05 f-250 axles, what next

[Mr.OverKill]

got my hands on a set of 10.5 ford 3/4 ton axles, locked allready, what will need to be done to fit them under my 85 XJ chevroleep i know i will need to cut them down but by how much per side and where? they are off an 05 f-250 4X4 off road with the coil suspension.


how do able/ feasable is this mod, i got the whole arm set up off the truck, or is it more of a pain than it is worth

ideas and thoughts will be appriciated

Troy

P.S. its all free, if that helps, by the way, it should match the chevy 350 pritty good, you think?

sorry no pics available untill i decide, they are in idaho at by brother in laws, he said he would ship them, he is building a monster truck out of the F-250, they only have about 2000 miles on them.

[BrettM]

post some pics!

those are the new radius arm design right? anything is doable, but no doubt it will take some serious work, but you can't beat that price.

[OT]

It'll never work.
Let me get rid of them for you.

[Mr.OverKill]

( in an asian accent ) you funny american....

[rock rash]

it will take alot of wor as brett said. why not just run full width?

[xDUMPTRUCKx]

it will take alot of work as brett said. why not just run full width?


ya youve already got alot of work with the fabrication of bracketry, no use adding more work and alot of $$$ with new shafts, if i were you id stick with what rock rash said.

[jeepinandy]

ya youve already got alot of work with the fabrication of bracketry, no use adding more work and alot of $$$ with new shafts, if i were you id stick with what rock rash said.
I agree it would look killer with the full width or like Okie Terry said "want me to get rid of em for ya?" lol good luck with the install wich ever way you decide to go

[Ludakris]

I know those things are wide..real wide...the lower arms are rediculously heavy from what i hear... definetly a long arm... I would just wait till they are sitting next to it to decide if its doable for you or not...

[Goatman]

To me, full width usually looks a little lame. The only advantage to full width is it's cheap......doesn't look better or work better.

Cutting down axles is pretty much the same regardless of what axles you have. Since you're getting the axles for free, it would be nice to have them cut down to fit properly. Not easy to do, though, if you want to do it yourself. You'll also need to either get the stock axles cut and resplined, or order a set of custom axles. Any number of axle makers can do both, like Dutchman, Moser, or Currie. As far as narrowing the housing, you'd have to find a local machine shop that would do it, or strip the assemblies down to the housing and ship it off to a custom axle builder to get it done. As far as suspension mounts for your XJ, most custom axle builders will put stock mounts on a housing, or you can just do it yourself.

Nice set of axles, BTW. The front is killer, and should be a D50. The rear is a Sterling, which won't have the best ground clearance, and is pretty heavy, but is very stout. Shouldn't have a problem handling a 350.

[CRASH]

The 05 F-250's (and most 04's) are D-60's now.

Ford was having issues with the D-50's.......

To me, full width usually looks a little lame. The only advantage to full width is it's cheap......doesn't look better or work better.

Cutting down axles is pretty much the same regardless of what axles you have. Since you're getting the axles for free, it would be nice to have them cut down to fit properly. Not easy to do, though, if you want to do it yourself. You'll also need to either get the stock axles cut and resplined, or order a set of custom axles. Any number of axle makers can do both, like Dutchman, Moser, or Currie. As far as narrowing the housing, you'd have to find a local machine shop that would do it, or strip the assemblies down to the housing and ship it off to a custom axle builder to get it done. As far as suspension mounts for your XJ, most custom axle builders will put stock mounts on a housing, or you can just do it yourself.

Nice set of axles, BTW. The front is killer, and should be a D50. The rear is a Sterling, which won't have the best ground clearance, and is pretty heavy, but is very stout. Shouldn't have a problem handling a 350.

[JeepFreak21]

To me, full width usually looks a little lame. The only advantage to full width is it's cheap......doesn't look better or work better.

Cutting down axles is pretty much the same regardless of what axles you have. Since you're getting the axles for free, it would be nice to have them cut down to fit properly. Not easy to do, though, if you want to do it yourself. You'll also need to either get the stock axles cut and resplined, or order a set of custom axles. Any number of axle makers can do both, like Dutchman, Moser, or Currie. As far as narrowing the housing, you'd have to find a local machine shop that would do it, or strip the assemblies down to the housing and ship it off to a custom axle builder to get it done. As far as suspension mounts for your XJ, most custom axle builders will put stock mounts on a housing, or you can just do it yourself.

Nice set of axles, BTW. The front is killer, and should be a D50. The rear is a Sterling, which won't have the best ground clearance, and is pretty heavy, but is very stout. Shouldn't have a problem handling a 350.


I'm going to have to go with Goat on this one. Take it from somebody that ran full width (fullwidth plus if you count the crazy backspacing you have to have to fit 15" wheels). Not narrowing them is just cutting corners, and it's a whole lot harder to do after the fact.
Billy

[xDUMPTRUCKx]

To me, full width usually looks a little lame. The only advantage to full width is it's cheap......doesn't look better or work better.




unless your lifted and you like rolling over. i think the added roll over resistance is very valuable. besides who wants the stock "station wagon" width? unless your staying stock height or running a small amount of lift.....then full width looks lame. i think after a certain amount of lift it looks lame with a more narrow width. is it really cutting the corners and going cheap? cause a few thousand bucks later when they are stock width.....just seems like a waste of a lot of cash to me.

[sintax]

I'd leave em full width. I'm keeping mine full width, but will be running 17" wheels with a good deal of backspacing to recover from my width. I'll be running a 5.75" back spaced wheel vs. the 3.25 back spaced wheel i'm currently running.

I guess when it comes down to it and take everything into consideration, the whole "custom" shafts thing is kinda a null point since getting alloy shafts made is usually a custom job. Though there has to be something to say for cheap junkyard spares. I dont know much about that rear, i know they've been using a sterling in the rear for a while, i dont know how much has changed in it since it went in around 96-97 (IIRC). I know my buddy was looking for a ARB for his 2wd F250 powerstroke tow rig and was able to find one.

As for the ground clearance, you could always shave it. Everything is better when its shaved...

It will be a project thats for sure. I have not had much luck dealing with currie, I found they did not really want to work with me or take any time to sit down and figure stuff out. In the past I was looking at having them build a D44 for the front of my XJ. I found it more hastle then it was worth.

Instead of having currie chop and respline your current shafts, i'd just get ahold of somone at Superior and have them make you two sets of custom shafts.

-Scott

[CRASH]

unless your lifted and you like rolling over. i think the added roll over resistance is very valuable. besides who wants the stock "station wagon" width? unless your staying stock height or running a small amount of lift.....then full width looks lame. i think after a certain amount of lift it looks lame with a more narrow width. is it really cutting the corners and going cheap? cause a few thousand bucks later when they are stock width.....just seems like a waste of a lot of cash to me.


Have you ever run the trails in Johnson Valley, California? Anything in Arizona?

Full width provides for some interesting and crowd pleasing lines on tight rocks trails. With no body, or a severly chopped one, it's not a problem. With all the sheetmetal an XJ has, the roof is constantly taking a beating as you take high lines to clear obstacles that 60 inch wide axles squeeze through.

I really don't see how narrowing adds too much expense? You have to buy alloy axles anyway, and they are the same price regardless of width.

If full width is so good, would full width + be better? 69" is full width. Would 80" better? How about 100"? It would be sweet to have a square wheelbase and track width!

CRASH

[xDUMPTRUCKx]

Have you ever run the trails in Johnson Valley, California? Anything in Arizona?

Full width provides for some interesting and crowd pleasing lines on tight rocks trails. With no body, or a severly chopped one, it's not a problem. With all the sheetmetal an XJ has, the roof is constantly taking a beating as you take high lines to clear obstacles that 60 inch wide axles squeeze through.

I really don't see how narrowing adds too much expense? You have to buy alloy axles anyway, and they are the same price regardless of width.

If full width is so good, would full width + be better? 69" is full width. Would 80" better? How about 100"? It would be sweet to have a square wheelbase and track width!

CRASH


okay ill give you that. narrow trails are more of a problem. no thanks for the sarcasm. arnt most competition rock crawlers full width? actually i think ive seen a few of those with more trackwidth than wheelbase.

[Ramsey]

i'd keep it full width and run em as they are. i'm only at 4" and really wouldnt want to go much higher without full widths. i like stability, and they look good too.

[BrettM]

okay ill give you that. narrow trails are more of a problem. no thanks for the sarcasm. arnt most competition rock crawlers full width? actually i think ive seen a few of those with more trackwidth than wheelbase.
NO! most competition buggies are about 104" wheelbase and a little over 70" wide measureing from the outside of tires

[Ramsey]

NO! most competition buggies are about 104" wheelbase and a little over 70" wide measureing from the outside of tires
My god man do you realize what this means !?

[XJ_ranger]

My god man do you realize what this means !?

yes

that xXJx is talking way out of his league...

lets bring this thread away from the age old full width rocks! VS full width SUX! argument and back to putting the 05 f-250 axles in a cherokee

----
to determine how much to cut off and shorten - grab your tape measure and figure it out...
do you want a stock track width? little wider?
that all will be your own rig's personality...
there are a few threads here discussing narrowing and what to do - the basic idea is:
cut the knuckle off (carefully) and cut some off the axle tube then re-weld the knuckles on AT THE PROPER CASTOR FOR YOUR RIDE HEIGHT

for the rear, im not sure how the sterling is set up but on most axles - remove the brake hardware and cut the flanges off (if it necks down, cut before the neck down) and remove the chunk of axle that makes it too wide, then weld it back together... the rear end angle of the flange isnt as importiant as the front as the rear isnt a steering axle...

the best purchase that you can make at this point is a digital camera

pictures are golden wen asking for help..

[Mr.OverKill]

sorry no pics available untill i decide, they are in idaho at by brother in laws, he said he would ship them, he is building a monster truck out of the F-250, they only have about 2000 miles on them.


as i said before i wish i could post pics of them but i cant yet. think i will be getting the set and when i start my next phase i will post them, i might get another project rig for them just so i can finish this one and get out there while i build the extreem Xj, heck i might put in the 454 my dad has on the side of his house, yah,THAT SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN:exclamati :exclamati :exclamati :exclamati AND MABI 10" OF LIFT, TRUE TRAIL ONLY RIG. THAT WORKS:exclamati

[GSequoia]

Instead of going with 10" of lift and all that jazz how 'bout you just give it a small amount and cut the holy hell out of the body?I don't think you want to be at crazy high lift having to take nutty off camber lines because of full width axles.

Lift Low
Trim High

[sintax]

Also a 454 is not the ideal motor for a super weak unit body like the XJs. Ask around how much the 350 chevys twist up the "frame" you surely dont want to add another 150-200 ftlbs of torque.

As for the 10" thats a bit lame. No reason to make it so big. the lower the better.

[Mr.OverKill]

ok, ok i'll concede the 454 is a little over kill and the 10" is just inchitis but i will try to be extreemly creative on the next build with the 250 axles, this i swear( long travel coil over suspension?), i am also using the baisic XJ platform ( and a lot of tubing )


let the designing begin!

[Darky]

I think it sounds good. As far as full width or not, just look at what you'll be doing. If you're running tight trails or rock crawling and such, then cut em, and if you do more sand running and mud-bogging, full width should work just fine. I've been kinda waitin for someone to get some of the new SD axles for an XJ ever since I read about them...Should be a cool product when finished.