Nashville TJ's Build - Continued

[NashvilleTJ]

And here is the end result. It was a bit tricky working out the piece of the truss that accepts the upper bolts from the diff cover, but it worked out. I was successful at getting the top of the truss even with the top of the diff cover, so I'm happy about that.

I'll also be able to trim about 1/2" from the bottom of the control arm mounting brackets, so that will also buy me some extra clearance.

Tomorrow my plan is an easy, clean day in the shop to final weld the truss.

We shall see....

 

[NashvilleTJ]

Also today my remaining parts were delivered. Complete front and rear brake assemblies, as well as the Ford F-350 hubs and bearings for the front axle. I'm just too tired to open them up. I'll check them out tomorrow.

Long day. Now it's time for a bourbon or three....

 

[NashvilleTJ]

I started off yesterday by unboxing the RockAuto delivery. Full front and rear 1 Ton brake setup, along with the front hubs. The calipers are beefy. I got this version mainly because they are powder coated - but I could not find a version in black (or yellow - which would have been cool). I also got coated rotors to help with corrosion.

The rotors which were on the axle originally were in great shape, and I had planned to reuse then - but I needed to get rotors for the feont anyway, and the coated rotors were only $40.

I'd also planned on rebuilding the rear calipers, which also seemed to be in good shape. But, while disassembling them one of the bleeders broke off and I could not extract it. And again, since I had to go new on the front anyway...

 

[NashvilleTJ]

Then it was on to my clean, fun day (no grinding expected!) - I finish welded the truss.

There are a lot of welds on this thing - and wary of putting in too much heat and warping it, I took it slow. Two inch welds at a time, bouncing back and forth from one end to the other, and using a bit less amperage just to keep the heat down. I stopped two or three times during the process and let it cool completely.

It took a while, but I was happy with the result.

 

[NashvilleTJ]

But the welding gods were not smiling on me. Despite my best efforts at paying attention to the heat, I laid the truss back in the axle and tried to bolt it back in place.

Remember how I was bragging about getting the top of the truss to align with the top of the diff cover? Well, I fixed that...

I honestly don't yet know what happened. At first I thought the crown had just warped upward a bit, and I could easily bend it back down with the press. But the rest of the truss still lays perfectly flat on the axle tube. See how the vertical supports to either side of the diff still touch the tube? It's like the whole thing got taller.

Well, I guess I'm not done grinding after all.

You post up the good with the bad, right?

 

[hosejockey61]

Why not have the truss in place with bolts in. Lay some tacks and burn it in while in place. That's what we did for the last Savvy midarm. Everything stays in place that way.

 

[Blackjack]

But the welding gods were not smiling on me. Despite my best efforts at paying attention to the heat, I laid the truss back in the axle and tried to bolt it back in place.

Remember how I was bragging about getting the top of the truss to align with the top of the diff cover? Well, I fixed that...

View attachment 218688

I honestly don't yet know what happened. At first I thought the crown had just warped upward a bit, and I could easily bend it back down with the press. But the rest of the truss still lays perfectly flat on the axle tube. See how the vertical supports to either side of the diff still touch the tube? It's like the whole thing got taller.

Well, I guess I'm not done grinding after all.

You post up the good with the bad, right? View attachment 218689

Thats a bummer. Nothing worse than creep after welding. May be the picture but it kinda looks like the top of the truss crowned a little.

 

[NashvilleTJ]

Well, disaster averted. After taking some time and assessing the issue, I pulled out the grinder yet again and went to work.

It turned out that it took very little effort to get the truss to drop back down into position. I may have spent 10 or 15 minutes marking and hitting the high spots. After that, it dropped back perfectly into position, and the bolt holes lined up dead center once again.

The bolts on the pinion guard also went in with no problem. This thing is beefy. As far as the upper control arm mounts are concerned, I could run it like this - not welded to the axle - with no problem. The upper structure is that solid.

The next fabrication step will be to weld the truss to the axle tubes. The design of this Ballistic truss requires no welding to the center section, only to the tube. No too much welding at all. So hopefully I can get that done without causing any further warping.

Before I weld er up, I need to figure out the paint. After it's on it will be a challenge to paint inside the truss. I thought about painting the inside of the truss and the upper portion of the tube with weld-through primer prior to welding. Anyone have any better suggestions? Is there a way to paint inside the truss after it's welder on? Suggestion appreciated.

Finally tonight I did a little measuring on the 14 bolt. From the centerline of the axle shafts to the lowest part on the center section it measures 5.250". On the ProRock 60 it's 5.750". That's right, the boat anchor has .500" more clearance than the hi-clearance 60. Nice.

 

[NashvilleTJ]

Why not have the truss in place with bolts in. Lay some tacks and burn it in while in place. That's what we did for the last Savvy midarm. Everything stays in place that way.

I did think about just forcing it into place and throwing the bolts in to hold it in place while welding it on, but I didn't want to weld it in place under tension. When I weld it to the tube that's just what I will do. With those bolts in place it does not go anywhere. Crazy strong.

 

[NashvilleTJ]

Thats a bummer. Nothing worse than creep after welding. May be the picture but it kinda looks like the top of the truss crowned a little.

It did just a bit - as well as a very little bit of a twist. Easy to fix as it turned out.

 

[Wildman]

Well if I have to do a 14 bolt in the rear of mine I know who I'm gunna come visit....

 

[NashvilleTJ]

Well if I have to do a 14 bolt in the rear of mine I know who I'm gunna come visit....

Well, I happen to know where I can find one...

 

[hosejockey61]

I did think about just forcing it into place and throwing the bolts in to hold it in place while welding it on, but I didn't want to weld it in place under tension. When I weld it to the tube that's just what I will do. With those bolts in place it does not go anywhere. Crazy strong.

I was talking about having it bolted in place where everything lines up before even welding the truss together. Piece it all together in place, tack, then move forward with other welds.

 

[NashvilleTJ]

I was talking about having it bolted in place where everything lines up before even welding the truss together. Piece it all together in place, tack, then move forward with other welds.

Gotcha. In retrospect I could have done the outside welds with it still bolted in place, and the pulled it for doing the inside welds. Guess I need to do another one of these monsters.

 

[TJosh02]

What about Steel-it for the paint on the inside of the truss. Apparently you can weld over it and it is meant to hold up and protect.

 

[NashvilleTJ]

What about Steel-it for the paint on the inside of the truss. Apparently you can weld over it and it is meant to hold up and protect.

What about Steel-it for the paint on the inside of the truss. Apparently you can weld over it and it is meant to hold up and protect.

Thanks for the idea. I've got a bunch of weld through primer, but it's all gray. The nice thing about the steel-it is that it comes on black.

I’ve' also given the Eastwood coating some thought, as it would work for the portions of the truss over the tubes. But I also have to paint the top of the diff and the underside of the truss above it - and it’s pretty tight in there so I’m not sure I’ll have access after it’s welded in.

I’ll likely do the final painting with an acrylic urethane in my gun - which I’ve used before. Seems to last a lot longer than rattle can - and not nearly as much overspray. But I’m not crazy about getting out all that mess just to do the portions I can’t get too. Lot of setup and cleanup for about a square foot.

What I may do is hit the top of the diff and the underside of the truss there with rattle can primer and top coat. There is no welding to do on the diff. After it’s finish welded I can hit the rest of the underside of the truss and the top of the tube with the eastwood stuff, and finish the outside with the gun.

But still thinking. I hate the painting part. Thanks again for the suggestion.

 

[NashvilleTJ]

Tonight I ordered a set of wheel lugs from Summit. Dorman 610-194 for the rear, and 610-278 for the front. Both are 9/16-18's, which means swapping the metric studs out of the 14 bolt. Using the Dorman catalog I was able to match the length, knurl and shoulder size with the thread. The decision (although not a big one, by any stretch) was driven by having to pick up an 8 on 6.5 wheel spacer for the front. The spacers that are designed for the F-350 all have the 9/16" studs, so rather than having to swap the spacers over to 14mmx1.5's, it seemed marginally easier to swap the studs in the rear to the 9/16's.

At this point I have everything I need for the swap except the spacers...

..and the wheels. I'm leaning toward doing the Raceline Monsters over the Spyderlocks. I currently run a 1.25" spacer in the front. But the WMS to WMS on the 14 bolt is a whopping 68.5". To match that in the front I need to run a 2" spacer - but I'm not crazy about doing that to the ball joints.

Which brings me back to the wheels. The Spyderloc's (which I run now) are 3.5" backspacing - the only option. The Racelines I can get in a 4.5" backspacing - which will pull the wheels back in to 1/4" narrower than they are now, and maintain my current level of ball joint stress.

That's my current thinking anyway. Interested in any other ideas you may have.

 

[Wildman]

Jeff,
I would be interested in your old spacers. That would give me a little more WMS for now. Of course watching you build this axle has gotten my thinking about building some wider axles for my rig in the future. Thinking about a ProRock44 front and then I'm not sure what yet for the rear since I really wouldn't want to have to go 14 bolt width.

I can't offer any suggestions for wheels other than Trail Ready or Hutchinson. I'm a HUGE fan of the dual beadlock which is why I include Hutchinson.

 

[NashvilleTJ]

Jeff,
I would be interested in your old spacers. That would give me a little more WMS for now. Of course watching you build this axle has gotten my thinking about building some wider axles for my rig in the future. Thinking about a ProRock44 front and then I'm not sure what yet for the rear since I really wouldn't want to have to go 14 bolt width.

I can't offer any suggestions for wheels other than Trail Ready or Hutchinson. I'm a HUGE fan of the dual beadlock which is why I include Hutchinson.

You got it. They're spidertrax - never had any issues with them.

The first 14 bolt I picked up is a 65" WMS. And with just a hub swap, you can make it 63 - so not too wide at all.

 

[Wildman]

You got it. They spidertrax - never had any issues with them.

The first 14 bolt I picked up is a 65" WMS. And with just a hub swap, you can make it 63 - so not too wide at all.

COOL. If they aren't marked for someone else I'll take'um.

I knew the 14 bolt came in different widths but didn't know what they were.
I'm talking to Dynatrac right now about a bare ProRock 44 housing in 65" WMS which would put give the width for bigger tires. When I built my HP44 I really thought I'd never go bigger than a 36" tire. We see how long at lasted.
With a 65" front I'd be nice to have a 64" rear but 65" would work. My biggest worry is driveline angle if I go to a low pinion axle. That's why I'm watching your build. I know you're a longer WB than me but it gives me an idea once you get your rear driveline in.