Rear axle removal and installation dolley

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moparmat2000

moparmat2000

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Hi Y'all,

I am working on building a dolley for removal and installation of rear axles that can be used under A,B,E,C cars and trucks & vans, or essentially any leafspring car or truck whose axle tube fits the diameter dimensions.

I used to do the barbell balancing act with a floor jack when i was young, but feel i have gotten older, and smarter, plus now i have welding and fab skillz.

I am posting what i have done to build it so far against my better judgement since a lot of times life gets in the way of garage time as evidenced by my cuda being not finished after almost 10 years.

The design of this is going to be so that it will accept 2&1/2" axle tubes up to 3&1/2" tubes for the ford 8.8, and Dana 60.

The design will also allow axles with forward and rear loading gearsets to be built up on the dolley, additionally the leaf springs can be installed while on the dolley, as well as axles and brakes. Then everything can be slid under the car and bolted up as a unit using the assist of your floor jack by attaching at the front spring eyes first, then using the floor jack under the pumpkin and jacking it up and off the dolley to attach the rear shackles.

Now theres T shaped dolleys for installing the complete driveline from the trans forward to , and including the K frame and front suspension that i plan on copying. However i havent seen anything to load a rear axle and springs as an assembly, so i am designing and building one.

I had 4 5" swivel lock castors, and some 1/8" steel plate. So that saved me some money, however i had to purchase rollers, hardware, and an 8' length of 2" thin wall square tubing. The width of this is so that an A body mopar with a narrowed rear for a minitub setup can fit on this.

So follow along and i will start the picture show.

Matt
 
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Out of 1/8" plate i cut out 4 castor plates for my swivellock castors. To use this 4 swivel castors are needed at minimum 2 need to have wheel locks.

I also mocked up an 8.75" axle for my car with one leaf spring to figure out total height needed to be able to work on the rear on the dolley, and still be able to slip it under the car or remove it.

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Next up are the axle tube perches. These were the hardest. I had to figure out the radius needed, and spec roller bearings for the perches. They also had to be identical to one another. Once all this was settled on, then the cutting began.

I used 1/16" cleco pins for the holes that would eventually bolt on the rollers and enlarged them last so i was able to keep both pieces pinned together to make them identical. After chain drilling, and cutting out and removing the centers, i used a rotary file on a high speed straight die grinder and smoothed out the rough cutouts. Then drilled the holes out on a drill press with a step drill to 1/2". Finally i sandblasted the steel parts since the metal had some surface rust on it.

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Heres yesterdays progress. All the tubing is rough cut to dimensions. My center chunk is out getting rebuilt, the axle rollers are on order, . As soon as i get the chunk back, and the rollers i can proceed farther. I may weld the frame and castor plates today, but will not install the uprights and axle perches until i get the other pieces.

I have to also decide on a fixed, or removable or crank adjustable up and down pinion support at the front of the fixture, and wont be able to do so until i have my chunk back.

I also bought all my hardware today to bolt on my castors and rollers. So far i am into it for about $35. Not including what i already had in the shop. I also have a few cans of rustoleum sunrise red, and safety yellow. I have to decide now on either yellow or red.



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Welding up the base today. Will post pix later. I will be adding drain holes to the bottom of the frame just in case i have to leave it outside in the weather, and will either buy some 2" square black plastic caps for the ends of the tubing or i may decide to weld on steel end caps to the tubes.
 
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Ok update. I welded up the base frame and temp installed my castors. I could not resist, i had to weld on endcaps, and nest the angles. I used weld thru ll primer between the castor plates and frame to prevent rust in case of extended outdoor storage.

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I'm 48 and have had lower back problems for years. Actually feel a bit crippled from stooping to weld on what i did today so far. I plan on building up and installing the 8.75" in my 67 cuda, and eventually an 8.8 furd xploder rear in my sons 69 cuda. I figure the materials are minimal compared to no hassle. I originally was going to install the springs, and install the bare housing, and assemble it in the car, but decided on this route, as i didnt relish having to bench press a center chunk under the car when i can rotate the bare axle to have the front flange pointing straight up and just lower the chunk in place. I prefer to work smarter, plus this can be used under any leaf spring rear with a tube diameter up to 3.50". When not in use it can be easily stored in a corner of the shop or behind my shop if need be.

I will also be building one of those T shaped engine, transmission, K frame dolleys as well. The rear is almost ready to go together so i might as well build one of these rear end dolleys, maybe some other guys n gals will be interested in duplicating this in the interest of making the job easier. Even if its for a 1 time use, it can always be sold when no longer needed.
 
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The rollers i settled on before cutting out the axle perches are 1/2" id x 1&3/8" od x 7/16" width. Cost was $9.98 total for 4 bearings shipped off evilbay. This was the cheapest i could find them. Since they will not be in continuous rotation like in an electric motor they should outlast my lifetime. Bearing PN# is on pic for anyone who wants to duplicate this.

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Hoping to get the rollers by friday, and my chunk back from the rebuilder by at least tuesday. Then i can finish building this, test it out, and get a coat of paint on it.
 
A
moparmat2000 said:
Hoping to get the rollers by friday, and my chunk back from the rebuilder by at least tuesday. Then i can finish building this, test it out, and get a coat of paint on it.
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All sounds good, I don`t have the room to store all that stuff ! I enjoy fabrication myself tho. Back problems are bummer that`s for sho !!
 
I have fabricated jigs and fixtures for aircraft parts repair for my employer, so it seemed like a no brainer. Being that its 28" x 18" its not really that big actually. That Dana 60 sounds like the ultimate problem solver though.
 
Ok for the latest, i got the rollers in the mail today, i tack welded the uprights on, and used wing nut clecos to temp hold the perches on. I intend to weld caps on the uprights then weld the perches in place. I dont have my chunk back yet, but my rebuilder gave me a measurement from the mating flange to the end of the pinion of approx 10.50" i added 1/2" to that length and moved the axle back accordingly. This will allow rear loader axles to drop down in the front when the pinion support i have not made yet is removed. The axle rotates nicely and smoothly on the rollers.

I temp installed a spring, and strapped the axle with a tiedown strap. It took about 5 seconds to slide it under the car and line everything up. I am thinking once the chunk is installed it will be front heavy even with the springs installed. however if not i plan on having loops on the dolley for a ratchet tie down. This things gonna be a dreamboat.

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Now i cant wait to start on my T shaped K frame, engine, trans dolley. That will be next once my wiring mockups are done and i pull the driveline back out.
 
Ok, i got my chunk back, so time for the rest of the build. I used a piece of heavy duty 2&1/2" sq tube for the base of the pinion support. I cut one side off so it will slip over the frame on the front side to make it easily removable by slipping it out the front. I will drill and tap 2 holes in it on the top for set screws. Then i added the 2" tube for the pinion support as shown. I still have to do the final welding on the uprights and perches tomorrow.

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Good idea,
When I built my 8.75 for my duster, I took the old rear out, put new springs in.
Paid two of the neighbor teen age boys $10 to slide it in the car.
The 8.75 was in the garage, and the car was in the driveway.
Best $10 spent, and they were happy for the cash, and my back did not hurt the next day.
 
All the welding and grinding is done. Using white primer and will be spraying safety yellow over it.

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