Cutting Down A Ford 9"

So after the ring gear bolts backed out/ sheared off as well as the ARB blowing up in my Ford 8.8 I decided it was time to build something bigger/stronger like a Ford 9" but it was the wrong width. So that means its time to start cutting!

First determine the axle centerline. Choose a width you want the axle to be. I decided on 61wms to wms to match my front HP44. I also centered the pinion so I cut down 1" on the passenger side and 3" on the driver side. This puts the pinion pretty close to center as well as gave me the desired width. Remember to measure twice cut once!



AARON

Next its time to install the alignment pucks in the center section. They bolt in place of the carrier bearings in the 3rd member. Remember to grease the picks and bar so everything will still be able to slide after it gets hot.


Then put the 3rd member in the housing and slide the alignment bar in. Next slide on the outer axle bearing cups on with the axle bearing puck installed. Dont forget to grease this as well. You dont want the pucks sticking to the bar or bearing cups. I am using Strange Engineering set 20 bearings cups with the same flange pattern as the Ford 8.8 caliper brackets so I can reuse the brakes from my old axle Thats smart thinking if I do say so myself :greensmok


AARON

Once the alignment bar is in place with the pucks installed double check that everything is as it should be and everything measures out as it should then tack weld the bearing cup to the housing. Its a good idea to chamfer the edges of the housing and the bearing cup so you have a V to fill when you weld the cups to the housing. After tack welding the cups on, measure again to be sure everything is spot on, then burn it in.


Now here is a shortened Ford 9" axle housing with a centered pinion thats 61" wide that will be a perfect fit for my new Jeep MJ project


AARON

nice work, nicely done. wish I had the tools and know how to get this done in the future.
hope the rest goes this well

nice, whats the donor

take the time to shave the nine while you are cutting anyway...

and if you had instead of centering the pinion, centered the cross shaft in the carrier, you could have equal length shafts and the need to only carry one spare...

True Hi9 in your future?

Where do you get an alignment jig like that and how much do they run? I'm working on cutting down a D44 right now.

And where are you getting your shafts for these new lengths?

Mine will be custom-length alloys because I'm using a 33-spline Detroit in it anyways.

The jig came from DD Machine. They have the bar and pucks, then you buy the bar and what ever pucks you need. The shop I work at got the bar and a few basic pucks, but once we had the bar, it was just easier to have our local machine shop make the other pucks we needed since it was cheaper and faster to get them made instead of ordering new ones.

The housing and third are from an older Ford F-150. Its a big bearing 3rd so it should be able to hold the power from the stroker and keep the 35s spinning. I wish I had the cash for a True Hi9 but thats not going to happen any time soon. The reason I didnt go full float is because I would have had to buy new brakes which would have cost me somewhere around $500 for the full float spindles, hubs, rotors, calipers, and also the parking brake. The housing ends I got are for a set 20 bearing but also have the same backing plate pattern as the Ford 8.8. That means I can reuse the brakes from my busted 8.8 and save a pile of cash. If I have problems with breakage, I can always throw in a set of 35 spline shafts and call it done. I have a friend running 35 spline alloys and a spool in the same housing I used and he has had no issues with the housing or shafts in 3 years with the axle holding up to a LS1, 39" red label krawlers, and a lead foot.

AARON