Locker and 13 bolt shave install.

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colonel mustard

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Good morning all.

Finally got around to installing my Detroit locker and shaving my 14 bolt with a 13 bolt kit.

With support from this site, the job really wasn’t that difficult. In fact it was one of the easier things I have done this far to the truck. God bless Texas and the engineers that made the 14 bolt.

The job will take a full 8 hours. Maybe less if you have done a few already. I took my time on the locker portion of the job.

The most important is document everything. Mark everything and your basic hobby mechanic can do this !!!




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Arkansas_V8

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I am doing a full shave on my 14 bolt from the CUCV I have. Ring gear is the only part I am nervous about.

Looks good man. Every inch with these behemoths counts.
 

colonel mustard

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I am doing a full shave on my 14 bolt from the CUCV I have. Ring gear is the only part I am nervous about.

Looks good man. Every inch with these behemoths counts.

1” doesn’t sound like much ....until you see the chunk you cut off.

I looked heavily into the full shave, as I manage a machine shop it would have been easy enough to do. My issue was that it is rumored to decrease cooling and reports of cracked ring gears are being told. I drive mine long distances often...so opted to keep the same fluid capacity and not lathe the ring gear. If I didn’t drive it as long as I do I would have shaved it for sure.

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Arkansas_V8

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1” doesn’t sound like much ....until you see the chunk you cut off.

I looked heavily into the full shave, as I manage a machine shop it would have been easy enough to do. My issue was that it is rumored to decrease cooling and reports of cracked ring gears are being told. I drive mine long distances often...so opted to keep the same fluid capacity and not lathe the ring gear. If I didn’t drive it as long as I do I would have shaved it for sure.

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It definitely is alot.

I haven't seen these cooling issues. I will Look into that. These reports on Pirate 4x4? Have any links?

Damn your machine shop. Lol


I do daily this, but the furthest she goes is this.

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DoubleDingo

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I saw this and wondered what the heck it was. So I read on. And then I asked myself, "Why the heck would you cut off part of your axle like that?" Is it only to gain ground clearance? Interesting modification, but what does it do? And then what is this full shave that @Arkansas_V8 mentioned?
 

Arkansas_V8

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I saw this and wondered what the heck it was. So I read on. And then I asked myself, "Why the heck would you cut off part of your axle like that?" Is it only to gain ground clearance? Interesting modification, but what does it do? And then what is this full shave that @Arkansas_V8 mentioned?

Both are for ground clearance.
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One just takes off the excess from the bottom.

Shave requires cutting the bottom of the housing off, and welding in new flat piece which requires grinding down the ring gear a little.
 

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Both are for ground clearance.
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One just takes off the excess from the bottom.

Shave requires cutting the bottom of the housing off, and welding in new flat piece which requires grinding down the ring gear a little.


I'll ask again, "Why and the heck would you do this?" LOL... I understand for ground clearance, but why compromise the rear axle? Cutting that much material off can't be good for integrity of the housing or the gears when being shaved down as well. I'll pass.
 

Arkansas_V8

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I'll ask again, "Why and the heck would you do this?" LOL... I understand for ground clearance, but why compromise the rear axle? Cutting that much material off can't be good for integrity of the housing or the gears when being shaved down as well. I'll pass.


Been working for years, many thousands can attest to it not being an issue, even ORD.

If you ever hit the rocks you will understand the reason we do it very quickly.

Even rock bouncers do it. They run tons of power, and bounce off rocks. So it cant be that much weaker.
 

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Touche. To each their own I guess. :happy160:
 

Arkansas_V8

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Touche. To each their own I guess. :happy160:

Didn't know we were jousting. Lol

Just wanted to explain, and try and help you understand why we do it, and that it in no way weakens the diff.

You may do something I need explained to me one day.
 

DoubleDingo

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Didn't know we were jousting. Lol

Just wanted to explain, and try and help you understand why we do it, and that it in no way weakens the diff.

You may do something I need explained to me one day.

We're good. It's just something I won't ever do.
 

77 K20

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I do a lot of snow wheelin' with a Jeep club. All of us are on 35s or bigger. You can always tell where I go in the snow as I have a distinctive V groove in the snow everywhere I go from my 14 bolt. With their little differentials they have a lot more clearance.


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