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TOTW #1: Pig Shave - Building a 14 bolt that doesn't sacrifice ground clearance.

44K views 56 replies 32 participants last post by  sjracer 
#1 ·
Lets get a discussion going on shaving a 14 bolt for better ground clearance. All you guys who have done it let us see what you've got. If you've got questions lets hear them.
 
#2 ·
I want the cut/plated 14FF that was in the mags a few months back.

Shave the ring gear, cut the bottom of the pumpkin, weld plate across the bottom.

It would need a heavily modified cover to keep it from leaking with the small sealing surface....
 
#3 ·
Shaving the pig on the 14 bolt is the best way to increase ground clearance by far (Aside from tire size) but how far does one have to go? Cutting the housing and shaving the ring gear is great for an extra inch or so, but that is a lot of work, and if the ring gear is damaged, you have to have it shaved again. When I get around to mine (College Sucks), I am just gonna shave the lip off of the bottom to get rid of the ditch digger impersonation in ruts. It is easy, cheap, retains the carrier strength without having to weld plate, sealing is retained, and the internals won't have to be machined again if they ever fail. Just my $.02. If anyone does have pics of a more involved shaving, I would love to see them posted up for sure!
 
#5 ·
I would like to know exactly what tooling guys are using to cut the ring gear. If your not grinding it, what grade of insert are you using, What RPM, ETC. I think a water jet would be the way to go, but I dont have access to one.

What Rod are you using to weld the plate on the bottom?
What temp are you pre-heating the housing to?
What are you using to insulate the housing for cool down?


Has anyone measured how much the housing distorts cause of shaving the diff? Ever heard of stress relief?
Who many shaved diffs are daily driven? and hows the bearing life?
 
#8 ·
Yep - I cut as much off to without getting into the bolt holes, I will take another pic tomorrow and measure how much I left between the bottom bolt and axle lip.. I can actually grind a lil more off... but haven't..

I used a 4.5" Grinder to do ALL my work I just didn't like the way the sawzall cut this stuff, after I used the cut-off wheel I ground it down so that it would slide over rocks and not even have a lip..

I also grinded my 14b Diff guard to match the axle too...

Pretty easy just took a while with the small grinder
 
#9 ·
I have a friend who cut the bottom out, turned the ring gear down, and made a new cover that bolts to the back, bottom and the front pinion support. It is not welded onto the housing.

He says that it has ~1/4" more clearance than a D44. I have seen it and it does have a shiat load of clearance. I was thinking about having him do mine for my comp vehicle but I decided not to use a 14 bolt afterall.

BTW, the bottom cover is 1" plate machined with a groove for the ring gear to fit into. If I ever get back up to his place, I'll get pics.
 
#10 · (Edited)
I cut and shaved mine. shaved the ring gear with a hand grinder. Welded in a 3/8" plate with gussets on the inside and remade the cover.

I can do all that but I'm too stupid to post pics!!! All I have is a yahoo pic account and I don't think they allow it. Can I send them to someone to post for me?


blake
 
#20 ·
Just for the record. I trimed my ring gear abut 3/8" with a 9" grinder. I took out the pinion. Left it set up on the carrier and in the housing. the second I touched it with the grinder. It started spinning. And depending on how you held the grinder, is how fast the ring gear spun. But trust me it could get going scary fast. It never heated up the gear. Then I took a 4" grinder with a 60 grit and beveled the edges. Been in use 1-1/2 years. I had it apart about 3 months ago and it looks perfect.
 
#21 ·
i dont have any experience with this subject except what is on this BB, but i was wondering if people take into account their pinion angle when shaving(as in take a little more off the cover too), or if everyone just cuts it straight across like at 0 degree pinion angle???


- Jake
 
#22 ·
JeeperJake said:
i dont have any experience with this subject except what is on this BB, but i was wondering if people take into account their pinion angle when shaving(as in take a little more off the cover too), or if everyone just cuts it straight across like at 0 degree pinion angle???


- Jake
I cut the lip off of the bottom on mine at the angle that I needed(pinion is raised about 16º)...however, if you cut and plate the bottom and do so at a weird angle, you may not be able to get the carrier out. Make sure the opening is still large enough.
 
#26 ·
I know, old topic.

I just did mine this week, did not cut and plate, just sawzalled and ground. I left the bottommost bolt hole and trimmed the cover and diffguard to match. I got the 5/8" out of it (the difference between a stock D60 and a stock 14 bolt), also removed that damned lip.
 
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