Narrowing an 8 1/4" rear end, how is it done?
I calibrate my bandsaw blade to cut perfectly at 90° through a 3" tube. I level the table, and then I level the housing to match the table.
From there, they sell an axle housing fabrication kit that uses bars to center the ends on the axle tubes so that you can weld them on without them shifting too much. These kits are expensive and they're axle specific. Call around and see if there's a 4x4 shop that will let you rent theirs for a day or so.
Burn the new ends on and then weld new perches on to get your desired pinion angle.
Done. Move onto the next thing.
Here's an example of this process on my Dana 60. Those axles tubes were thick!
I calibrate my bandsaw blade to cut perfectly at 90° through a 3" tube. I level the table, and then I level the housing to match the table.
From there, they sell an axle housing fabrication kit that uses bars to center the ends on the axle tubes so that you can weld them on without them shifting too much. These kits are expensive and they're axle specific. Call around and see if there's a 4x4 shop that will let you rent theirs for a day or so.
Burn the new ends on and then weld new perches on to get your desired pinion angle.
Done. Move onto the next thing.
Here's an example of this process on my Dana 60. Those axles tubes were thick!