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61" WMS to WMS front and rear, will I be unhappy?? also, 60 discs??

Safari Ary

NAXJA Forum User
Ok, I've got a tera 50 sitting here that was built to be 61" WMS to WMS using Ford 1/2 outers(would this change with chevy stuff?). I've also got a line on a Dana 60-2 out from under a FSJ PU I believe. It's 65" WMS to WMS with an offset diff. I'm planning on narrowing it up to run two short side shafts which will put it right at 61". My main question is will the fact that the width is the same front to rear drive me crazy?? I figure prolly not since the factory axles are only a quarter inch wider on each side in the front, so it's not gonna make that much diff. What do you guys think??

Also, anyone know how I would go about putting discs on the 60?? It is a SF 35 spline NON c-clip axle(as far as I know it's the only 35spline SF non c-clip out there). I did a quick search on Pirate, but nothing in particular came up, although I did see that Sean(oneton) had made his own brackets.

For those of you that are wondering what size tires I will be stepping up to that necessitates all this beef, never fear, I will still be running 33s :D Reason for all this is because I got the Tera 50 for practically nothin considering what it is, I'm tired of worrying about my 30, and the 8.25's gears howls so bad that I can't hear my radio sometimes.

One more thing, any tips or write-ups on narrowing an axle that I would find helpful?? Thanks

Ary
 
BTW, basically what I'm talking about when asking if the width will bother me, is not if the overall width change will bother me, but rather the lack of a narrower rear axle and how it will affect my turning radius. Thanks

Ary
 
zjmike said:
ARy, +61" is only 1/2" wider than stock,


you wont even notice it..

No, he's asking if running a rear axle with the same wms-wms width as the front will be a big deal when it comes to tracking and turing radius.

Ary, I still maintain that you'll want the rear around 2"-2.5" narrower.:cool:
 
Ary'01XJ said:
...
Also, anyone know how I would go about putting discs on the 60?? It is a SF 35 spline NON c-clip axle(as far as I know it's the only 35spline SF non c-clip out there). I did a quick search on Pirate, but nothing in particular came up, although I did see that Sean(oneton) had made his own brackets.
...
Ary

I got my brackets from Tony @ Rock Equiptment in Lincoln, CA (916-645-2899). They're like $30 and would be easy to ship. They use rotors and calipers from a 77-87 3/4 ton GM.
Good Luck!
Billy
 
You are hardly going to notice the axles being the same width. It might track a little weird on grooved road surfaces, but it will be fine, honest.

CRASH
 
The main thing that sucks about same width axles is off road. Your rear end will ride up higher and not follow the way you think it should. You could always throw some spacers on the front if you want to experiment. My brackets are for a full floater, I don't know if they'd work on a SF.

You need a setup jig to narrow a rear axle. Essentially it's 4 pucks and a long 1.5" rod. Hardly worth the hassle if you're only going to be narrowing 1 axle.
 
Thanks Sean, that's what I was figuring about the width and why I was asking.

As for the setup rod and narrowing.....what do you think a shop would charge to narrow the housing?? from pressing out the old tube to pressing in the new one to welding it all together?? There are a couple of hot-rod shops about 45 mins from here that I'm gonna call, but I'd like to get an idea of what's reasonable first. Thanks

Ary
 
They are not going to press out the tube. The best thing to do is cut off the tube at the appropriate spot, buy a SET 20 bearing housing (I think that is what that axle uses, you'll need to check that) and have it centered and welded on.

The housing will likely need straightening anyway, so they should do that first, and then position the new bearing cup and weld.

Bearing cups are available from Currie, Strange, Moser, Sandy Cone, and Dutchman.

CRASH
 
Oh I see. 'nother question, is there a way to press a sleeve inside the original tube?? As you may know this axle's only weakness it seems are its little tubes(unless you consider SF a weakness). Sleeving on the outside without a lot of additional welding would possibly allow the original housing to twist inside the new outer sleeve. But if I can find some DOM of the right side and just press it inside the outer tube, leaving enough room at the ends of the tube to use the original seals and such, is there a reason not to do this?? I'm planning to truss the axle as well, just looking for different/easy ways of adding additional strength. Thanks

Ary
 
The strength of this axle is not of concern to you until you want to start running 40's or bigger, especially if you're going to truss it. There's no sense in throwing a bunch of material (weight) onto it for something that you'll never need.

Sean
 
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