So........
I know this truck its getting new springs, shocks, brake lines and what not so the axles are basically all the way out either way.
Do you normally remove the axle from the truck to do gears/ diffs etc ?
It seems like it is a TON easier to do the gear setup on your table and fixture, Is it worth the extra effort to fully remove the axle so you can set it on your table.
Just curious I guess..
And, as this whole project is about the wheels...lol Its getting close... I cant wait to see it sitting on the new tires....
JJ, the decision to pull an axle, for me anyways, is complex and includes multiple factors. Yes, yours was an easy decision to make because it was getting new leaf springs but also because if you look at the factory holes where the case spreader is attached, one was located directly under the passenger side spring perch. This would have negated the ability to use a case spreader if it was done in the vehicle. I am very much a proponent of using case spreaders to insure proper carrier bearing preload and therefore in my opinion the only way to get the proper bearing preload and do this job correctly was to remove the axle.
On many of the Jeeps that I've been re-gearing for example, they use more outboard mounted coil springs and coil spring buckets do not interfere with the locations of the factory holes for the case spreader so in a Jeep I may or may not pull the axle to perform a re-gear. I have done them both ways but more factors will come in to play. If I am only doing gears and the Jeep has a lift which gets the differential down away from the frame enough to allow clearance for my case spreader then I may just leave the axle in the Jeep and perform the work. This is generally the case because usually a re-gear is being done because of larger tires and larger tires require some lift.
Now if I am being hired to also perform some welding on the axle I will usually remove the axle from the Jeep because I feel I can get a better weld without the interferences of the Jeeps body and chassis being in the way. The only welding on an axle I may not pull the axle to perform is when I am repairing and/or modifying the track bar mount, and it seems like I have been doing a lot of these lately. If I am removing the OEM bracket, which I highly recommend, and adding something more beefy like an Artec Industries or Synergy then I generally pull the axle and get it on the fabrication table where I can make 100% certain the welds are penetrated properly and prepped properly.
I will say that the reason I decided to build both my transmission jack axle adapter and my fixturing jigs that I bolt to my fabrication table was due to the amount of axle work I began doing and how hard it was to sell the job on dropping the axle. This was quite an extra expense due to the time involved. This is also why most shops perform nearly all axle work in the vehicle but I felt like a better overall finished product could be had by performing the axle work on the bench vs. in the vehicle. This is why I dedicated about a week of my time to fabricate the fixtures and adapters to reduce the time required to remove and install axles and pass that along to the people I found myself doing work for. Now that time has been reduced to only a couple of hours difference total which when doing a lot of work and a total bill of around $1600 to $2000 or more, most people don't hesitate when I ask about adding another $150-$200 to perform the work to a higher level of quality, something they may not get at another shop.
There are however, still some people that ONLY shop by price and in those situations I am not unhappy when they go somewhere else. When I had my speed shop I lost jobs because I was not the cheapest but also I had very loyal clients that come to me with cost having no factor in the decision. Some of those loyal clients from my speed shop days are now still seeking me out to do work for them once they found out I am doing some side jobs again. I know I am not the most expensive wrench around but I also know I am not the cheapest. I have always tried to perform my work to a higher standard and not let the standard set the quality of my workmanship.
Sorry for the long explanation and to some extent tooting my own horn, however, it really depends on the vehicle and what work exactly I am being asked to perform whether I pull the axle or leave it in the vehicle for the work.
Thanks
Mike
