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Help Support Hardline Crawlers :
Question for those who have built 14 bolts.
- Thread starter 93puggy
- Start date
redneckengineered
Trailer Park Panty Dropper
93puggy said:
You don't really need an alignment bar to retube and weld on knuckles.
RustyC
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Dec 15, 2010
- Messages
- 1,251
When building a 14 bolt I would say that if it is a rear that is 100% needs to be checked with an alignment bar. Rear spindles and spider gear,spool, locker are not forgiving and the splines will wear if not straight.
If it is for a front axle, the u joints or cv take the misalignment between the shafts. It can be done with good machined parts but using a bar is best.
I recently built a full float rear using an alignment bar for the first time, it is very surprising how much things move after welding.
You don't need a cnc bender and notcher to build a chassis...but it helps.
If it is for a front axle, the u joints or cv take the misalignment between the shafts. It can be done with good machined parts but using a bar is best.
I recently built a full float rear using an alignment bar for the first time, it is very surprising how much things move after welding.
You don't need a cnc bender and notcher to build a chassis...but it helps.
44BRAND
Well-Known Member
RustyC said:
.. 
Good one sir! And the damn truth to boot.
redneckengineered
Trailer Park Panty Dropper
93puggy said:
Rear or front? Can you give some more details on the build?
mike2.5
Well-Known Member
I have heard of people using chrome plated 1045 shaft for hydraulic cylinders for a bar.
Cut the old tubes out have a machine shop turn the tubes for 0.1000 press fit and u can use an alignment bar but probably not gonna help there just good for welding C's on use cold roll cheap and easy to find I used an old boat shaft and both ends threaded and cone shaped centers ..good luck hope it helps
kmcminn
Well-Known Member
EddieHall said:
Yeah good luck with .100. You wouldnt have to weld it. Lol
waggener1
Well-Known Member
kmcminn said:
Eddie Hall left us guessing, but if he's talking about millimeters, that would be about right. 0.1mm is just shy of .004" When I took my tubes to the machine shop, I specified .0035" plus/minus .0005" interference fit.
waggener1
Well-Known Member
I didn't use an alignment bar...
but I did use my Christmas tree stand!! :****:
I fixtured my center section in my tree stand and leveled it. I placed my tubes on dry ice for about thirty minutes and let them get down to about -20F degrees while I heated the center section to close to 400F. That may have been excessive, but I knew the extra 100F temperature difference would buy me a few more seconds of slip fit to ensure I had the tube at full depth as dictated by the hard stop that I built. It couldn't have worked out better. Knowing that the center section was level and that the two cylinders were concentric, was not too concerned about mis-alignment. Additionally, I only plug welded the tubes in place; I did not run a bead around each end of the housing. I can't imagine the heat concentrated in those holes would cause the tube extending beyond the housing ends to warp. I don't have a lathe or fixture big enough to hold my entire housing in order to check run-out, but a string pulled through the middle indicates that I'm pretty darn close to true.
but I did use my Christmas tree stand!! :****:
I fixtured my center section in my tree stand and leveled it. I placed my tubes on dry ice for about thirty minutes and let them get down to about -20F degrees while I heated the center section to close to 400F. That may have been excessive, but I knew the extra 100F temperature difference would buy me a few more seconds of slip fit to ensure I had the tube at full depth as dictated by the hard stop that I built. It couldn't have worked out better. Knowing that the center section was level and that the two cylinders were concentric, was not too concerned about mis-alignment. Additionally, I only plug welded the tubes in place; I did not run a bead around each end of the housing. I can't imagine the heat concentrated in those holes would cause the tube extending beyond the housing ends to warp. I don't have a lathe or fixture big enough to hold my entire housing in order to check run-out, but a string pulled through the middle indicates that I'm pretty darn close to true.
waggener1
Well-Known Member
EddieHall said:
The rule of thumb for interference fits, per Machinery's Handbook, is .001" per 1" of diameter. For a 3.5" tube, that equates to .0035" of interference. At least, that's what I followed...
Did you mill the bottom of your housing or did you take the sawzall/grinder approach?
First off we checked to bore size and true it up and the machined the tubes to fit as stated ...milling machine which was a pain the first time now it's a breeze I made some v block/stands ..I'm building a 14 bolt front next weekend to replace the dynstrac 60 front ..the man that taught me has been a machinist for 60 years Atlanta and Pensacola shops ..and .001 press fit is what he recommended and it turns out great .035 is impossible to fit unless u use a hell of a rose bud...just my opinion..I'm no professional machinist just a Simi pro amateur
