Lets talk custom axles

I think we should establish and discuss custom axles combinations. Not only to help me make decisions but to create a on topic thread. I think we should keep complete aftermarket assemblies out of it for the sheer lack of fabrication. Lets talk do it yourself variations. What are pros and cons of each. Should we gather companies and pricing for parts to make it very usefull thread?

Here are some I am considering myself.

404 Mercedes MOG
:Would require to be narrowed to offset the differential for the front
:Have to buy aftermarket pinion conversion to shorten the total length of pinion and to accept u-joints
:If drum brakes are kept, 20" rims are a must. Disc conversion is doable. Some of us would be capable of it, other would need to buy the kit. Runs $1000 an axle.
:Have to run a 4-link in the rear to control the leverage of the portals.
:Have REALLY deep gears. Either 5something or almost 8something.

404 Mog 9"
:The same as above but a 9" differential
:Allows the use of a much lighter axle combination
inion is near half the legth of stock MOG pinion.
:Can get a very small gear set in the center section to get a shorter overall gear ratio.

Hybrid 9" Front
:Can possibly get the True Hi9 centersection to get some GREAT droveshaft protection
:Run either stock 44/60 knuckles of aftermarket knuckles for best strength
:Any width is possible

Hybrid 9" Rear With fullfloater outers
: Great lightwieght centersection and can possibly run a true Hi9
: 14 bolt or 60 outers to have a full float rear end.
: Disc brake conversions are easy and could allow for a 5" or 6" on 5.5" lug pattern
: Dont have to be linked to control axle

These are the combonations I am throwing around in my head. I am sure I have left out many other doable things.

All these would require custom axle shafts. With 300M shafts available through CTM, those are the top of the line. There are Warns, mosers, dutchmans, and Superiors that would beable to match the hybrids and also make the custom lengths.

You left out Rockwells and front and rear steer options

I left Rockwells out for two reasons.

1) What REAL fab is required to put them in. They are square and easy to put bracketry anywhere. No one narrows them because if you want Rockwells you want full width. And in my opinion, full size axles suck. To wide to do any real wheeling.

2) Why upgrade them, stock is almost bullet proof.


Rear steer on a stock wheel welled cherokee would be nearly impossible. You would have to be either tubed completly or really wide. Plus unless your over 107" who needs rear steer? Good drivers with one steering axle can drive circles around those who are not very good and have rear steer.

Every reason you give goes completly against the idea of custom fabrication,
stock wheeled ? Name someone who makes a bracket kit to put them in a cherokee,would have to be tubed for rear stear, sounds like custom fab to me, and then the work for front clearance of the top loader, sounds like more custom fab. All of this sounds like a hell of alot more fab than the quick easy stuff you listed as custom

Ok... I would really like to hear people chim in!

And I dont want to know about how to beef up the unibody. Rockwells are NOT CUSTOM. they are stock axles being put into something!

If PaulS reads this, can you give some info on your hybrid 9"?

Rich, I think he is after actual custom axles, not custom installs. Otherwise putting a XJ D35 under a TJ would be considered custom here.............. :lecture:

i like the idea of running another 9" center section with the 44 knuckles, however, that may be another year's worth of project time...

that is what i wold go to if i upgrade the front axle again, though the 44 will have to go in before i can even get wheeling this summer, so bullshitting here isnt helping me at all!

what is this 9" Mog axle? I havent run across this before.
I know there is a guy on Pirate (yeah, yeah) with an MJ on volvo portals.
the volvo's are lighter and if your lucky you can get a high speed gear set which is in the 5's. I like the idea of portals. I dont want to go with alot of suspension, but if I am going to do axles (no time soon) I want more than 44's. I was thinking at least 60's, but 37's on portals with minimal lift would be a great alternative. I am just wondering what ways I could get around the gearing... I would like to drive it over 15 mph every once in a while..

Whats the fascination with the 9"?...I would just go with 60's or maybe a hybrid 44/60 upfront and a 60 rear...I think that would probably end up being more cost effective...but I suppose it would depend on if you have to pay for HP 3rd members for the 9"s....

In the end...portal axles are by far the steez....

I, and alot of others think that 9" axles are by far the most versatile axle available. 40 spline shafts in the carrier for one. anything from 2.5:1 to 9:something for gears. Light and high clearance. i like the nines for aftermarket followings. You can get a 1/2" plate housing for around 300 bucks, a true hi nine for a grand, and aftermarket knuckles for 300 a side. then you can run huge inner shafts and run 35 spline 60 stuff outside.

60 wieght more than my jeep. If that pumpkin wieghted half as less, it would be pimp.

True hi9 with a spool is 1650.00 True hi 9 doesn't recommened going with
40 spline shafts. Not that the gears and housing won't take it But, they don't like the way the spool looks. To thin around the bearings.

I have a 9" center section mated to a Mog 404 portal axle sitting in my garage. It's roughed (needs a bit more welding) together and really just needs the custom axles made for it. I had a Currie HP 9" for it and they told me it would have to be used as a low pinion due to the portal rotation. I've driven myself crazy trying to figure out if that is correct and just how the rotation goes. Anybody have experience here? Do you know anybody who can do custom axles?
The reason for going 9" center section with an XJ is cuz the Mog pinion is extremely loonnnnng! 18" as I recall. I ended up making a custom rear NASCAR floater rear axle and used the Currie HP in that.

Also I have fit 16.5" rims to stock Mog 404 drums. That is the bare minimum. They do fit but it's tighter than the proverbial gnat's *&#@*!!!

I have seen and coresponded with a fellow who put stock Mog axles under an XJ without moving the front pinion over. He used a two piece (actually two drive shafts) drive shaft(s) with a pillow block bearing to seperate the pieces. He said it worked pretty good.

Scrappy said:

Ok... I would really like to hear people chim in!

And I dont want to know about how to beef up the unibody. Rockwells are NOT CUSTOM. they are stock axles being put into something!

If PaulS reads this, can you give some info on your hybrid 9"?

Click to expand...

Just finished it Matt, what would you like to know?

Paul

how about using something small with the volvo portals? like a D30 center. little bit o trussing. gearsets cheap enough. center is very abundant. since your gonna run like a 307 ratio there isn't much torque multiplication or stress in the center. just a though. I see 2 schools of though on driveline.
#1 keep the weight down. this gets you over the trail without over taxing the parts in your jeep. Dave Taylor is all about weight. and the 9" is lighter than a 44 but stronger.
#2 big heavy anchors. Burrow likes the rockwells because at 700 # each, your CG is very low. it takes a lot to break the heavy duty stuff. so momentum is your friend... and with the low CG you can get way off camber without fear of rolling.

Rawbrown is onto something... building portals on D30's and 8.25's. No need to regear the diffs, only moderate weight penalties from the portal boxes, and very little suspension modification necessary to fit larger tires. Brake configuration might be a PIA.

it is a great line of thought.. the portals reduce the stress.. but I keep hearing that the volvo stuff is very scarce... I am going to make my own out of 3 gear sbc timing sets...... I want to go with the school of thought that light is right....

Portals are cool, but what is out there for a front axle with a 9" or D44 center, with 35 spline D60 shafts and outers? I would think a HP44 with D60 outers & shafts could provide a good balance for weight/strength?

What large shaft carriers are available for the D44 (D60/14bolt or 9" 35 spline or larger)?

The 9" has the advantage for carriers that fit large axles, even if the pinion is low (and the HP 8.8 conversions are ratio limited).

Has anyone built on of these?

Ed A. Stevens said:

Portals are cool, but what is out there for a front axle with a 9" or D44 center, with 35 spline D60 shafts and outers? I would think a HP44 with D60 outers & shafts could provide a good balance for weight/strength?

What large shaft carriers are available for the D44 (D60/14bolt or 9" 35 spline or larger)?



The 9" has the advantage for carriers that fit large axles, even if the pinion is low (and the HP 8.8 conversions are ratio limited).

Has anyone built on of these?

Click to expand...

33 and 35 spline ARBs are available for 44's.

Not sure why you'd want to run anything else. ;D

Lincoln just built a SF 35 spline 44.

I'm sure he fawked it up and it will break, though.

CRASH

Ed has a good one. slap a set of D60 outers onto a D44 center. good clearance with gnarly u-joints and shafts. you can go up to 5.38 in an HP D44.
same thing in the rear is the 35 spline FF kit D44 that JP just did an article on. sweet.
HMMMM... custom portal boxes? Thanks, now my gears are turning. think I might need to sketch something up. I allready have an idea.

Rawbrown said:

HMMMM... custom portal boxes? Thanks, now my gears are turning. think I might need to sketch something up. I allready have an idea.

Click to expand...

Okie Terry linked to some awhile back built on a D60, but that seems like overkill.

Was that pun intentional?