Axle narrowing tool set...

[sled_dog]

Anyone know a good place to get the bar and dies required? as well as center plate. Found a few spots I could get a good selection for a little under $1k. Main priority is of course Ford 9", 10 bolt, and 12 bolt. MAIN being Ford 9".

 

[ntsqd]

It's basically a bar with some aluminum spacers made to tightly fit the bar and have the OD of the bearing in question. A friend made his own using a oil patch pump shaft and machined the spacers.
If you don't have oil patch pump shafts just laying about, you might use something like one of these:
4140 1.5" Bar

316 Stainless 1.5" Bar

17-4 Stainless 1.5" Bar

 

[sled_dog]

yeah I was thinking about it today, no real reason I can't just make my own stuff. Actually I'll go talk to one family friend of ours. He runs a small race shop, I know he has the tools, and machining experience. Maybe he'd be willing to copy his for a price.

 

[cybrfire]

Made the bar and spacers for narrowing a Ford 9" in my brothers drag car. Pretty simple really. You can do it!

 

[4X4HIGH]

i know that these people used to carry a complete kit for axle housing narrowing. http://www.cachassisworks.com/Home.html

You might also try these people. http://www.chassisengineering.com/

 

[thatK30guy]

I'd like to see such a kit for D60, 14FF and D70HD axles, especially the D70HD so they can be narrowed to SRW width.

 

[sled_dog]

I'd like to see such a kit for D60, 14FF and D70HD axles, especially the D70HD so they can be narrowed to SRW width.

that would be a slightly different design but completely doable. Something I already thought of and plan to do.

 

[thatK30guy]

What exactly does one have to do to narrow a D70HD to SRW specs?

 

[sled_dog]

you'd have to cut off the spindle ends, cut out the required amount of tubing, grind down the tube left on the spindle ends, use an alignment bar and guides in the inner bearings to align everything. Get a custom set of dies to go either in the spindle ends around the bar or screw onto the spindle threads and go over the bar. Line it all up, and weld it in place.

I'm looking to build a 9" with a backbrace for Dad's 69 Firebird so a narrowing tool set will be a necessary evil(not that they aren't cool...)

 

[jekbrown]

isn't there a guy on pirate who makes the machined spacers already? Pretty sure there is. You'd just need your turned-to-spec solid round stock then.

j

 

[ntsqd]

isn't there a guy on pirate who makes the machined spacers already? Pretty sure there is. You'd just need your turned-to-spec solid round stock then.

j

That would be good if his bushings are some common diameter. FWIW though, you don't want a bar that's been turned to OD that is that long. Extremely hard to hold a tolerence with that process. The bar I linked above is Centerless ground to the OD spec. A much smoother & straighter bar, and it's ready to go when you buy it.
Otherwise one of the various vendors or machinist's here could probably make them up.

The floater stubs are more of a challenge. I wonder how concentric the ID is? If very close to right on, then simple spacer bushings will work. If not then you have to locate on the bearing registers. The threads aren't good enough.