Anyone running Rockwells ?

Got a good line on a Deuce and a half. Anyone done the whole Rockwell/XJ swap thing. How big of a pain was it and was it worth it ?

Nobody?....Surley I wont be the first in here to do it. I need tips if anyone has the swap.

you could try contacting JP magazine for info or usa6x6.com which deals in the axles... tell me how it goes if you do it i'd love to swap in some rockwells

I'd stay as far away from Daniel and usa6x6 as possible, unless you want to get screwed.

And JP for tech? well maybe, if the tech was "How to install an airfilter" and even then I'd be wary.

Stick said:

Nobody?....Surley I wont be the first in here to do it. I need tips if anyone has the swap.

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Yes, you will be the first to do it around here.
What are you breaking now that requires you to go to Rockwells?!?
Those axles probably weigh more than a whole XJ and unless you have full hydro steering, a cage, a subframe, a powerful engine, tow rig, trailer, etc. it would be silly to put them under an XJ.

Jes

You know you'll need to lift the thing so darn high it's nuts just to get them under right?

go to www.XJDB.com and search for "rockwell"

you'll find lots of pictures of this one:


Though it's hardly an XJ anymore, you would need massive massive unibody reinforcement to do something like this.

BrettM said:

go to www.XJDB.com and search for "rockwell"

you'll find lots of pictures of this one:

Though it's hardly an XJ anymore, you would need massive massive unibody reinforcement to do something like this.

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Yeah, it would be a pain, yeah it would be illegal in Virginia ....but wouldnt it be coool ?

Jes said:

Yes, you will be the first to do it around here.
What are you breaking now that requires you to go to Rockwells?!?
Those axles probably weigh more than a whole XJ and unless you have full hydro steering, a cage, a subframe, a powerful engine, tow rig, trailer, etc. it would be silly to put them under an XJ.

Jes

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To be honest the set up I have right now is working well. Its just like the question why do you need to wheel? Because its there, and we feel the need.

Just one of those testosterone things I guess. :guitar:

It's called a Napoleon Complex

:laugh3:

You're not the first and wont be the last. However a RW setup would not be as costly as a fully built D60's setup. Getting rid of the RW 2.5T drums will save you some considerable amount of weight.

Rockwells are a better option than most people around here will admit. We've all dumped thousands into lower gearing, lockers, axle shafts, ujoints, hi-steer arms, knuckles & hubs.

The Rockwell has it all STOCK. And when you flip the hubs inward you've got an axle only 2" wider than a full width D60. Account this into your backspacing cause you'll need 6 lug custom wheels and you're GTG.

With 6.72:1 gearing you'll be pulling fine with the 4.0L (even running 40s!), and the high location of the pinion shaft will keep your D-shaft dent free and angles will be awesome. With pinion brakes you'll be stopping easy because of the pinion reduction and the top-loading housing allows for awesome ground clearance. We dont even need to talk about the nearly 2" dia axleshafts and fist-sized ujoints do we?

The hardest part about fitting a RW is the front end, you'll need to move it way forward to clear the oilpan and you'll need big lift. Before I did my 3/4T D44/14B combo I was seriously considering RWs. At the time I wanted mechanical steering, otherwise they'd be in there.

The heaviest part of a RW is the center chunk at around 500lbs, you'll need a hoist for that. The tubes are weldable for links and if you run pinion brakes with an aluminum center chunk you can shave these suckers down to less than 600lbs complete, about as much as a full D60.

For $750 for a front steering axle and $500 for a rear non-steer, it's the best deal out there in axles. Go big or go home.

-jb

vintagespeed said:

With pinion brakes you'll be stopping easy because of the pinion reduction-jb

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Explain this to me, with pinion brakes how is there any kind of reduction. The way I see it pinion brakes are horibble number one because your using one small brake for two tires, second I would think it would be harder for the brakes to stop because the brake doesnt have any leverage on the tires.

The braking force is multiplied by whatever the gear ratio is. On the example vintage gave, the 6.72 gears mean the pinion brake is clamping 6.72 times better than the same brake would if placed at the axle ends.

Pinion brakes do work, and work good, from what I've seen....but, because they are spinning so much faster than a normal wheel hub brake, you really need to run a good high quailty pad....probably why you see alot of guys running willwood calipers and racing pads, cause they tend to have better heat disapation and don't have brake fade nearly as bad.

As said above, they are a good cheap axle....so if your willing to work around the size limitations (read: BIG) then go for it.

Justin

my understanding is that when they are shaved, they have the same clearance under the low point as a stock D44. does anyone know the diameter of the bull-gear?

they're the only axles I would consider for 40+" tires unless I won the lottery. Now what would be really nice would be a set of the 5.89 geared Volvo

Got up with the guy that has the truck last night. He says he will take $500 for it and it runs. He said he hasnt figured out how the 220 generator/inverter works yet but he can get me a military manual for the whole truck.......I dont know. What ya'll think ? :dunno:

Stick said:

Got up with the guy that has the truck last night. He says he will take $500 for it and it runs.

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6x6, right? Cut off the bed, lose the second axle (sell it to recoup costs, of course) and run a Big Buggy...I dare ya!

Yucca-Man said:

6x6, right? Cut off the bed, lose the second axle (sell it to recoup costs, of course) and run a Big Buggy...I dare ya!

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Do ya double dog dare me ? LMAO :farmer:

That's be a pretty cool rig. Look at the Unimog, Pintz, etc who are 6x6 huge, ugly, but run the hard stuff and have room for a crowd of people in them. Don't put the axle near an xj. If you are serious about rockwells do a full size jeep J-10, or pickup of some sort with a full frame, 454 motor, etc so that you have the power to run that big of an axle with the huge tires etc that go along with it.