Project BAD Monkey 2001
Axle Shaft from Hell!
This picture shows the stock 31 spline Dana 60 axle shaft next to a 35 spline Dana 60 axle shaft from
Moser.
A closer look at the 1.31 diameter 31 spline shaft next to the 1.50 diameter 35 spline shaft.
The from Hell part comes in when I found out they could only supply the short shaft and not the
long shaft that I needed to bypass the C.A.D. so I had to make one...
The Plan was to make a shaft with splines on both ends and to make a yoke that would fit one
of those ends, the two would combine to form a beefy new axle shaft bypassing the Center Axle Disconnect
With a solid shaft. This piece of 4340 will be the yoke.
On an engine lathe I started to cut the raw material down to near net shape (roughing).
Roughing the shoulder.
The OD is all roughed to .020" oversize, next The ID.
To rough the ID I started with a center drill.
Then I drilled about 3" deep with a 1/2" drill bit.
The last drill did the most work, this 1 and 5/16's inch drill bit made roughing this hole fast!
All roughed out.
With the whole part roughed out I started to take finish cuts on the OD.
I then cut all the OD chamfers big and small.
The last steps on this side were to finish the 1/8" radius on the OD and to finish bore the ID's
including a through bore and a counter bore.
I used a horizontal band saw to cut the part from the blank. I then faced the back side and cut a c'bore
and sent the part along with the shaft that I made to Moser to be splined. Sadly when I recieved the parts
back the differential side splines had been damaged by neglect with a huge setscrew and the shaft had
been whacked into the yoke on the concrete floor without even blowing the chips from the internal
spline! The yoke blank was all banged up and the fit was so galled that it took 2000psi to press it
out and I spent about an hour with a file hand working the splines to make them work. I was very
disappointed with the quality of the work from Moser, the job was completed in very poor taste.
Once deburred from the Moser experience I cut the two flats on the blank and sent it to be heat treated.
The next step is the first of two Wire EDM opperations that will complete the yoke with incredible
precision.
After carefully aligning the blank to the machines axis I used the wire to locate the first cut and then
loaded a program pressed "go" and went home.
I had the machine cut and stop just .02" before it would drop the big center slug. The next day
I came in (the cut was only 2-1/2hrs) clamped and removed the slug, and let the machine take its
finish passes.
The first cut made two flats on the outside of the yoke and relived the center section.
The next opperation required start holes for the U-Joint bores so I used my EDM drill to blast through
the heat treated 4340 steel.
The second cut perpend- icular to the first cut consists of the two U-Joint bores and the outer profile
of the yoke. This picture shows the wire threading through the 1/16" diameter start holes, see the water
jet?
That looks like a yoke to me! The U-Joint bores are precise within .0002" and totaly inline!
The last opperation was to cut two notches to contain a clamp plate using a carbide endmill.
A little bead blast makes it all the same color and its done!
Here is a picture of the yoke being pressed onto the shaft, after much filing I was able to make Mosers
splines work but it was still a hell of a press fit. Funny story about the shaft, I made it from 4130
and sent it to be heat treated. When it came back from the heat treaters at only 30Rc I new I was sold
the wrong material, isnt that nice? So I got new material, 4140 from a different supplier and started
over. I roughed the shaft, had it heat treated, and then finish turned the OD between centers and sent
it out to be splined.
Fully assembled a 316 stainless steel clamp plate and a 5/16-18 cap screw hold the parts together (kindof
not needed with the crazy tight fit)
There it is, the finished shaft from hell. I dont believe I'll be making another one of those anytime soon!
The tape that is near the center of the shaft is where the seal is in the C.A.D. housing on the axle.
I decided to keep this seal location so I could run more oil in my diffs. Now that this is done I can
finally finish installing my front end lift kit!
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A closer look at the 1.31 diameter 31 spline shaft next to the 1.50 diameter 35 spline shaft.
The from Hell part comes in when I found out they could only supply the short shaft and not the
long shaft that I needed to bypass the C.A.D. so I had to make one...
The Plan was to make a shaft with splines on both ends and to make a yoke that would fit one
of those ends, the two would combine to form a beefy new axle shaft bypassing the Center Axle Disconnect
With a solid shaft. This piece of 4340 will be the yoke.
On an engine lathe I started to cut the raw material down to near net shape (roughing).
Roughing the shoulder.
The OD is all roughed to .020" oversize, next The ID.
To rough the ID I started with a center drill.
Then I drilled about 3" deep with a 1/2" drill bit.
The last drill did the most work, this 1 and 5/16's inch drill bit made roughing this hole fast!
All roughed out.
With the whole part roughed out I started to take finish cuts on the OD.
I then cut all the OD chamfers big and small.
The last steps on this side were to finish the 1/8" radius on the OD and to finish bore the ID's
including a through bore and a counter bore.
I used a horizontal band saw to cut the part from the blank. I then faced the back side and cut a c'bore
and sent the part along with the shaft that I made to Moser to be splined. Sadly when I recieved the parts
back the differential side splines had been damaged by neglect with a huge setscrew and the shaft had
been whacked into the yoke on the concrete floor without even blowing the chips from the internal
spline! The yoke blank was all banged up and the fit was so galled that it took 2000psi to press it
out and I spent about an hour with a file hand working the splines to make them work. I was very
disappointed with the quality of the work from Moser, the job was completed in very poor taste.
Once deburred from the Moser experience I cut the two flats on the blank and sent it to be heat treated.
The next step is the first of two Wire EDM opperations that will complete the yoke with incredible
precision.
After carefully aligning the blank to the machines axis I used the wire to locate the first cut and then
loaded a program pressed "go" and went home.
I had the machine cut and stop just .02" before it would drop the big center slug. The next day
I came in (the cut was only 2-1/2hrs) clamped and removed the slug, and let the machine take its
finish passes.
The first cut made two flats on the outside of the yoke and relived the center section.
The next opperation required start holes for the U-Joint bores so I used my EDM drill to blast through
the heat treated 4340 steel.
The second cut perpend- icular to the first cut consists of the two U-Joint bores and the outer profile
of the yoke. This picture shows the wire threading through the 1/16" diameter start holes, see the water
jet?
That looks like a yoke to me! The U-Joint bores are precise within .0002" and totaly inline!
The last opperation was to cut two notches to contain a clamp plate using a carbide endmill.
A little bead blast makes it all the same color and its done!
Here is a picture of the yoke being pressed onto the shaft, after much filing I was able to make Mosers
splines work but it was still a hell of a press fit. Funny story about the shaft, I made it from 4130
and sent it to be heat treated. When it came back from the heat treaters at only 30Rc I new I was sold
the wrong material, isnt that nice? So I got new material, 4140 from a different supplier and started
over. I roughed the shaft, had it heat treated, and then finish turned the OD between centers and sent
it out to be splined.
Fully assembled a 316 stainless steel clamp plate and a 5/16-18 cap screw hold the parts together (kindof
not needed with the crazy tight fit)
There it is, the finished shaft from hell. I dont believe I'll be making another one of those anytime soon!
The tape that is near the center of the shaft is where the seal is in the C.A.D. housing on the axle.
I decided to keep this seal location so I could run more oil in my diffs. Now that this is done I can
finally finish installing my front end lift kit!