Question for those with shaved axles

[Mr. Pickle]

When you shave your axle (ff14b, D60) to gain ground clearence you lose a of lot of fluid volume in your diff. Has any one with a shaved axle driven on the highway for short distances? Or does the shaved axle mod make your rig 100% trailered?

I am looking to do this to my Blazer in the near future but still want to drive the rig to closer wheeling spots (50 miles away) and not have something go wrong. (boiling fluid, burnt up R/P)

My initial thought is that everything would be fine, just change the fluid more often. What does everyone else think?

 

[abig84]

i dont think you really lose any fluid volume unless you majorly shave the heck out of it. i just cut that big piece that hangs off the bottom almost up to the bottom bolt cover hole so it changes nothing

 

[shaun89]

i havent heard of any over heating problems with shaving a diff. even as far enough to have to shave the ring gear down. i havent heard of it causing over heating...i guess to keep it a little bit cooler,you could run thicker syn. fluid.

 

[Mr. Pickle]

i dont think you really lose any fluid volume unless you majorly shave the heck out of it. i just cut that big piece that hangs off the bottom almost up to the bottom bolt cover hole so it changes nothing

If you look at Bill V's from the P4x4 14b Bible, he shaved off 2"+ and plated the bottom. From the looks of it the ring gear is about 1/3" from the new bottom. That is what my question is based on.

Thank you for your responses.

 

[mnstrburbon]

that is a ton of work to gain very littel it's also more of a trail only and rock set up. Just cut the overhang off grind it to flow better and you are good to go and gain 1" easy.

 

[kgblazerfive]

Yeah I would have to agree with MS, that is a lot of work for little gain but either way the amount of fluid you run will be fine to drive it on the street. Most in here have just shaved off the lip and not cut into the interior of the center section.

 

[Stomis]

If yours gonna cut into it I really wouldnt worry about it. By the time you adjust your pinion angle on even a 4" lift you've got a quart more room for fluid before it comes out of the fill hole anyway.

If your really worried then buy a heat sink cover for it. If you wanna go over kill weld some heat fins onto the side of the diff.

 

[Chaddy]

If you look at Bill V's from the P4x4 14b Bible, he shaved off 2"+ and plated the bottom. From the looks of it the ring gear is about 1/3" from the new bottom. That is what my question is based on.

Thank you for your responses.

I think what they did is a waste. I would just buy a HPcenter.
What if the ring gear went bang on a trail and you didnt have an extra fabricated one of a kind ring gear to replace it with?

 

[Mr. Pickle]

All are very good points, thanks for the feedback!

 

[four_by_ken]

Also, something to remember is that these axles were designed to be run in a truck that would be towing weight. So, without towing anything... I wouldn't even hesitate to do high way speeds with a little less fluid. Plus, as someone mentioned... chances are your truck is lifted and chances also are that you will have rotated your pinion up at least a little bit.