Don't try to drill them out - better to bore the splines out of a spare set on a lathe. You will have to knock out the plug on the outer end, chuck the flange en up, and bore the splines 'til they are just gone. Did that on my truck - cut down the noise, boosted MPG, cost nothing (a kind gentleman from this list sent me a free pair of hubs - unbelievable!). I keep the originals in a plastic bag to have in case I need them, but so far, I have not ever swapped them back.
A grand for a real set? I thought they were about $500. Still, infinitely more expensive than free!
Later -
Mark Ehle
AMG '70 M35A2
Dowling, MI
>>> <rock1@mindspring.com> 11/20/01 11:56PM >>>
OK, I paid about a grand and a half for for my M-35A2, plus another couple
of grand to fix it up. A set of locking hubs for a duce is a little over a
grand, that would be about one quarter of the value of my truck. At this
point that's a "nice to have" not a "got to have". But, I need to put some
serious road miles on my duce. I'd like to save the front running gear for
something more fun, and save a little at the diesel pump too.
Has anyone ever drilled out the splines on an old front axle flange
(Flange, Axle Shaft: Drive with Plug. NSN 2520-00-725-1861) on an M-35A2 so
that it spins free around the front axle shaft for towing or long distance
on-road driving?
Jack up one side, or park on a side slope, to save the oil in the chunk,
swap out the flange (at the cost of the gasket. Gasket Drive Flange NSN
5330-00-599-4230), bolt on the drilled out "spinner", drop the jack, and
head down the highway at 12-14 MPG. Sounds simple to me.
Does it work?
What sized drill or mill is necessary to clear the shaft?
Any known problems?
Does anyone have an extra set, stock or milled, for sale or trade?
Did I just inflate the price of old axle flanges?
Just sturrin the pot to see what rises to the top!
The next posting will be questions about M-35 Super Singles, so get ready.
Love that sweet smell of diesel smoke on a cold morning!
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Dec 07 2001 - 00:37:00 PST