Thread: How hard is it to shorten the axle?

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Pat you just answered the question of why its narrower after the spline.

Drop down a few threads and read my trials with my latest 9". It's a long ways from my first 9" and I've done a lot of other rear ends too.
When you add in all the shipping costs both ways and local outside labor it is very close to a wash cost wise to just go and buy the housing and axels right from Moser or Currie.

I can narrow most housings and even charge less than Moser and Currie but you you still need a unit so there is cost there. Add this to the narrowing cost and shipping both ways and you have a new housing..pretty close. Resplining axels is around $100 pluss shipping both ways. For about another $175 you can get bullet proof axels. Plus you can get them machined at no extra charge for sealed ball bearings instead of the dam tapered rollers and goofy seals. You can get any bolt pattern, no charge, they may charge for tapping for studs but it is cheap. While you are at it have the housing ends for the ball bearings put on. No extra charge at Moser. The end result is that about all you have to do is add suspension mounts. You can even have these added for some applications. It all sounds expensive when you look at the info on Moser and Currie but unless you can do a lot of it yourself it is hard to beat.

You can probably save on setting up the center section yourself. It's not hard but does take a dial indicator and mag base. You'll need a couple of gear pullers to get the original apart. Being a cheapskate I made my own just for the 9" a long time ago. An overhaul bearing kit gives you everything you need pluss the pinion housing spacers. Get a pinion bearing spacer kit and toss the crush sleeve. It's only about $14 and will save you a trip to confession for using bad words. haha

If you absolutely must do it on the cheap, dig into everything very closely and check shipping costs especially the heavy stuff.

Oh yeah, be sure you have a look out when you got to clean things at the car wash. I'm banned from 3 of them now. I think there is a conspiracy going...when they see a clean black Dodge dually pull in they hustle on over to check out what I'm doing.

Originally Posted by bluestang67

Pat you just answered the question of why its narrower after the spline.

yes it is all that size before it gets rolled with the splines. this move the steel making it bigger