Trying to narrow my 1st 9" rearend. The questions I have are, 1. is the pinion centerline to differential centerline (center point between inner axle ends) measurement 2.125" 2. is the space between the two axle ends 1.125" 3. when narrowing the housing ,should I cut off just the bearing end to weld back on or leave some axle tube still attached to it so the weld is maybe say 6" from the bearing end
Check out a couple of youtube video's as they can be inspiring. I've watched a few on this topic and feel empowered to take on such a project in the future..
A ch***is shop I used to deal with/hang around would cut the ends off, chuck them in a lathe and remove what remained of the original tube and weld. Ended up with a lip on the housing end that fit the tube perfectly. New housing ends are available as well. They never (or at least not that I ever saw) shortened a 9" in the middle of the tube.
On E bay you can buy a tool thats a flat piece of steel with all the math marked on it.Place it on the carrier opening,and it references center lines/offsets. You can also buy bearing ends that either **** up,or fit in the tube.
To do it correctly you should have a dog bone tool and an alignment bar. You want bearing ends that **** to the tube. But you can do it without the tools and take it to someone for straighten.
The quoted post is the correct method of narrowing a rear end housing. An arbor should be used for correct alignment. Have you ever watched one of the “Bozo Motors” television shows that hack a housing off in the middle of the tubes and then stick weld it back together? I cannot believe they actually are able to insert the axle shafts into one of their creations.
An explanation here, was narrowing an Olds dragster housing, the fixture was to scribe the tube cut. the cut has to be perfectly square (no gaps) to the bearing end otherwise the weld will pull and the ends no longer square. Looking at the right side, I start the weld at 5 o-clock and weld clockwise, when I weld the left side I start at 7 o-clock and weld counter clockwise. Its just the way I do things View attachment 4962880
So, you only narrow axles in the evening......spacing your welds by two hours? Resting and letting the prior weld cool? Ray
There is not a one size fits all kind of answer, mostly because of the varied housing tube sizes (and shapes), not to mention the desired final length of the particular project. The one "truth" though is the need to use a centering/alignment fixture as well as a way to straighten the housing after welding because even under the best processes some housing designs require more attention than others. Here is a Google search with many images and explainanations on housing narrowing, keep in mind that not all of the Youtube how-to's use ideal processes. https://www.google.com/search?q=9+i...nYA0oQ_AUoAnoECAQQAg&biw=1280&bih=800&dpr=1.5
1. it depends on the thickness of the crown wheel and the girth of the pinion, where the diff centre 3/4'' thick bar lands - so when setting up, be mindful as if you start with a set of 3.00 and then go to 4.11 it will change 2. yes, the diff centre bar is 3/4 and you 'normally' see 1/8 of clearance to the axle shaft 3. note stock nothing is **** welded, a truck case at the middle - the tube there sits into the centre, on a car case, you cant see it with the diff in, but the centre steps down and the tube sits over it, IF doing it here, cut through 1'' after the weld and nibble the remnant away - and mark the old position with a right good punch at the bearing housing end, they all sit into the tube note however IF you plan on doing this, the tube on some of them - before it is welded to the centre is machined a smidge to receive the bearing housing, or even when you remove all the old tube from the bearing end, it won't go back in, you cannot remove more as the seal is beneath, its rather difficult to open the tube end to receive it when the centre case is welded to it.
Thanks for the replies, I have the alignment bar and bushings for it. My 9" housing has 3.25" housing tubes that narrow to 3" just before the bearing ends. I wasnt sure where to cut the bearing end off in the 3.25" dia and then reweld that to the shortened 3.25" or cut it at the 3" and reweld to the shortened 3.25. I should have stated that in in post.
Quick Performance has new housing ends, in 3 different styles to suit your needs. They are very nice and only $65.00 a pair. It will make narrowing far easier for you. https://www.quickperformance.com/9-Ford-Housing-Ends-Big-Bearing-New-Style-Torino-38_p_20356.html
All I am going to say is that some of those "as you see them do it on TV ways are flat wrong by what I have been taught for the past 50 something years. The Billet ends that Marty showed cost less than a minimum charge for machine shop time in most shops. There is a shop about 15 miles from me that narrows rear ends for the local racers and 4x4 brigade that I have been wanting to check out. If that doesn't work there is this guy on the Hamb who lives about 3-1/2 hours away from me if I don't stop at Cousins in the Dalles for Breakfast who is said to be pretty good at it. I'm sure not going to attempt to do it myself.
Cut one end off at a time so you can use the opposite end as a reference to make it parallel. If you bolt a plate to the solid end, it gives you something extending further out. Make two plates, one for each end. Bolt them in place . Then measure in front from plate to plate and in back plate to plate. Tack the one end and double check the measurements.
I wouldn't ***ume either end is square from the factory. I prefer donuts and a bar. 1.5" diameter Cold Finished Steel
Issue is doing it this way, there’s no way to ensure both end centers are on the same place as each other, respective to the carrier bearings and axle centerline. If you think about it, say the current housing has a “wow” in it, or an “s”. If you were to make the ends parallel to each other, things are not right right. So now you straighten the housing, and nothing is parallel anymore. I think the alignment bar and pucks is the best way to go, but then think about cost of them, how often you’ll be doing it, v just having it done.
You can use a bar and mandrels as other have stated, but as soon as you weld axle pads, or any suspension brackets to the housing, there is a good chance it will be warped. I always check and straighten every housing after welding.
Would it make sense to weld spring mount pads and any other suspension mounts before the flange ends? The bar and mandrels would then take any warpage in the housing into account.
Not everyone is going to have a bar/tube and concentric donuts to align their rear end ends, and even if they do, that does nothing for getting the faces at the ends of the tube parallel with each other. If someone makes two plates with a hole in middle so they can slip over anything.......and drilled with the same pattern as the housing end.......when they bolt them in place, simple measurement between the plates will tell you if they currently parallel with each other OR they are not parallel. If they ARE parallel, then cut one end and weld it back so it's parallel to the uncut end. Being careful to make good straight cuts should be obvious. Now if you measure between the plates and they AREN'T parallel.......at least you now know that you have a problem. Is this the BEST method?.........NO, but it's better than TLAR that a lot of people use.
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