So we are getting ready to swap a waggy 44 under jestermotorsports late 90's taco using leaves up front. Neither he nor I have had much time to spend surfing the web lately and all of my searches have come up fruitless, so cut me some slack.

The 44 was originally spring under and will now be spring over. Do you guys just widen the spacing between the center pins or keep the waggy spacing? And if you keep the waggy spacing, what is the best method for fabbing the new drivers side perch on the diff housing?

Thanks for not flaming, I swear I am not as stupid as I come across...

come on now, not even a little bit of flaming??? WTF, I know that anyone who has done this swap has had to encounter the same scenario.

a lot of people just make another spring pad and weld it to the tube keeping the leaf under pad there to have u-bolts sit against it so they dont move around to much. obviously you dont have to keep it there on the bottom though. as far as the diff most ive seen they just make a another little spring pad that sits nicely on the diff and burn it in.

Cut the old pads off, and weld new ones on with whatever width the springs are that you are using. Im not SAS but thats just my guess!!! I thinkg evrey fab shop on the planet sells spring perches.

Cut the old pads off, and weld new ones on with whatever width the springs are that you are using. Im not SAS but thats just my guess!!! I thinkg evrey fab shop on the planet sells spring perches.

Geoff, unfortunately it's not quite that easy. On the driver's side, the spring perch is literally cast in as part of the center section. We're probably either going to have to move the springs further out, which isn't really all that desirable, OR we'll just have to grind away some material on the original perch so that the u-bolt seats nicely. The thing we were going to try to avoid was having to weld the upper perch to the cast center section. It's a little more difficult to weld to, as well as the fact that it will then place the driver's side perch higher than the passenger side. It's not a horrible deal but Dave and I just figured there were already some other creative ideas out here to eliminate the need to do that.

just grind away at the cast for the ubolt to fit and grind on top of the housing for a new pad. burn it in really hot. since a leaf spring is going to be sitting on it and clamped down theres no forces really at all trying to pull the pad away from the housing so there shouldnt be to much of an issue. just make the passenger side perch the same height. ive seen this done before, i did some searching for you and here is a picture.

http://toy4x4.net/sas/DSC00179.JPG

http://toy4x4.net/sas/PIC00800.jpg

I appreciate the pics. I kinda assumed that I could weld a pad on the center section, I just wanted to see some options first. I had seen a pic on ttora where the guy put a new pad between the inner c and the diff, but that doesn't leave much room for the shock tabs. I am a competent fabricator and we will do it right the first time, just wanted to get some ideas.

Hey Geoff, I have never heard of these pre made pads. Does anyone else make other stuff like this? I learn something new every day!!!

Make sure you burn it in HOT. I had a little mishap that ripped the spring perch off the casting. If you can, scab in a little plate that welds to the axle tube and to the side of the spring perch but doesn't interfere with the u-bolt at all. You'll know what I'm talking about :D

Basically the pad will fit flush with the end of the casting. Insert retarded Paint picture :laughing:

I had seen a pic on ttora where the guy put a new pad between the inner c and the diff, but that doesn't leave much room for the shock tabs.

Think about it- if you did that then the spring would be so close to the tire that you'd have hardly any steering before there was contact. Waggy axles have that problem with big tires and their normal perch widths as it is. You'd make it 10x worse.

Basically the pad will fit flush with the end of the casting. Insert retarded Paint picture :laughing:

Makes sense now. Thanks for the info.

Think about it- if you did that then the spring would be so close to the tire that you'd have hardly any steering before there was contact. Waggy axles have that problem with big tires and their normal perch widths as it is. You'd make it 10x worse.

Like I said, this is just a prelimenary question. I haven't even been under the truck yet. I have the axle and the truck sitting here, but have not had the chance to really take any measurements. I realize that the further toward the inner C the spring mounts, the more tire/spring interference there is. I guess the owner of the truck from that pic I saw didn't realize this. Thanks for the input.

Basically the pad will fit flush with the end of the casting. Insert retarded Paint picture :laughing:

siiiick pic broooo. :flipoff2:

come on now, not even a little bit of flaming??? WTF, I know that anyone who has done this swap has had to encounter the same scenario.

i hate it when i have to ask stupid Q's sometimes too...everyone here respects your fab skills, no worries:D

booger weldz

so abrogate, whats up with the stag beer? what should i try/buy?

siiiick pic broooo. :flipoff2:

Way siiick brooo

so abrogate, whats up with the stag beer? what should i try/buy?

Well, where do I start? I guess it is like hamms, raneir, old style, etc. It used to be huge, but now it is just a local phenomenon. Way back when, my grade school church was a stag brewery. My home town of belleville Illinois used to be the stag capital, but it changed owners from carling to heilman (Sp?) in Milwaukee. For what ever reason it is not as common across the river in st. Louis.

In short, it tastes like deer piss and is sugar free. I like it.

Yeah, you can quote me on that.

Geoff, unfortunately it's not quite that easy. On the driver's side, the spring perch is literally cast in as part of the center section. We're probably either going to have to move the springs further out, which isn't really all that desirable, OR we'll just have to grind away some material on the original perch so that the u-bolt seats nicely. The thing we were going to try to avoid was having to weld the upper perch to the cast center section. It's a little more difficult to weld to, as well as the fact that it will then place the driver's side perch higher than the passenger side. It's not a horrible deal but Dave and I just figured there were already some other creative ideas out here to eliminate the need to do that.

Ive got a waggy 44 that i was going to use on an SOA yj project , so i was in the same predicament. Search the jeep side of the frorum, alot of guys have come up with some good ideas on how to deal with the pearch situation. I was going to either mill it off with my buddys milling machine, grind it out for the u bolt and weld on the new peach half on the pig and half on the axle if that makes any sense. This was for a heep though!!