fixing the track/kick front housing BEFORE it breaks...

[raging squirrel]

Cool idea.  I've heard that strengthening the rear mount on the 3rd member helps alot too, because it limits the axles ability to move around.  The shifting of the mount that you describe may be why locking down the rear mount helps so much.  Is this the only change that was made to the axle mounting on the test rig shown? 

Also, why not just drill out and retap the holes for larger bolts so that you don't need to epoxy anything?  This way a junk yark housing could be bolted in if you somehow did break a modified housing.  Does this issue happen with the stock axle brackets?  I don't remeber the bolt holes be so large on them when I last pulled the front axle, but that was a while ago.     

i didn't realize this was getting responses as a sticky, sorry. anyway, yes, this is the only mod we did to the housing. still holding well. drilling and installing bigger bolts in a stock setup? tried it on mine. it had the stock mounts instead of the calmini stuff. it still backed out bolts on a regular basis, then broke.

[B00N]

try this one

[Truckasaurus44]

Now that's a slick idea.  So anything that prevents that passenger side mount arm from rotation will make a big difference in the housing's strength?  Seems simple enough.

B00N - how well has this held up for you and did you do anything to the mount near the pinion?

[BRD HNTR]

try this one

I do like that mount!  Going to put one like it on my tracker.
The mount repair seems like a lot of work for something that breaks easily.  I converted a sami rear end to an IFS for a little more than you have in that repair (of course the housing was on hand), and it will absorb w/o shattering.  This is how I made the rear mount (reusing the bushing mount).

[Whitfield]

Can you give us some more info on how you addressed the CV shaft Driver side bearing / seal and passenger side seal in the new Steel front section.

[BRD HNTR]

I didn't mean to jack this thread.

Wanting a steel front housing to put a locker in, and having a empty Sammi rear housing just setting there, my brain just said you can do that.  So I have started to convert a sammi rear end to a front end for my tracker.  The short side even has the same size bearing housing as the Tracker seal, so just shorten it up a little. 
I took the angle grinder with 1/16" cutting wheel and got started, I cut off the end of the axle flanges from the end of the tube (cutting back far enough that there was just room for the seal).  Next I cut the rest of the tube off, leaving 3/16 of the inner tube (as the stop for the seal), welded these two together (I did not try to make room for a bearing, as the aluminum case does not use a bearing).

I installed a diff. into the housing, put an old seal in the new end and put it on a short side cv.  Sliding the cv and new end into the housing, I tacked the new end into place.


I cut a hole in a piece of 3/16" plate, slipped it over the new end, tacked it up and trimmed the edges back to conform with the housing and welded it up.  I Installed the seal again and test fit appears good.


For the ds, side I cut off the bearing housing at the weld.  I welded the short section of axle housing (that was inside the bearing housing) to use as a stop for the tracker bearing, and cleaned up bearing housing.  The tracker bearing fits into the housing very snug, just like it should.  I needed to get a special seal, because the bearing housing steps up larger after the bearing (at least one seal, and the bearing will be stock).  I ordered the seal off by size using the sami bearing OD size and tracker axle OD size.  (It was a tight fit.)
After removing all the brackets on housing, and cleaning up the weld area, I cut the long side to appropriate length.  I then installed the bearing into bearing housing, and put bearing housing back on diff housing, and installed the axle.  Fit on this looking good.

After tacking bearing housing in place I removed the axle.  Bearing comes out with the axle, as I did not try to make a snap ring notch to hold it in.  As I stated before, I will have to get a seal sized to fit hole.  The seal keeps bearing from coming out with axle.

I fabed up axle mounts for the extended mounts I had welded up from lowering my diff.  (Not near as good as Boon's.)
I have been running on this since November.  I have broken a ds side mount that I lengthened & the cv (backing w diff locked).

Cost was one stock seal, and the special order seal, I used the original Tracker bearing, and had the sami housing (it may have been a SJ410 housing) setting there.

I like the looks and strength of Boon's mount, and intend to copy it for both sides with my next modifications.

[stillkickn]

Unfortunately two of those holes for those three bolts were already damaged before I put mine in. Didn't notice till after I started putting it in. So far it's held up.

Has anyone had any luck with just strapping the third member down along with a bushing under the back of the diff to absorb the tension?

[hot-wheels]

this is how i did mine.







and i have modified my cardan with nissan maxima like those:

http://zukiworld.com/month_040103/feature_hagencvshaft.htm