Cutting up Ford 9 Inch, move axle tubes in

[Crosley.In.AZ]

I never done this narrowing stuff.

I am wondering on cutting the axle tubs off at the center section. Move the tubes into the center section, reweld with proper alignment tools used?

Keeps the ends with factory welds and drum brakes, all aligned up , not changed.

Photos show differentials I have.  Center sections are different widths where tubes weld on.

[kb426]

Tony, that is a possibility. What i don't know is if the tubes are pressed into the housing. All I have ever done is whacked off the ends and used my alignment bar to weld the new ends on. I like your idea but I'd cut the tubes out of a housing I didn't want to use just in case there was a surprise.

[enjenjo]

That is a butt weld on the bottom housing. The top two picture is a heavy duty housing that has the tubes pressed in and welded.

The only problem I see with doing it your way, the tubes on a 9" are seldom concentric with the axles. When cutting the bearing off the end, removing a section, and welding them back on, they don't line up perfectly with the tube. Usually in the front to back direction.



If you are willing to straighten the housing after welding, there should be no problem doing it at the weld to the center.

[phat46]

I did it by cutting the tube at the center section. I just cut the weld loose and pulled out the tube, cut it four inches and put it back in. I only did one side since it was four inches offset that way in the first place and that's all I needed to narrow it, but it would work on both sides. I tacked it in place and took it to a local rod builder that had a jig for it. He said he'd never done one that way or seen it done, but  wondered why not. He put it in his jig and finished welding it and it needed no adjustment when it cooled. BTW, I sent the axle to Mosers to be narrowed, it was a really quick turnaround for it.

[chimp koose]

If you are really crafty you can just cut through the weld on the ends in a lathe and drive the ends out . I have had housings where the ends slipped into the tube with the axle seal portion slipping in past the end of the tube. Like enjenjo mentioned , good luck with them lining up in a jig that way . I read somewhere that the splines in a ford were designed to run with as much as .050 runout per foot . I narrowed the 9" in my Anglia to 28" between bearing faces , the ends were nowhere near lining up when I used the alignment jig . They were misaligned by about half the axle tube thickness.

[chimp koose]

The 9" I had in my last front engine dragster had braces welded inside the diff housing just outboard of the carrier bearings. The axle tubes were welded into those braces as well as to the carrier housing ends .

[Crosley.In.AZ]

Further investigation...  Looking inside one of these designs.

The center section end is swedged DOWN to fit inside the axle tube.  Eggzackly backwards as I was thinking

[Crosley.In.AZ]

photo inside the tube.

Center section swedged down to fit inside the tube. the Phord way. Must be quicker for production,.

[chimp koose]

Crosley just for giggles try the alignment bar on the original housing as it came from factory . Some of them make you wonder how they ever moved .