Yeller]

I've done a several that were really short and no space to move, so I welded them up offset they worked just fine. Also remember the factory tolerances were really crappy in 77....

PS: I've never put new ends on a used housing that was straight, usually exactly as your pics show, even most of the aftermarket ones are the same way.

 

[Boss Hugg]

Adam what did you pay for those aglinment tools?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Deluxe-Rear...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

I paid $42 for the alignment bar at a place northwest of downtown Dallas. best price I could find without having to pay shipping. They say Fastenal is a good source, but they only "have 6 in stock in the entire country." and was gonna cost about $100 for me to pick up.

You might say that's a little much for what I'm doing, but I've got a Dana 50 that I might just turn into a 609/960. Whichever they call it. really need to get some new tubing to start it with though. And some old worn out unit bearings to build alignment biscuits for the outer ends to get it all straight. This idea might make the Super duty D50 worth something...lol.

 

[Boss Hugg]

better hurry you only have a few months left;D

I figured if I got a helper, it might speed me up. So I asked a guy to come over. Then I found video of him on his way.

https://youtu.be/ES32UFlPOUA


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[Skiddy]

bwwaaahaaa that's the brother to the guy that helps me:-[

 

[Boss Hugg]

Narrowing a 9"

Skipped the pics and went straight to the welding part! Lol.

I used the rosebud on each end a few more times heating and letting it cool to draw the ends toward center. One side got really close so I stopped. The other side didn't seem to move at all, so I used my recip saw and cut about 1/3 of the way thru the tube right next to the stamped center, ground it open just a little to fill it with weld, cranked the heat up on the welder and fed some wire to it. That got it really close.

So I beveled the ends of the tubes and started tacking the ends on. I'm told the biscuits need to spin in the ends with the bar in place, so I'm taking my time and probably going to get good, hot tack welds most of the way around before I start burning wire. It's definitely a delicate process to get perfect.

Jury duty tomorrow, and headed to work after that, so probably no work until Thursday or Friday.

 

[Rustytruck]

Looking good. Did you double check the housing ends rotation to your pinion angle? Just double checking.