Dead Axle thread

revhead347

Apparently my ex-husband made that mistake.
Dirt-Old 20+Year Member
Jun 14, 2004
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Acworth, GA
I am getting around to getting my axle done. I found some information on SVT Performance, and made some calls today. Does anyone have a workable setup with 33 spline or 31 spline axles with 9" ends that retain both the ABS ring and the parking brake?

KUrt
 
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I'm actually getting pretty annoyed with this. I really don't have much interest in putting together an axle. It doesn't seem to matter who you call, "Strange Engineering," seems have a stranglehold on the market. I have heard everything from "We only install Strange parts, to "I'll build it anyway you want, but," and then it doesn't matter what you say, the conversation is always steered back to Strange parts. Strange makes race car stuff only, I don't have a racecar, I don't want racecar stuff.

Kurt
 
Strange axles are totally fine for the street.

I have contacted 5 different axle builders, including Team Z in Michigan. Despite the skills I have learned over 24 years, I don't touch axle work very often. I am trying to separate myself from learning a new skill in all honestly. Everyone wants to cut the ends off the 8.8" ends and weld on 9" ends. The problem with that is that it is expensive to maintain a parking brake, and nearly impossible to maintain the ABS. Moser makes a complete 33 spline kit with a 9" style bearing/retainer end with an 8.8" flange that will work with any factory compatible 8.8" brake. I am am hearing a constant stream of really irrelevant excuses why I shouldn't use this kit. Somehow the conversation is always steered back towards building an axle from Strange race parts that are completely unusable on a street car. Basically everyone has told me, "If you want that kit, install it yourself." As much as I really don't want to cut my own axle down and weld it back together with my 110V flux core, I really don't see any other option.

The last axle guy I talked to told me that the factory axles aren't perfectly straight, and aligning and welding 9" ends will fix that. I can imagine that a perfectly straight axle might matter on a class built race car, but I just want to have fun in a street car. There is no such thing as a perfectly straight dick, but that doesn't keep my wife from having 20 orgasms in a row. Why would I care if the axle isn't perfectly straight if the car drives straight in the end?

This is honestly frustrating. However, if building a new axle on my own is really the way to go, I will deliver pictures, tool links, and instructions.
 
Have you looked at American Muscle? They sell 31 spline carriers and axles.

Those are bolt in parts. I have Moser forged 28 spline axles in the car now. I want to go to an Eaton Truetrac differential. The difference between an 8.8" C-clip axle, and a 9" style axle is where the axle is retained in the housing. A 9" style retainer secures the axle shaft at the end of the housing. That secures the wheel at almost any failure point. The 8.8" housing secures the axle inside the differential with a C-clip retainer. If the axle fails, the wheel can eject from the car, causing it to be uncontrollable, and an almost ensured crash. It is a signifigant safety issue.

Kurt
 
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Those are bolt in parts. I have Moser forged 28 spline axles in the car now. I want to go to an Eaton Truetrac differential. The difference between an 8.8" C-clip axle, and a 9" style axle is where the axle is retained in the housing. A 9" style retainer secures the axle shaft at the end of the housing. That secures the wheel at almost any failure point. The 8.8" housing secures the axle inside the differential with a C-clip retainer. If the axle fails, the wheel can eject from the car, causing it to be uncontrollable, and an almost ensured crash. It is a signifigant safety issue.

Kurt
Understood....good info. Thought you were just looking for an upgrade from stock.
 
Those are bolt in parts. I have Moser forged 28 spline axles in the car now. I want to go to an Eaton Truetrac differential. The difference between an 8.8" C-clip axle, and a 9" style axle is where the axle is retained in the housing. A 9" style retainer secures the axle shaft at the end of the housing. That secures the wheel at almost any failure point. The 8.8" housing secures the axle inside the differential with a C-clip retainer. If the axle fails, the wheel can eject from the car, causing it to be uncontrollable, and an almost ensured crash. It is a signifigant safety issue.

Kurt
With 31 spline axles and rear disc brakes your odds of walking an axle out of the housing is pretty slim.
Just have the axle tubes welded, put some 31 splines in with the c clips and have at it. I’ve personally seen 31 splines go 1.2s 60s, making 800+ whp, forever and never have issues.
 
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With 31 spline axles and rear disc brakes your odds of walking an axle out of the housing is pretty slim.
Just have the axle tubes welded, put some 31 splines in with the c clips and have at it. I’ve personally seen 31 splines go 1.2s 60s, making 800+ whp, forever and never have issues.

I have terrible luck. I've seen an axle fail, and the wheel came off tearing the caliper off with it. The 33 spline axle setup is about the same price as the 31 spline. The axles are the same price actually, and the 33 spline Truetrac is $50 more than the 31 spline Truetrack This is one of those things where if I am going to do it, I just want to do it once. If I build this axle once, and later have the opportunity to put the turbocharged setup I would like to put in the car, the axle will already be up to the task. The current axle is not useable. The last time I tried to race the car (in the long long ago), one tire got way hotter than the other, and when it came up off the line, it went straight for the wall. The stock locker is fried. The Eaton TrueTrac will not work with c-clips. It's about $600, which in all reality isn't much more than replacing my carrier with a 31 spline one and repacking the locker. It's purely mechanical with no wear parts.

I think it's money well spent to do it this way. I really want to just get the car back on the track and get some seat time in it. Worry about putting a more powerful engine it when the rest of the car is working right, and I have some more practice. I had a successful nitrous test in it this week. That's huge progress.

Kurt
 
Ok, I've almost got this nailed down. The axle builder who seems the most knowledgeable has convinced me that the most common failure point is the bearing on an axle once you get into this range. He wants me to run a full size 9" axle bearing with 9" ends. Apparently, the setup Moser uses is a designed to be a bolt on kit that uses a smaller bearing. When you build an axle "the right way," The ends are cut off, and new ones are welded back an axle jig to make the driveline perfeclty straight. So "the right way" has two advantages, perfectly straight, and big ass bearings. Unbelievably, there are no bolt on brake kits that retain both the parking brake, and the ABS. I haven't given up on my ABS and my parking brake. I kept on digging on this one. Mark Williams makes a 9' end, just as big, just as strong, uses the same big bearing, but it has an 8.8" flange on it. However, Mark Williams does not make an axle with a provision for an ABS reluctor, so I have to get the axle from Moser. Then, theoretically, any brake kit that bolts up to a stock axle, will bolt up to this. I can definitely run my stock brakes, and possibly upgrade to a Cobra kit. Hope this all works out.

Kurt
 
Update on this for future reference. I thought this was worked out months ago. After talking to Strange, Moser, and Mark Williams multiple times, I committed money to buy a B1706MCC conversion kit from Strange, and 33 spline axles from Moser. I also already have a brand new gear set, Eaton Truetrac differential here, and all new motorcraft axle kit. This is not a low budget build. At the last minute, Shane at Moser told me that Moser machines the axle ends differently for the reluctor ring than Strange does. This was after I was fed so much verbal confidence just months ago that this setup would work. The Strange reluctor ring has a larger diameter to accomodate the 9" housing end. I finally got to the point where I told them both to send me what they have. I can't determine whether or not I can make this work without having my eyes on it. I'll pay the shipping and restocking fees if I have to. I even paid an extra $40 to have Moser drill holes in the end of the hub fronts for bolt axles, because the pictures of the Strange reluctor rings had holes in them. The rings showed up, no holes. There's some money down the crapper right there. I'll keep you all updated on how this goes.

Kurt
 
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Another update. I spoke to Moser and Strange again today. Moser seems far more amenable than Strange. So far, both companies have been friendly to deal with. I am awaiting an email from Strange with a tech diagram of the reluctor ring placement. Right now it looks like I will have to ship the axles back to Moser. They seem to be ok with remachining the axles for the Strange reluctor ring if they have the techical diagram with the brake rotor spacing specifics. There is also some question about whether or not the reduction in diameter will exceed the hardened surface of the axle. It needs to be trimmed about 8mm. I think we can trim the axle down a little, and take the rest out of the reluctor ring itself. I am not sure how that is going to go; things are still up in the air right now. If I pull this off, I will have the only truetrac differential, 9" bearing end, with ABS axle in the world. It will be the first 1500hp ready no compromise axle ever assembled. It's a guaranteed build thread; I don't want to see anyone else go through this BS.

Kurt
 
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Kurt sounds like a major plunge. Keep us updated.

Was the 28 spline making you nervous?

I wanted to go to an Eaton True trac, and outside axle retainment. I also didn't want to do another half way axle. Right now I am trying to build up the chassis and get some more seat time after many years of being off the track. When all that's done I'm going to start looking at 1200hp powertrain. Everything is kind of back on hold again. Not sure if I'll have a job in a few months.

Kurt
 
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I couldn't get it to work. Everything went back to where it came from. I'm going with the Ford 8.8" end design from Moser. Which brings me back to getting suggestions on brakes. Need something that will clear a 15" prostar and I want a parking brake. Any suggestions? I think a Baer SS4 kit will work.

Kurt
 
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