If you read the (many) stories in Street Rodder (sorry) and such about how Currie builds rear ends they always emphasize that the final step before welding the housing ends in place is to straighten the housing. Obviously that policy does not apply at Moser. And if, in fact, they screwed up the original job and got the pinion off center they should have fixed it the right way rather than adding a chunk of tube. Most reputable shops should charge less than $100 to narrow a housing (using the original ends) and if you spent $650 for one new axle and one modified one (along with the housing mod) you got clipped. Brand new 28-31 spline street axles from Strange go for $405 a pair with bearings and studs. Roo
It's simply a shit job, even if it's mathematically square with the world. Sending that out as a "finished job" is not only a ding on their craftsmanship but on their (total lack of) shop pride. They must have thought this was destined for a fleet vehicle not a Hot Rod? If that was under a race car and an inspector spotted it, they'd probably start the inspection over with a finer screen. Great welds but a crooked housing is akin to a perfect $10,000 paint job where they didn't spend the prep time to set door gaps.
At this point I'd scrap that housing, save the axles etc and just make a new rear. What we don't see is brackets, tabs etc welded to the tubes in your picture. That stuff needs to be welded on the tube first and the ends welded when all other work is done.
And any bracketry is going to be located... guess where? Yup... right in the middle of that off-center short piece that is cockeyed by a 1/4".
Moser has done a few for me, never looked like that. I have used them since the early 90's, never had a problem. still running the first one they did for me. Last year i had a local shop do one to center the pinion, it cost $450.00 to narrow and cut one axle. when i picked it up, they had cut both ends to get it straight. there was a slight offset but nothing like that. The shop installed the jig and showed my why they did it, and said "most shops just weld em back to look straight". I expect it is "acceptable" but not "desirable"
I've read about a couple of other complaints about Moser Engineering recently. Your axle "looks" pretty messed up, but it's probably concentric and straight, but if it is't, Moser needs to make it right. Try checking from one axle bearing end flange to the other using a lazer pointer; it's not the perfect way to check it, but it may be close.. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
Narrowed 100's of rear ends before reasonably priced new housings became available. If I'd have turned out a product like that I wouldn't have lasted long. I used a heavy wall DOM tube with mandrels in a center section and at the axle ends. Still use it to check rears when we weld on brackets.
You should have mentioned that it was a messed up rear end before narrowing in your first post. It may indeed be trued in that fashion.
I was just reading on another forum about a screwed up 9 inch a guy had bought from them. It came in pieces and the third member ( assembled ) had not been sealed and was full of debris.
What baffles me is if they had welded the short piece to the housing and then the ends they could have gotten the short piece concentric with the long tube. If the ends are off it's much less noticeable. This looks more like a backyard job than a "professional" one. I know that when the old man died maybe 10-12 years back ( plane crash ? ) prices went up and quality down because the son wanted more profit.
Once your credit card company pulls the funds, they'll listen a little better..... Do it before 30 days have passed.
That's not the way to true it .... That right there is not my job ... Fuck it ..mentality If I remember right they narrow a housing for under 100$ so for that price time wouldn't have been allowed to straighten housing, BUT bussiness etiquette would be to call and inform customer and ask what route to take and notify extra time is needed to straighten and cost will be higher not just blast ends on like that... I would hate to see anything leave my shop looking like that ... Even if that's what customer wanted!
Agree that housing most likely was bent or something similar to get tubing off sets of that extreme. What counts for function is the alignment of both axle bearing bores with carrier bearing bores of a bolted in (with gasket) 3rd member, using a line up bar and machined slugs. And if the housing is crooked with the tubes, then when the ends are welded on could be offset. A housing that has the line up bar and 3rd member with slugs in place would show the bar offset in the tube bores in such a case if so checked. and then it, by replacement or straightening, should be corrected before the ends are welded on. I think also another misnomer is in this thread, and that's the difference between the terms "pinion centered" and "differential housing centered". There's a difference, and it's more pronounced in a 9" Ford.
Guys I have been contacted by Moser asking me to clarify the situation regarding the work done, ironically not to resolve the issue . Unfortunately our interpretations of the facts are not the same. I originally sent the rearend to Moser asking for my axle housing to be narrowed to 56 inch axle face to axle face with the center section centered. Mike from Mosers was kind enough call me back and offer to use both axles I sent and have a slight offset, my understanding and perhaps it was inaccurate on my part was that this was approximately 3/8 of an inch. The work was done quickly and the housing returned . Upon inspection the center was visually off and off more than an inch. I called back and Mike was great, he offered to fix the problem, flopping the ends and adding the piece you see in the pictures. I want to make something very clear , I am not trying to defame Moser with the posts I've made.
I'm not sure if it matters how they arrived at the end result, but the fact is you now have a housing that I think most everybody here would agree they would not want to use in their car. As I posted earlier for $650 ish you can get a NICE housing made to your specs with new quality axles with stud and bearings.
the company Russco , is excellent with there stuff , I know some people who use there products and they are very happy with the outcome . $650 isn't bad for a price complete , I pay $475 for bare housings with tubes without ends from strange engineering .
This is not a good situation. But if it is 100% functional, you might consider selling the unit to an off roader. They seem to rarely care about aesthetics. Off roaders have a wide variety of rigs, from small to full size and beyond. Might recoup a portion of your investment that way.
Stimpy, the only problem with that is that it is a Hepfner style housing and for a more traditional rod look (as indicated by the fact that the OP plans to use '36 bones) he is probably looking for a factory Ford style housing. Roo ps If you want a better deal on those housings I am a Strange WD and can help you out.
Why? Of course you can! Just adjust for the housing irregularity in the brackets/bones and weld them home...I really doubt if any one will notice...
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