Anyone have new Axle housing ends put on?

[idrivemopar]

I was talking with the guy that is going to rebuild my 8 3/4 rear end and we were looking at the area where the axle shaft races sit in the end of the housing, and the housing is scored deep, so he suggested to cut the housing ends off and have new ones welded on, showed me the new ones, and he has a machine shop that can do this.

Has anyone done this before? Just wondering if its common practice?

 

[snakeoil24]

Common as long as he has a jig to weld on straight

 

[rev.ronnie]

I do them all the time. I use a BHJ blue printing fixture.

When I build a differential, I install the centering rings, install the main bar and slip the outer centering ring on. If it does not slip in the bearing end free and smooth, I just cut the end off, chamfer both pieces, space them the thickness of the saw blade, tack them true and weld them back on.
if the ends are damaged like yours are, or if I'm installing billet ends, it's the same process.

I have yet to see a housing that has straight true ends from the factory, especially a high mile unit.

 

[Cranky]

I've never found a rear that was perfect either......even low mileage ones. It's amazing that they operate like they do with the misalignment they sometimes end up with and especially so when someone welds on ladder bar mounts or even new spring pads so the last thing I weld when I build one is the bearing ends so if you need to do other welding on one, do it first. Welding anywhere on a axle tube will make it move.

 

[rev.ronnie]

:argue:

I've never found a rear that was perfect either......even low mileage ones. It's amazing that they operate like they do with the misalignment they sometimes end up with and especially so when someone welds on ladder bar mounts or even new spring pads so the last thing I weld when I build one is the bearing ends so if you need to do other welding on one, do it first. Welding anywhere on a axle tube will make it move.

Have you ever used a rosebud torch to heat and manipulate axle tubes that are not aligned? Like you say, after some simple welding of mounts, they get tweaked. You can heat and shrink the metal to get them back into place. Sometimes even running a bead then grinding it back off.

It's a quick way to fix one that already had ends installed and you don't want to do it twice. Also, some that are just a little out , can be re aligned.