Technical Narrowing a 9” Ford- Question?

One thing not addressed is the 3" O.D. tube. The OP has u-bolts and spring plates for that tube size. My suggestion is to cut the housing down and slip 3" tubes in. With the fixture in place, the tubes can be welded into the housing. This is typical for oval track rear ends. The housing ends can be welded to the tubes first. I usually modify the ends to allow a slip fit into the 3" tube and tack the ends on while the tube is chucked in the lathe and a live center in the bearing cup. This aligns the bearing to the tube.

 

Have a customer I am doing the same for rite down to the dia. of the truck tubes. Owner says Currie (sp?) sells the u-bolts for 10 a piece made to order, you will have to make your own spring plates.
God I hate to do this but I am dumbfounded that the experts (Marty & the boys) just tack weld up in the bar, than pull bar and weld everything up. I leave it in the bar and yes sometimes it takes a little (OK big) persuasion to get bar out but not a big deal. Before installing bar I lightly grease it up with anything handy, helps to pull out, also keeps the welding sparkly's from sticking to bar. If I see that the puck's don't slide in & out easily on bar I use a torch instead of the 12 ton press to make it submit. Maybe you all are using a tig while I am still using the wire feed...................

 

Are you in Wisconsin? I know of a couple of individuals who have the correct fixture to install the ends in a 9” housing, and know the correct method of welding them.(Milwaukee area)
Here is a photo of an axle length calculation tool mentioned earlier in this thread.

 

Brigrat,
The fixture I have for Quickchanges is slightly different than is used for a 9". I have bearings on the bar that are spring loaded against the bearing cups in the center section. I rotate the shaft as I weld the housing ends on. My welds are somewhere between a tack and a 1" bead. If the bar gets tight, I weld some more on the opposite side. I use MIG almost exclusively for this.
I hate 9" housings.

 

I fully weld, with the bar in, and I have never had to pound one out, once it has cooled.

All TIG, all the time.

I take that back. I just remembered, when doing extra thick tubes, as some rigs I work on have 1/2" wall tubes, I bevel down to a 1/8" root, and TIG weld that all the way around, checking the bar as I go, and then do fill passes with a MIG, until just proud of the surface, also checking the bar as I go.

 

One thing I DID learn while welding pipe (TIG or MIG) is......the hottest part of a weld is where you stop. Like at the end of a 1" tack or where you stop welding a 2" tack. THAT is the hottest part. When left alone....where you welded will draw UP and warp the pipe......The "rule" is.... heat always goes to cold. Therefore, when you stop.....rotate the pipe and let it cool! Instead of drawing UP the heat will travel to the cool(er) part of the pipe and the pipe will hardly warp (if any) at all.
Once finished...if a pipe has a bow/warp in it, put heat on the area you want the pipe to draw to. If the pipe is long enough you can actually SEE the pipe moving in that direction. Sometimes putting a wet rag on the opposite side will really help it move.
6sally6

 

I had the same rear end on my hotrod . big ford old style, big bearings (BR20) those T nuts are 1/2" right?

 

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...h?q=strighting+a+rear+end+housing&FORM=HDRSC3