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who makes custom axles?

Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 3:49 pm
by redzook
as title says in australia

30 spline hilux both ends, no seal surface and 1190mm long?

who is my best bet?

Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 5:56 pm
by dank
you could try total traction drivelines in Moorabbin. Excellent service and I know a few of the zook guys have had some custom stuff made up.

Maybe yuri4x4 up Brisbane way too. Heard good things about both companies.

Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 7:29 pm
by WRXZook
Glenn Dobbin has made a couple for me (Sierra).
http://www.dobbinengineering.com/

Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 7:59 pm
by sloshy

Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 8:09 pm
by nottie
Tim apart from Glen most source from the states.
Try Jac Mac in Vic. Overkill do them last i heard but yeah.
Maybe if you try Bobby long. He would be able to get Keith from rovertrax http://www.rovertracks.com/index.html to make them for you. He doesnt advertise but does make axels for one offs for bobby at a very good price.

Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 9:26 pm
by WRXZook
http://www.geelongdifferentials.com.au/index.asp

Don't know anything about this place, bookmarked it when I was looking to get some made before I found Glenn Dobbin.

Posted: Fri May 29, 2009 6:35 am
by uninformed
Hi Tough Engineering on the Gold Coast. Barry is the owner/operater. He makes all his axles out of AMS 6418,which is Hi Tuf. very smilar to 4340 300m.

he is located in Carrara (Ryecroft st, Citylinks Industrial estate) i only have his mobile: 0400 711 745

great guy to deal with.

cheers, Serg

Re: who makes custom axles?

Posted: Fri May 29, 2009 9:56 am
by 1MadEngineer
redzook wrote:as title says in australia

30 spline hilux both ends, no seal surface and 1190mm long?

who is my best bet?
Tim,
get a set from RCV or Diamond or from bobby. DON'T piss around with local manufacturers, they do not have the correct hardening process.....

Image

http://www.rcvperformance.com

do it once and do it right!!

Re: who makes custom axles?

Posted: Fri May 29, 2009 10:11 am
by cj
1MadEngineer wrote: DON'T piss around with local manufacturers, they do not have the correct hardening process.....
What is the correct hardening process that the local guys don't have?

Re: who makes custom axles?

Posted: Fri May 29, 2009 11:01 am
by 1MadEngineer
cj wrote:
1MadEngineer wrote: DON'T piss around with local manufacturers, they do not have the correct hardening process.....
What is the correct hardening process that the local guys don't have?
if i knew then I would be making them! When you have guys like ROMAC using US made axles in his dragster instead of the stuff he makes, what does that tell you! ;)

Posted: Fri May 29, 2009 11:28 am
by Ice
at a rough guess it would be a forging process :)

Posted: Fri May 29, 2009 2:14 pm
by DIRTY ROCK STAR
Tim just keep waiting. you been waiting 5 months now. im sure they are almost ready :D

I cannot believe you waited that long chief.

Posted: Fri May 29, 2009 2:40 pm
by ISUZUROVER
Ice wrote:at a rough guess it would be a forging process :)
No it is not. No aftermarket axles I have seen are forged. They all have machined splines. Aftermarket axles are all through-hardened or induction hardened. AFAIK there are only a few hardening places in sydney and melbourne which handle the entire oz market.

In Australia I would only buy axles from HYTUFF Engineering or Jacmac. HYTUFF engineering use one of the best steels available (AMS4148 / HY-TUFF). Which is only marginally behind 300m/4340M. They also know how to harden it.

However they are focussed on LR stuff.

Posted: Fri May 29, 2009 2:54 pm
by locktup4x4
These are the guys that make our custom axles. Very easy to work with. http://www.performancecryogenics.com/ & http://www.kickassoffroad.com/ These are the same shop same dude.

Jason

Posted: Fri May 29, 2009 3:21 pm
by MightyMouse
When I did some axles for my application, I started out looking at HiTuff as the material of choice - but discovered that the required heat treating could not be done in Australia at the time.

Yes - they could be treated but not to the specs required by HiTUFF so EN was a better choice as it could be fully treated locally.

I think some OE axles use a rolled spline but to the best of my knowledge aftermarket ones are machined. I would guess the grain structure on a rolled spline may be superior to a machined one ( pure speculation ) but the process isn't custom axle friendly.


The situation may have changed but that was it a couple of years ago.

Posted: Fri May 29, 2009 5:11 pm
by ISUZUROVER
MightyMouse wrote:When I did some axles for my application, I started out looking at HiTuff as the material of choice - but discovered that the required heat treating could not be done in Australia at the time.

Yes - they could be treated but not to the specs required by HiTUFF so EN was a better choice as it could be fully treated locally.
Any more info???

I highly suspect someone was having a lend of you. I am sure the required equipment to properly heat treat HY-TUFF was available in Australia, however there may have been a lack of operator expertise...

Maxi-Drive (now HY-TUFF ENG) on the gold coast told me they get their axles done in large batches in sydney to ensure proper process control.

Posted: Fri May 29, 2009 5:36 pm
by nastytroll
Sodderdale and richardson was bought out by David Brown. My dad did his appreniceship there. They made all axles, gears, gearboxes, steer racks ect. for the military, race/drag cars, industrial machines, mining equipment ect.

AFAIK they had the first induction hardiner in the country. Thay had the biggest gear cutter in the suthern hemisphere at the time, could fit an Astin Martin on the table.

You could try them if they still do it.

http://www.davidbrown.com/locationaustralia.php

I used to machine alot of parts for maxi drive a few years back, all hi tuff. Was machining C.V's, locker hemisphere's, portal parts ect. A good product and not many were broken I know of. I think the first maxi drive axle was broken at XWC warchope (sp?) in 2003 in Kevin Tapp's bobbed rangie. Don't know how many since but Mal was dumb founded it broke.

Posted: Fri May 29, 2009 8:17 pm
by cj
I had Matt at Total Traction Drivelines make my axles and some for others too. He used to work at MacNamara's before setting up his own place a couple of years back and he is very particular about the heat treatment as it is is a crucial part of the process. In fact he is very particular about everything but in a good way. He used EN26 for mine which I'm happy with but then again mine isn't a dragster.

Rolled splines are great but the only place I've seen them offered aftermarket was in the US and that was only for particular splines.

Posted: Fri May 29, 2009 8:40 pm
by Gwagensteve
My information matches MightyMouses.

I couldn't find anyone that was willing to work in 300M in Australia for an axle, and heat treatment was the reason.

I spoke to Albins, and engineer at hollinger, and Total Traction.

I also understand Geelong differential services won't deal in 300M either.

Matt at total traction made up a batch for use 'zookers in EN-26. He's confident we won't break them. We only have one set of the batch in service, but they're running 35" Krawlers and are happy to date. THe hollinger engineer recommended EN-36.

I'd agree that for hilux, I think I'd go straight to longfield. We didn't have that option.

My front axles were made my CTM - 4340 :D

Steve.

Posted: Fri May 29, 2009 10:11 pm
by bazooked
any one tried hoffman engineering here in the west? biggest enginering/heat treatment plant in the southern hemi!

Posted: Sat May 30, 2009 11:13 am
by nottie
bazooked wrote:any one tried hoffman engineering here in the west? biggest enginering/heat treatment plant in the southern hemi!
Details??

Posted: Sat May 30, 2009 11:23 am
by bazooked

axels

Posted: Sat May 30, 2009 11:25 am
by A.R.T Racing
Hi guys,

I had a pair of axels made for the rear of my MQ awhile ago. Geez must be like 6 years ago now. Up to that point i had broken at least 3 axels each side, Rod from One Stop Suzuki Shop had them made for me and i believe they are HiTuff (sp) and they outlasted my use of the car. The long axle did have a slight twist but it never broke.

Maybe they aren't as technologically correct as some overseas brands but they proof was there that they lasted way longer then the standard axles.

That is my experience with them.
Allan

Posted: Sat May 30, 2009 2:07 pm
by uninformed
seems to be alot of "he said, she said" info or missinformation flying around the internet..... :roll: whats new....

Maxi Drive (no longer in business, but the main the main guy, Barry, other than Mal Story, owner/operator, has gone into his own business) and now Hi Tough Eng. made, make axles from Hi-tuf AMS 6418. the do all the machining in house and send away to get heat treated. they DO get heat treated correctly!

speak to Barry himself, he had made axles for other than rovers, im pretty sure he has done some toy stuff.

superior in the US use hi-tuf when they run out of 300m.... and although alot think it better than hi-tuf, some think hi-tuf has some quailties that make it more suited.....way over my head though.

oh and if an axle manufacture is using someone elses axles in his own car, maybe he should choose another business. or push himself to build a better product.....

Serg

Posted: Sat May 30, 2009 4:23 pm
by nottie
uninformed wrote:seems to be alot of "he said, she said" info or missinformation flying around the internet..... :roll: whats new....

Maxi Drive (no longer in business, but the main the main guy, Barry, other than Mal Story, owner/operator, has gone into his own business) and now Hi Tough Eng. made, make axles from Hi-tuf AMS 6418. the do all the machining in house and send away to get heat treated. they DO get heat treated correctly!

speak to Barry himself, he had made axles for other than rovers, im pretty sure he has done some toy stuff.

superior in the US use hi-tuf when they run out of 300m.... and although alot think it better than hi-tuf, some think hi-tuf has some quailties that make it more suited.....way over my head though.

oh and if an axle manufacture is using someone elses axles in his own car, maybe he should choose another business. or push himself to build a better product.....

Serg
Well put and said there Serg ;)

Re: who makes custom axles?

Posted: Sat May 30, 2009 4:33 pm
by nottie
1MadEngineer wrote:
cj wrote:
1MadEngineer wrote: DON'T piss around with local manufacturers, they do not have the correct hardening process.....
What is the correct hardening process that the local guys don't have?
if i knew then I would be making them! When you have guys like ROMAC using US made axles in his dragster instead of the stuff he makes, what does that tell you! ;)
1st Greg Dont tell me there is somethn that you dont know :shock:

Second As Serg said.
But i think you will find that he does use his own products

And also what the fark is wrong with Australian manufacturing :?: