1st time shaving............rear 86 axle housing

[havik]

well i looked and looked and there isnt much info on shaved axles. i know there are a few people out there running them and i just have one quick question. once i shave it is there going to be any problems with lubrication or heating up being there is less oil in the diff? i plan on running synthetic oil. i want to do mine similar to Marlins F-toy.
http://board.marlincrawler.com/index.php?topic=6506.450

thank you

[havik]

after returning from my last con trip both my axles were leaking from the drain plugs. before work i tried to tighten the rear and the bolt pretty much just fell out. the thing was so stripped it looked like a wine cork. i tried threading a new one in ended up just forcing it in just to get me to work and back.

now the plan is to get rid of the drain plug all together and shave the axle down. i am hoping to gain one inch of clearance under the diff. if i can gain one inch that would be equal to going up two inches in tire size.

i also want to get the bottom two studs replace with larger diameter bolts.

not exactly sure on what i want to do for armor yet.

stay tuned for pix


 

[havik]

i didnt have a silver or white paint pen so i just painted the whole diff white so i can use a sharpie.
first i drew out the lines i knew i wanted to cut then drew out a few ideas. once i found the lines i wanted i first went over them with a dremel then again with a cut off wheel.

[havik]

once open i was able to find out how i wanted to place the main plate on the bottom.
good times

[havik]

here is the center piece tacked in. its going to be a few days till i can get back on it again.

[Volcom]

I shaved the drain plugs out of my F&R axles when I built the 4Runner.  I didn't shave for extra ground clearance like you have done.  The smooth bottom really helps when you drag diff and not loosing the plugs on the trail is always a bonus!  Looks like you've got it figured out, nice work!

[*ROKTOY*]

Keep posting pic's so we can see step by step and the finished product.

[Bazzi]

watching

[toyotanner]

i'm thinking of shaving just my plugs cause its hard to even get a socket on my drain plug now cause the circle surrounding it is all scraped over

[REG535]

looking good. i plan on doing the same thing soon. 4crawler has nice setup also.

[havik]

more pix coming. the corners are going to be a little tricky. also i think i came up with something new. at least i have never seen it. i got a little more steel cut but i got to do a little work to get one side where i want it.
pix tomorrow fo show

[havik]

oh yeah i looked at the 4crawler setup. i wanted to get it but his site was down so i decided to go with the  :turtle3:Marlin F toy set up. 

[REG535]

keep up the good work cant wait to see more pics

[*ROKTOY*]

oh yeah i looked at the 4crawler setup. i wanted to get it but his site was down so i decided to go with the  :turtle3:Marlin F toy set up. 

Web address.

[ninja turtle]

Web address.

http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/AxlePlate.shtml

[All_Set]

These should keep you busy.


Differential Stud Upgrades - BEEF!!
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=485834

Differential - Shaved, Trussed, and Armored Axle Collection
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=456309 by TheBandit
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=228464
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=154306
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=93356


http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=533765&highlight=shaved+diff

All from the FAQ thread on Pirate.

[havik]

http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/AxlePlate.shtml

too late for me now....thanks though

[havik]

this is my idea i came up with last night.
my angles are a little off between the center skid and the housing so i am going to cut 1/4" out of the housing along the line then hammer it down and weld it back. should improve my angles and give me a little more clearance.

[havik]

here are the twisted angles

[OOPS]

i also want to get the bottom two studs replace with larger diameter bolts.

While this is a good idea, you may run into a bit of a leak. It will be a small one but it may drip a bit. The studs have a shoulder that butts up to the flange surface and seal. The bolts have threads all the way and the oil will follow the threads.

I replaced all the studs in my housings with 5/16 bolts and I did have some dripping. The bolts were put in with red locktite. I just put somr RTV on the threads before I put the nuts on. The only ones that were leaking were the two bottom ones.

[havik]

OOPS what do you think about doing some jbweld fab and sanding it down to a snug fit? i know kinda cheesy but if it works then hey? gotta be some way to do it legit

[havik]

dont you love it when something works out the way you wanted?
after cutting on the line then grinding away around 1/4" (sorry i didnt get the first few steps on camera)
i pounded it back together and now my angles are better.

[havik]

here is how it looks hammered down. i did it cold so its not as far as it can go but if I have to I will tighten it up some other time. but it really improved my angles and like i said got me a tiny bit more clearance. no BIG

[havik]

one more to show the new angle between the center skid and the housing. good enough for me

[OOPS]

OOPS what do you think about doing some jbweld fab and sanding it down to a snug fit? i know kinda cheesy but if it works then hey? gotta be some way to do it legit

Might work, what the heck give it a try.

[Volcom]

Throw the 3rd back in the housing to see what kind of clearances you have in the inside.  Shave job looks good!

[havik]

Throw the 3rd back in the housing to see what kind of clearances you have in the inside.  Shave job looks good!

when i tacked the center skid in the 3rd was in to make sure my clearance was fine. i could have got it a little lower but i didn't want to get greedy and mess it up

[havik]

tonight was no success. first my new BFH broke so i couldn't pound the slice i made shut then i decided to scrap my side plates because i got a better idea then when i went to drill out the old holes for bigger studs it didnt work out.
new plan: longer side plates, 4 more 3/8"s bolts and a few drill bits so i can step up the hole.

more picks when things go good again

[havik]

tonight was definitely better than last night. i got my old holes drilled out. it was hard at first because i was being overly careful and the drill bit kept biting and gettting stuck. i sprayed the holes then used the drill wide open with vary little force. took my time and it worked great. i tapped 4 of the holes to 3/8"s. that went ok but it would have been much better with the correct tool. i used a small adjustable wrench, got it done but was a pain. i would suggest getting the right tool. the threads turned out ok but not perfect like i would like them. 

[havik]

here is the new idea. i added .5" towards the rear. much better fit.