goin with a ford 9"

[penski61]

well decided i should go a different route instead of keeping the yota axle(not sure if ill have it for MOAB) , i went ahead and picked up a ford 9" housing got it all cleaned up and made an untraditional truss lol
i did it this way because im still running leafs in the back and didnt want to have worry about the getting the u-bolts to work with a traditional truss
i shall call it , the slider truss  

[BlackX]

Why are you ditching the Toyota axle?

[penski61]

to better match the gears i have up front so i would have 5.38's and 5.42's vs 5.38's and 5.29's , also  the inside of the yota axle housing is rusted because the guy i bought it from let water sit in it
i cleaned the inside of the housing as best as i could but not sure i trust the housing

so it was either get a stock , aftermarket or go with a different setup
also this will be full length with custom axle shafts made for 6x5.5 bolt pattern so i dont have to run adapters in the back

[penski61]

then cleaned the axle up better today , plated the bottom of the axle with 1/4" and added a rear skid

[theking]

you gonna make it a full float?

[penski61]

no , trying to do it on the cheap right now to get it in before Moab
35 spline 6x5.5 axle shafts with ford 8.8 rear disks 5.42's and detroit

[theking]

You gonna run a Strange pro nod, hi9, or Currie center?

[penski61]

im not sure the guy putting the axle together is doin that stuff , he does some of the work on KOH rigs
letzroll is the guys shop here in mesa

[penski61]

strange pro nod with datona pinion support and pinion guard

[theking]

Ah yes.  I just stumbled on his online shop looking at PSC steering stuff.

Yah,  you need the big bearing gear case for 35 spline.  Them gear cases are a little pricey.  That's what deterred me from a 9".  But, it should be a nice light and strong setup.

[penski61]

all said and done ill have about $1500 into the axle which isnt to bad completly built
the housing and tubing i got for $63
got new spring pads and i may be able to re-use the shock mounts off the yota axle

[helix66]

Do you have to worry about the axle tubes warping when welding the truss and the skid?

What's the full float about?  The only thing I remember was that you could pull your axle shafts out w/o taking everything apart, and it has something to do with the bearings.

[alexrex20]

a full float basically uses a stub shaft that engages the axle, which then engages the differential. the weight of the vehicle is supported by the stub shaft/hub, so if you bust an axle, you can remove the axle and still drive home.

[penski61]

yep what he said

as far as welding , yeah i welded a little section let it cool and went side to side
to avoid warping the housing hopefully it worked haha

[penski61]

few pics of the housing mocked up along with a cross member for a possible 4 link or just an anti-wrap bar

[theking]

I noticed you inboarded the lower shock mounts.   

[penski61]

does it help to have them on the outside of the springs? pretty much all shock are setup inboard arent they , mine have been setup up this way pretty much since i had the truck and no issues
if i need to i could build shock hoops and put them on the outside of the frame and springs

[theking]

It does make a difference in handling with them mounted as wider.  My shocks are mounted like that, but I wish I could push them all the way to the tires.  That would also help limit wheel travel.  But, there's just no room, though.

[penski61]

cool , i got some more tubing
ill do a mock up and see what you think

[penski61]

so this is about how much room i would have if i ran the 1.5" spacers in the back

[penski61]

one side done

[theking]

Looks like it will clear the frame with them upsidedown.  I would set the uptravel as a bump stop to keep the tire from rubbing the fender.  Bad thing about leafs is you can't flex it to test fit stuff.   
I bet it will handle much better on the street, now.     

[penski61]

there is 2" between the shock and frame and 4" between the inside of the tire and the shock if i run 1.5" spacers

[theking]

2" is close.  But, it all depends how much flex you get with those leafs.  My 3 link has a high roll center, so the shock moves in a lot on the drooped side.  That setup would never clear the frame on mine at full flex.  But, leafs have a low roll center, so you might be ok.  Def. run the spacers and go flex it out. lol

[SteeevO]

 
But.. i think you're going to have to mount them the right way.
I wouldn't run them upside down.