Can anyone on here wled up a couple of axles for me?

[stephen4785]

Im rebuilding the front axle on my 1500 dodge ram. The area where the seals ride are chewed up. I need to have them welded up and then turn down to the right size. Any board members on here have a metal lathe, welder, and wanting to do it? I had a machine shop quote me $140 so if anyone wants the work and can beat that price please let me know.

[turbostang]

I would be VERY cautious about that kind of work for that cheap.

Usually those kinds of parts are hard as hell, and for good reason. (they need to live through seals riding on them and bearings sitting/spinning on them). Not to mention, they are 99% of the time ground, not turned on a lathe - improper surface finish will chew up a seal in no time, especially if it's not concentric to the rest of the shaft.

Then there's the welding part - in order to do it "right", the affected area would have to be turned down past the heat treated part, welded up and then machine back down (GROUND)...

Why not replace the axles?

[garycrist]

Can't you just get some new spindles or are they cost prohibitive?

[stephen4785]

Their expensive. New shafts are gonna run me $500. I talked to Standard Transmission about having them welded up and ground down(where the $75 per axle came from). I haven't called Fort Worth gear and axle to see how much they charge. Iv talked to some other guys that said to use some loctite 610 liquid metal in the groves then use a speedi sleeve. Ive used sleeves on big rigs with success but Ive never used them on an automotive axle.

[holeshot]

Oh Dude I totally forgot !
They make speedy sleeves for them just like for harmonic balancers.
Some of your better parts stores should be able to get them.
Good luck.

[holeshot]

Older independent parts stores and "maybe" dealerships may have them.

[turbostang]

I was wondering if a repair sleeve was an option since it's just for a seal to ride on.

Do they offer a repair sleeve short enough that doesn't interfere with the bearing's area?

[stephen4785]

I was wondering if a repair sleeve was an option since it's just for a seal to ride on.

Do they offer a repair sleeve short enough that doesn't interfere with the bearing's area?

Well there's no bearing area for the shafts to ride on. The bearing are hub bearings so the only thing touching the axle itself is the spider gears and splines out on the knucles(this is on the front axle).
I read some jeep forums of guys that have done it but non of them have given any part numbers in their thread. I cant measure the shafts(at least I dont think) because the area is chewed up. I might measure it and just order some sleeves to see if their the right size through trial and error. Speedi sleeves are pretty cheap so it would be that big of a deal. Iv called some axle shops and no one knows what speedi sleeve to use and they've all said "the tool to install them is too short to work anyway". The jeep guys just cut a hole in the back of the install tube and ised some pvc pipe as an extension to hammer on.