I saw quite a few posts where people used a chop saw to cut down their axles. One guy suggested cutting through the weld right on the edge of the inner C to make removal easier. THIS IS TAKING FOREVER!!! Has anyone else done this? What else did you guys do to get the C off the tube? I'm hoping that cutting the axle tube alone will be a lot easier. I'm guessing the weld is just really hard to get through. Any suggestions?

Yep cutting through the weld is tough. My chop saw was making the 20 amp breaker in my garage blow constantly. Once you get through you'll know why it took so long. There's a lot of material there you're cutting through. Mine took about 15 minutes with having to go reset the breaker all the time.

Ha! A buddy of mine was working on his last night, cutting the "C" off the ends of a F-250 HP Dana 44, he used a die grinder with a cut-off wheel, took about 25 minutes of hard cutting, he just cut through the weld as close to the "C" as he could, and knocked the "C" off the end, it was nice having the complete tube left for measuring from, instead of cutting all the way through and torching the tube out of the "C" Have fun and wear eye and ear protection.

Did my HP 44, the 1st ear I'd ground the weld off and hammered the C off....leaving the axle tube to be cut. The 2nd side I cut the weld and tube with my cut off saw and then split the remaining tube with a torch and pounded the tube out. I think that the first method was faster and easier... Good luck.

Yup right down the "C" is how you do it.
http://www.respite.org/images/cj66dean/44c3.jpg
http://www.respite.org/images/cj66dean/44c2.jpg

Once you have it off I then cut some notches out of the tube to make it easy to get the chunck out of the "C" but you don't have to do that.
http://www.respite.org/images/cj66dean/44c1.jpg

What kind of blade did you guys use?

I used the abrasive wheel blade than was OE on my Dewalt industrial saw. I bought 4 spares but have not yet needed them...2 diff's, longarms and 2 complete sets of tierods. All from.250 wall DOM.

Originally posted by 66CJdean
[B]Yup right down the "C" is how you do it.
[Once you have it off I then cut some notches out of the tube to make it easy to get the chunck out of the "C" but you don't have to do that.


66cjdean
Any good advice for turning the knuckles? I have a scout 44 that I've setup SOA and need to correct the castor. I want to keep it stock length.

Am I stuck with grinding the weld off the "C"? If I cut it wouldn't the kerf of the blade mean I would need to shortin my axles a touch?

If you have a buddy, or a rental close that has a portable band saw, it will make short order of the job at hand. I cut mine off in about 2 minutes then took a sawzal and made two cuts like 66CJDEAN to get the tubes out of the C, worked slick, Didn't even have to remove the axle!!!

My 2 Cents for what it's worth!!!:beer: :beer: :beer:

I did a job a few weeks back where I had to turn one of the C's to gain an extra 10* so what I did was cut most of the weld off with a scarfing tip and then used a cutoff wheel in a die grinder to finnish the cut. It worked out pretty good. I do know that the port-a-bandsaw does work also. Cut throught the weld down about the thickness of the blade all the way arround the C and start whaling!

go full width of go home

Originally posted by Oxblood
go full width of go home

Newbie tries to be cool and screws it up:flipoff2:

Originally posted by 66CJdean


Newbie tries to be cool and screws it up:flipoff2:

Happens alot, huh? :D

Originally posted by 66CJdean
I did a job a few weeks back where I had to turn one of the C's to gain an extra 10* so what I did was cut most of the weld off with a scarfing tip and then used a cutoff wheel in a die grinder to finnish the cut. It worked out pretty good. I do know that the port-a-bandsaw does work also. Cut throught the weld down about the thickness of the blade all the way arround the C and start whaling!

Thanks :beer:

Originally posted by 66CJdean


Newbie tries to be cool and screws it up:flipoff2:
Here is the funny part. Checkout his profile

Vehicle(s) - 99' ZR2 Blazer 5" BDS, 33x12.5's (soon to be solid axle beast)

:laughing: :laughing:

I've heard people in my group of wheelers call the "C" a trunion. Is that the correct term?

yeah all you Jeep guys are real cool.

Awwww, we huwt da widdew OxBlood's fewwings, He'll be alright, it's not like he doesn't know he's stupid. Go get a Jeep or go home, ZR-2's are for girls, how's that solid axle swap coming?

Originally posted by Bigburlynakedguy
I've heard people in my group of wheelers call the "C" a trunion. Is that the correct term?

I've heard axle yoke to be the correct term.

Bryan

Naw....I'm purty sure "C" is the term Dana/Spicer uses.

When speaking with a knowledgable person at spicer it was referred to as an "inner forging".

I have nothing against Jeeps I just can't stand those who think they are so superior because they own a Jeep, even though half there drivetrame came from a Chevy or Ford. Any, my SAS is coming along great, I just waiting for money to buy tires and driveshafts.

Originally posted by Oxblood
I have nothing against Jeeps I just can't stand those who think they are so superior because they own a Jeep, even though half there drivetrame came from a Chevy or Ford. Any, my SAS is coming along great, I just waiting for money to buy tires and driveshafts.
Funny, I have nothing against any capable rig, I just can't stand people who pop in with a buzz word just to be cool.

Look mom I can say "full width" :flipoff2:

I like any capable rig as well, and a well done SAS ZR2 would be way cool, I assume it will be with full width axles since you're so hardcore.

Look mom I can say "full width"

BAWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

actually yeah I'm using a 14 bolt FF, and F250 dana 44 I decided to go full width because the 14 bolt isn't that much wider than my stock 10 bolt. the ZR2 package adds about 4" so with the 14 bolt it will only stick out 1" more on each side. the 44 however might stick out further. I'm not saying full width makes you hardcore, I would just rather run hummer wheels (which I have a set if anyone is interested) than go through the trouble or narrowing axles.

I cut down a D44 out of a 82 Dodge 1/2 ton truck for my Jeep. I ground the weld down untill I could see the seam of the tude. Then I heated up the "C" and it dropped right off with just a tap of the hammer. I cut the long side tube down 3" , reheated the "C" and slid it back on the tube. I used a stock long side axke shaft from a 82 full size Waggy to replace the Dodge axle shaft. My front axle is now 65"wms to wms.
Oh and BTW. Hi everyone.

Yeah Dodge axles work well for CJ swaps, any chance you recall what length your short side shaft is, from you post I can infer that a stock Dodge long side is about 35.12" long (driver's drop Waggy is 32.12") but what about the short side, nobody's charts list dodge anything, and I always wondered if I could use any Dodge shafts for anything.

Originally posted by 4Bangler
Yeah Dodge axles work well for CJ swaps, any chance you recall what length your short side shaft is, from you post I can infer that a stock Dodge long side is about 35.12" long (driver's drop Waggy is 32.12") but what about the short side, nobody's charts list dodge anything, and I always wondered if I could use any Dodge shafts for anything.


Sorry I don't know what the short side was. I do know that the stock Waggy short side was longer than the Dodge. I almost got them switched and thought I was going nuts. The reason I went with a 65" wms to wms was because I am running a stock width 81 1/2 ton International !/2 ton truck D44 rear axle and it's 64" wms to wms.

Must be from an International pickup, Scout II's are about 58" WMS to WMS. Waggy short is 15.8, the Dodge must be really short.

is there a concern for warping the tubes when welding the yokes back on?

Originally posted by thenodnarb
is there a concern for warping the tubes when welding the yokes back on?

I just had the ends welded on the chevy 44 that I chopped and there is no way you could warp those tubes

hmmm no i am superior and i ALSO own a jeep :flipoff2:
good luck fitting those hummer wheels over your sterring knuckles