Hi all
I have a narrowed Ford 9 I want to put in Camaro. Can I just weld on axle tubes to the correct length and buy axles to fit it in my 3rd, and if so would heavy wall stainless tubing work?

 

basically yes thats all you do, you need a fixture to square the tube and bearing ends up with, easy to make on a lathe. i wouldn't use stainless since it's harder to weld, and limits your options if you ever want to mess with it again

 

Thanks ede
What I was thinking was just welding on 3" stainless tubes to the housing and welding the flanges to it. Another person on another board said he wouldnt trust it. I work in a tube shop so can get the 3" stainless at company cost and we have the tig welders there for that part, we use this tubing for land based jet engine steam manifolds. hmm... how would I lathe the fixture?was wondering if the stainless was strong enough, about .125 wall. And do I just cut behind the weld on the housing and slide the old tubes out? BTW... complete 2.5" stainless exhaust madrel bent coming, cost... $0.00
Love my job!
Bob

 

basically you need something to replicate the carrier bearings and axle bearings to dummy up and run a 1 1/2" shaft through from end to end to hold tubes square to the bearing CL. if i were making it i'd turn 2 pieces for the inner and 2 for the outter from steel and use a piece of CR for the shaft. with a little thinking and planning you should be able to figure out a way to thread the end of the shaft for a nut to hold everything together while you weld it.

 

I don't know that I would use the stainless because it is softer then most steel, at the end of a axle tube that wouldn't be a good thing.

 

even if you could pull it off it would be really half assed, i'd just sell it and get a moser done 9"

 

i think what TempesT68 means to say is that if he did it it'd be halfassed since he has no way in knowing your abilities or the tooling and equipment you have avaivable to you. it's not rocket science and people narrow, or lengthen rear ends ever day and you can buy the tools and parts to do it with.

 

Thanks again for the replies
I do have access to everything I need at work, will think this over a while. Hey ede... where is Wellston? I'm about 15 minutes from Dayton
Bob

 

wellston is in jackson county, you'd take 35 to jackson, about 80 miles or so from I75 and 35 in dayton

 

hey..im in logan,,,not far at all from wellston,,,,like the derby at the fair there

 

well... had a racer/builder friend over today. Checked some prices and ideas, gonna back half it, keep the 41" axle, never had a "plan" anyway. will put a ladder bar frame in it. This project keeps gettin more involved every step.
Bob

 

That's too bad.I build axles for a living and was really interested in how yours would turn out.

 

Thanks ede. I hate it when people assume things like that right off the bat when it comes to fabricating your own anything. These people are the ones who typically drive the "Fox in the box" if anyone knows that reference (everything on the car came in a box ala mail-order).

 

I don't think that he couldn't do it I was just concerned about the streigenth of the rear end with stainless tubes.