>A first installment in a series.
>
>- The ring gear is the easy part for me. I just need to find the right rear
>end with the right gears, at the right price. I hope this actually does
>happen as the price of new Spicer gears is eye opening, even at dealer cost.
>
>- Narrowing the housing is a problem. Dana 60's have both axle tubes pressed
>in and welded to the center casting. Because the rover rear end is already
>offset and the van rear end is only offset slightly, I can get away with
>narrowing the short side only ( I hope). The van width is usually 65 to 67".
>If I narrow one tube that gives me roughly 8 to 10" offset. More than
>factory, but still bearable. I'm either going to drill out the welds and
>pull the shaft out, cut it and press it back in, or cut the tubes down the
>middle with a chop saw and chuck eveything up in a lathe before I start
>welding (BIG lathe). I'll likely try to pull the tubes, if that doesn't work
>I'll try the other method.
The inner tube end has the oil seal in it, doesn't it? You'll have
to machine a replacement if you whack that end off.
>- Brakes and wheel stud pattern is another problem. Since the bolt pattern
>from the 8 to 5 have the same bolt circle, one stud hole may be reused. I'll
>have to weld up the other seven holes on both hubs and machine them down
>smooth. Then, I'll have to build a jig (likely an old rover drum made to
>center on a machined lip in the wheel hub) and start drilling out the 4
>remaining holes.
Is it really an issue to have an extra set of holes? I think you can
have both the 5 on 6.5 and 8 on 6.5 with no overlap.
>
>- Finally, the shortened (hopefully only one) axleshaft. Machine shops can
>shorten an axleshaft easily, it's not cheap though. I hope to be able to do
About $100 a pair. Not to bad if you don't have a mill or broach...
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