Four Wheeler – October 2019

COMPILED BY JOHN CAPPA [email protected] PHOTOS: JOHN CAPPA

fourwheeler.com FOUR WHEELER OCTOBER 2019 79

and gum up shifting operation, causing a similar

problem to what you are experiencing. Remove

the governor cap on the side of the transmission,

pull the governor out, and clean it and the pocket

well. Get all the burnt clutch bits out of the

mechanism. Reinstall the governor and see if that

fixes it. If not, the next step is to remove the pan

and make sure the valvebody bolts are snug and

the valvebody gasket is in good condition. If all of

this fails to remedy your shifting issue, it’s likely

time to remove the transmission and perform a

teardown and rebuild—because you might have a

bigger problem somewhere inside.

FORD 60 FRONT MATCHUP

Q

I’m trying to find a matching rear axle for

my ’04 Ford Dana 60 front axle. I prefer a

Sterling 10.50-inch. Is there any preferred year

for the 10.50, and what’s the best way to spot

one compared to a 10.25?

@LOGANLIKESJEEPS

VIA INSTAGRAM @CAPPAWORKS

A

The Sterling 10.50-inch was used in ’99-up

Ford Super Duty trucks; the 10.25-inch was

used prior to that. If you are building an extreme

off-road rig, the Sterling rear axles have never

been a solid swap. Under heavy use with big tires,

a lot of weight, and plenty of traction and power,

the axletubes can spin in the cast centersection,

breaking the plug welds or cast portion of the

axlehousing. For a daily driven 4x4, the Sterling

10.50 is fine, but I think it will be worth the effort

to use something like a GM 14-bolt rear axle if

you are working on a trail rig. Of course, you’ll

need to alter the lug pattern on either your front

axle or rear axle so that they match. Your Ford

Dana 60 will have the 8-on-170mm lug pattern

and the GM 14-bolt will have the more common

8-on-6.5-inch lug pattern. You can convert the

front axle to 8-on-6.5 with unit bearing replace-

ments or a fixed-spindle conversion from com-

panies like Currie Enterprises (currieenterprises.

com), Dynatrac (dynatrac.com), and Spidertrax

(spidertrax.com). You’ll then need to have the

rotors redrilled to match the new front lug pattern.

The other option is to add wheel adapters to the

14-bolt from a company such as Wheel Adapters

USA (wheeladaptersusa.com). These will convert

the 14-bolt to the same 8-on-170 metric lug

pattern as the front axle. The adapters will also

increase the width of the 14-bolt by a total of 3

inches, which typically will better match the width

of the wide Ford front axle.

UNDESIRABLE AXLES

Q

Let’s talk about less desirable front axles.

I swapped a 10-bolt GM front axle and a

14-bolt rear axle under my CJ-7. What are the

weak points of the 10-bolt? Mind you, the Jeep

has lockers front and rear and rolls on 37-inch

tires. The Jeep is running the 258ci inline-six,

a T-4 manual transmission, and a Dana 300

transfer case. I will eventually be swapping the

gas engine out for a Mercedes OM617 diesel.

I’m kind of an abusive driver. So far, I’ve only lost

a driveshaft U-joint at a relatively high speed.

@RYAN_F_VEITCH

VIA INSTAGRAM @CAPPAWORKS

A

Axle survivability depends on many factors.

Some drivers could make a combo like this

last an eternity, while others could turn it into a

metallic gear-oil mist in mere seconds. Behind

the hands of a moderately abusive driver, it would

be my guess that the axleshaft U-joint caps will

wallow out the bores in the axleshaft ears. Once

the bores open up, the assembly is not long for

this world. Slightly more aggressive driving will

either break an axleshaft U-joint cross or cause

an axleshaft to fail near the splines. Ultimately,

it’s hard to predict if the U-joint will fail before

the short-side inner axleshaft. This will depend on

the specific situation, the traction available, how

far the steering is turned, and weight distribution

at each wheel. The reason the short-side inner

axleshaft typically fails before the longer inner

axleshaft is because the longer axleshaft can flex

and twist more before the point of failure. Lucky

drivers will sometimes only shatter the outer stub

axle or destroy a locking hub. The good news is

that all of these parts can be upgraded to survive

behind 37-inch (and even bigger) tires.

There are several companies that offer heavy-

duty chromoly axleshafts and stronger aftermarket

steering U-joints. However, traditional steering

U-joints and axleshafts will still be plagued with

the problem of being weaker when the steer-

ing is turned one way or the other than they are

when the wheels are pointed straight ahead. For

even more axleshaft strength and durability you

can upgrade to CV-style axleshafts from RCV

(rcvperformance.com). The RCV axleshafts are

said to be twice as strong as OEM axleshafts, and

unlike U-jointed axleshafts, they’re designed to be

just as strong with the steering pointed straight as

they are when the steering is turned to extreme

angles. The RCV axleshafts will also eliminate

U-joint binding to allow smoother power transfer

to the ground when the steering is turned. This is

especially noticeable on harder surfaces like Moab

slickrock and granite slabs. RCV also offers 300M

locking hub upgrades as well as drive flanges for

the ultimate in power transfer to the wheels. fw

out the required paperwork, and wait, all while
your tires cool and develop flat spots. The tech re-
moves the tires from the vehicle, tosses them on
the balancer with flat spots, balances for the flat
spots, and then reinstalls the tires. You drive on
down the road and quickly notice the tires are still
imbalanced once the tires warm up again and the
flat spots work themselves out. This was a mind-
numbing issue that occurred regularly when I was
mounting and balancing large-diameter tires at
an off-road shop. Also, regular off-road use often
causes luggy tires to shed their tread unevenly,
exacerbating the big-tire balancing dilemma. The
best way to combat this is to utilize a constantly
adjusting tire balance solution like those that you
have mentioned. Personally, I prefer tire balance
aids that don’t bounce around inside the tire and
wheel, which could cause damage to both the
wheel and tire air chamber. Plus, your tire guy will
absolutely hate you if he breaks down one of your
tires and blows balancing powder or Airsoft BBs
all over his shop.
You might take a look at hub-mounted tire bal-
ancing products, such as those from Centramatic
(centramatic.com). They are designed to con-
stantly maintain proper wheel and tire balance,
regardless of tire wear or chunking, and they are
available for many popular lug patterns. They also
can’t be torn off in the mud and rocks like stick-
on and pound-on wheel weights.

TH 350 TROUBLE

Q

I have a TH350 automatic transmission.
On my last wheeling trip it all of a sudden
stopped taking off in Drive. I can pull it down in
to First gear and run through the gears and it
runs fine. It was not a manual valvebody before
the trip, but it sure acts like one now. What are
your thoughts?

@CURRYHEATH

VIA INSTAGRAM @CAPPAWORKS

A

There are a few things that could be causing
your shifting issue. You should start with the
simple stuff on the exterior of the transmission
and then work your way inside. Make sure the
transmission is filled with clean fluid and check
the kickdown cable and shift linkage for proper
adjustment. If you’re driving it hard, sometimes
the burnt clutch bits can get into the governor