What's new
CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.

Just took delivery of my rockwells!

O

Overkill

1/2 ton status
Joined
Jan 15, 2002
Posts
284
Reaction score
0
Location
Orlando, Florida
A buddy of mine delivered em to my house this weekend. I spent the better part of saturday and sunday night tearing em down and pulling the drums off and checking out the bearings and seals. Man these things are monsterous! I will have some more pics up in a few days. Cant wait to get em setup and sitting under the '82. Dana 60? naaaahh, how 'bout 4 wheel steering, 6.72:1 gears, and massive axles and u-joints! Just had to share the excitement!
 
DUDE THOSE THINGS ARE HUGE! Im gonna have to get an up close look at them when you get your rig goin. (Im just across the state from you.) Are you planning on keeping it street driven.
 
It will be streetable, maybe not exactly street legal in every aspect. I dont have a tow rig or trailer so it will have to be driven to the mud holes. I am trying to find a suitable rotor to put on that massive hub for 4 wheel disk, but am not having much luck. I will be doing a pinion brake on both axles and would like to add 4 wheel disk also, but only if I can find the right rotors and fab things up myself. I simply cannot afford to buy the pre-fabbed stuff. It is outrageously priced! It will be a while before I actually get them mounted, I need to get springs, fab perches, work hydraulic steering, find driveline, and get a 205 or 200 to compliment em. I don't want to build driveline for a 208 and then have to retro it for a 205 or 200. The 4 wheel steering should be alot of fun, haha. Just have to find a reasonably priced charlyn valve for the front steering and rig lockout pins for the rear. Shew! so much to look forward to. Can't wait to perfect my welding skills. I will be fabbing up quite a bit of stuff to make them work just right. Maybe when I get it on the road we can meet up and play some? Maybe Sea World (powerlines, or International), whatever it is that it's known by on your side of the state, hehe. Will be a couple more months though <sigh>. Not enough money to go around.
 
Quick! Go find the April '02 issue of Four Wheeler and turn to page 106.

There is an article in there about the 2.5 ton axles. A guy named Chuck converts those axles to disc brakes on the knuckles, not the pinion, and it says to use a Class IV rotor with a standard 1/2 ton caliper. It shows pics of the whole teardown and installation of a Detroit Locker.

Very cool article and axle, too! /forums/images/icons/cool.gif

Info about the guy and his business:

Chuck's Trucks
(407) 650-3802
e-mail, [email protected]
 
Funny you should mention that! That is the article I used as a referance to tear em down, LOL. Chuck wants ungodly amounts of money for the "custom made, laser cut" brackets. If I can find the rotors I should be able to do it myself. I have access to a welder and torch, and Im pretty handy with my trusty die grinder and cutoff wheels. I don't have the money, but I do have the time. Looks like I got my next couple of months cut out for me, hehe. I love creating stuff. Thanks for the heads up though. I might still get some small parts from him, but I would rather build it than buy it.
 
How much did Chuck quote for the laser-cut brackets?

Why not invest in some and then copy them to start cutting and making your own to sell back out for a profit?
You could probably make a killing on the POR site. /forums/images/icons/wink.gif
 
damn those are huge /forums/images/icons/smile.gif way cool man how much did they set you back?
 
Got both axles delivered for a grand even. Everything inside looks extremely clean (minus some water in the hubs, but no rust or corrosion) and they have the spicer style u-joints. Believe it or not they look a whole lot smaller without those huge drums and hubs on em. I can actually pick one end up and lift it, and Im not a big guy.
 
I will get back with you but a local guy builds custom rockwells, he has all the info on the pinion brakes, I know the calipers are willwood, and I will ask about the hydro's and valve. Also he cuts the bottoms (the bowl) off and welds a new plate that is flat and drops for the ring gear for added clearance. Jesse
 
Back before they had kits to convert a 14 to disks a bud of mine picked up some caliper brakets from a race car fabrication shop and welded them to his housing. They used GM calipers. You should be able to use the caliper brackets off a front axle as a reference to design a custom set up for your application. I dont see where it would be that hard.

We call it Sea World over here too. Some friends of mine have been there before but I never have. Have you ever seen a yellow early 80s Yota on 44 Boggers w/ 12 bolts? The front one has the pinion pointed way up. Its a long bed and was real nice but he ran the piss out of it. He would normally travel w/ a group of rigs, a Newer extra cab Yota w/ a straight axle and 60s over 44 Boggers, a CJ, a Nissan, and an older Yota all on 39 Boggers. And a Zuki on 39 Boggers, almost forgot him. 39 Boggers and 38 Swampers seem to be the tires of choice for the bigger rigs around here. Not many left on 44s tho. Most every rig is on 35s now a days.

I can relate to the not enuff money to go around. It seems like when you have the money you dont have the time....then when you have the time you dont have the money. Ive been running that cycle for the last few yrs w/ mine. I still have a stack of parts I dont have the time to install, so I quit buying for a while, till I get them on.

We will definately have to catch up over the summer tho. Maybe sooner, I am looking into a dealership body shop that is looking for an assitant manager in Orlando. So if Im working over that way Ill have to come check out your toy.
 
The thing to watch out for with pinion brakes is they are not street legal. They would fail inspection in a heartbeat.

That's why you need regular disc's at all 4 corners in order to be able to drive the truck on the streets. /forums/images/icons/wink.gif
 
Hey PI. If you're ever in the area definitely look me up. Pm me if ya want my phone # and you can just give me a shout if you ever make it to this side of the state. I agree with making my own caliper mounts and setup. It shouldn't be that difficult. I would rather be able to say that I built it instead of bought it, haha. Just gotta make sure they will be relatively safe. I am famous for over-engineering things so I think my final design will be better than ok, hehe. I have seen a few of the trucks you mentioned out at Sea World but havent been out there in quite a while. I got rid of my 97 s-10 blazer so I don't have a driveable 4x4 yet. Getting real anxoius though, I'm feeling the urge to sling some mud, haha.
 
Oh yeah, I almost forgot, I just put some new pics up in my webshots. The last half dozen are new ones of the rockwells.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest Posts

Top Bottom