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[JayH]

So, I decided to build a new front end a couple of years ago when my Dana 30 came up bent housing (imagine that.) I've been collecting parts for the better part of a year and finally started doing some actual work on the thing a month or so ago.

The first purchase for the project was a pair of end forgings I found on craigslist. One had about 4 inches of tube and the other had a good sixteen inches still in it. I paid $100 for the pair.

The tube had to be extracted from the end forgings so I could turn the ends down an eighth. The Dana 60 tube is 3 1/8" and the Currie housing center I bought accepts three inch tube for four inches. So after cutting the tube as close to the end forging as I could and then grinding out the weld as much as I felt comfortable with. I cut the tube with a sawzall and knocked the chunks out until the whole end forging was devoid of tube. It took three cuts altogether per tube.

Here are pictures for the first section. The second section removed was about 100 degrees around the circumference. As I would pound on the section of tube with hammer and chisel, I would grind a little more of the weld away each time. This way I removed as little material as possible from the end forging. The things are so hefty, I probably could have just ground the hell out of them in the first place but whatever.

 

[no excuses]

nice start:awesomework:

 

[skrause]

Sweet! More pics! :corn:

 

[benw1]

The tube had to be extracted from the end forgings so I could turn the ends down an eighth. The Dana 60 tube is 3 1/8" and the Currie housing center I bought accepts three inch tube for four inches. So after cutting the tube as close to the end forging as I could and then grinding out the weld as much as I felt comfortable with. I cut the tube with a sawzall and knocked the chunks out until the whole end forging was devoid of tube. It took three cuts altogether per tube.

Oof, why didn't you just turn it between centers (biiiig centers ), would have saved a lot of work...

 

[skrause]

Oof, why didn't you just turn it between centers (biiiig centers ), would have saved a lot of work...

Lathe not big enough probably. I'm a machining noob, so this may be a stupid question but how would you balance so much weight while you're boring it out? Is there a strength benefit/concern either way? I'm really interested in this since I'll be building a set soon.

 

[Bunk1]

Id do it in a mill with a boring head. Less fixturing.

 

[benw1]

Lathe not big enough probably. I'm a machining noob, so this may be a stupid question but how would you balance so much weight while you're boring it out? Is there a strength benefit/concern either way? I'm really interested in this since I'll be building a set soon.

He doesn't need to bore it, he needs to turn the OD down where the tube presses into the center section. A big bullnose center in the headstock, and big bullnose live center in the tailstock and some kind of dog to drive it and he could have turned down the OD without removing the C from the tube.

If you did need to bore it, you would just use a steady rest to support the end you are boring.

 

[skrause]

He doesn't need to bore it, he needs to turn the OD down where the tube presses into the center section. A big bullnose center in the headstock, and big bullnose live center in the tailstock and some kind of dog to drive it and he could have turned down the OD without removing the C from the tube.

If you did need to bore it, you would just use a steady rest to support the end you are boring.

I see what you're saying now, thought you meant bore out the center section to fit the tubes. I thought that sounded kind of crazy. I'm guessing the lengths weren't going to work for him?

 

[JayH]

Oof, why didn't you just turn it between centers (biiiig centers ), would have saved a lot of work...

That would have worked for the short side tube but for the long side I needed more tube than either end forging came with. Also, I'm not a machinist and what machines I do have access to would not have been able to do the job.

I actually farmed this job out to a local machine shop in Fall City and if I had spent the time beforehand asking them about it, they may have suggested that very thing. All in all, it boils down to ignorance for the short side. I'll know better for the next time now. Thanks!

 

[JayH]

Here are the tubes after they've been machined for insertion into the housing. They still haven't been cut to length yet. The long side tube I picked up from Trevor at S&N. He was even kind enough to meet me in Bothell on a Saturday while his fiancee and her mother were shopping for wedding stuff. Otherwise it would have been a long haul to get my ass from Issaquah to Smokey Point during their shop hours. Thanks Trevor!

The second picture shows the end machined for the standard Dana 60 axle seal.

 

[JayH]

Speaking of which:

 

[CentralGrand]

Lookin good Jay:awesomework:

 

[JayH]

After figuring the length of tube for each side given a goal of 62" WMS-WMS the tube were cut to length and fitted back into the end forgings. Well...

The short side is done. I'm working on the long side right now and I may just end up finding someone with a press for the job.

I first smoothed up any rough edges left from the welds and bevelled the end forging and tube slightly to help with getting things started. The short side tube went in the freezer overnight. The end forging went in the oven at 450 degrees for an hour. I put the two together and started hammering. Once I stopped getting any progress I was here:

This left me about 5/8" to go. Here's what I cam up with:

It's 3/16 angle, a couple of pieces of 1/4" plate and some 1/2" rod. Torque the nuts, pound on the thing, torque the nuts, pound on the thing... You get the idea.


I couldn't fit the long side tube in the freezer so I clearanced the inside of the end forging with a file and finished both it and the outside of the tube with some emery, baked the end forging again and pounded away. I think I got about half way compared to the short side. Pretty frustrating but I'm gonna give it some more pounding now that the temps have evened out and see what happens.

 

[benw1]

Packing the end of the tube with dry ice works alot better than the freezer.

 

[JayH]

Well, I bit the bullet and found a (somewhat) local shop with a 60 ton press. Came back twenty minutes later, he says, "That thing took some work but it's done." Gave him $20 and came home and tacked it together. Here's the bare housing.

 

[Jaydog]

Nice :awesomework:

 

[darius]

Well, I bit the bullet and found a (somewhat) local shop with a 60 ton press. Came back twenty minutes later, he says, "That thing took some work but it's done." Gave him $20 and came home and tacked it together. Here's the bare housing.

cool that you got it done.......but I've got some news for ya, they aren't that hard of a press fit from the factory. I make them slip fit to tap with a hammer fit.

 

[skrause]

cool that you got it done.......but I've got some news for ya, they aren't that hard of a press fit from the factory. I make them slip fit to tap with a hammer fit.

Tighter is always better, right? :5bitch: :corn:

 

[darius]

Tighter is always better, right? :5bitch: :corn:

Ummmm? I guess so. that or just more work:fawkdancesmiley:

 

[JayH]

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