I've been searching for a cheap, quick and dirty way to upgrade my 60 Ford 30 spline outers to 35. To get me going for this weekend I just ordered another 30 spline Spicer from Randy's Ring and Pinon. When Randy's delivery guy brought it last night we got to talking and it seems that they will be offering a custom made 'drop in' replacement. All you will need is one of his stub shafts and a set of 35 spline locking hubs or slugs. I told him to put me down for three. Hell at around $70 ea. you can't go wrong. If I ever get a set I'll let you all know how it goes.

On another note. I decided to check clearances in my stock Ford 60 spindle. I took my 35 spline Moser inner and shoved it right through, so there is room for one. While I was at my local offroad shop I took my stock 30 spline and a GM 35 and did some comparison. You can grind off a about a half inch from the GM axle and stuff it right in. You will loose some spline contact but not much. Tom Leblanc is also working on one, I didn't see it but the the shop owner did and said it looked very nice.

Cool
SO a bandsaw cutting down the GM one, mayve even taking a dremmel and elongating the splines a little.

Now all i need is a 60 :D

Their pretty tough, the heat treating. Might work better using a cutoff wheel. Then a narrow wheel in the dremmel to cut the snap ring groove.

I'd like to start some discussion on this. My question is.....
If you do shorten a GM 35 spline 60 stubb you won't have 100% engagement of the splines in the hub. Would that make it weaker? How much and would it be no better than a stock 30 spline?

Hell, since I'm breaking the 30's maybe I'll just try it and see if it's any better.

Fearme: what rig are you running the D60 in? What tire size/engine size/vehicle wieght, etc......? I'm rebuilding my D60 to go into my F-250 and at the rate I'm going I might as well just go full 35 spline if it isn't too expesive.
Just trying to get a picture of the abuse your rig is dishing out to snap 30 spline outers.

Thanks.

Eric

66 Bronco frame, shortened. 88 Bronco2 body, shortened. HP 60 front with a Detroit, 60 rear with a spool, C6/Atlas2, 4.56 gears. The motor is an 80,000 mile 302 with a stock 2bbl carb. Tires are 38.5 SX's. It's pretty light actually and even though it hasn't got much HP it's got a lot of torque at the wheels.
Save some money and just do the 35 spline conversion. I just had to buy another set of hubs, stub shaft (I had one spare and both sides were toast), some bearings and seals and waste an evening. And, I still haven't done the 35 spline conversion.:(

I was at a friends house last night and was looking at his new 35 spline GM stubs and thinking about your question of how much strength would be lost. I really don't see it as too much of an issue. If you look at the amount of spline in the hub, it is less than the full amount of splines on the stub. I didn't put a tape measure on them but I bet there is about half again more spline on the stub than in the hub. IF, after cutting the stub and installing everthing, you have full engagement in the hub, you will not lose any strength. The diameter of the stub is as much of an issue of strength here also.
I got lazy and went with the Dynatrac alloy stubs when converting mine to 35 spline. (read big $$$) Did this before really doing any research on it.
I think this type of conversion (cutting a GM stub) has some merit.

Does anyone have a GM 35 spline that's bad at the yolk end they want to send me for research?

Fearme: when you scragged the stubs did it damage the detroit up front?

I'm not planning on anything more than a Power-loc up front so that might be a plus.


Eric