9" axle parts, soon to be Marauder axle

Why the bother of machining stainless for the trigger wheel?

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I have to machine something magnetically permeable (430 has a relative permeability of 1800 after annealing, so is darn close to steel at 4000), so it isn't going to be easy aluminum ;)

Whatever material the stock trigger wheel is made of doesn't rust (see pic below). I don't want the new piece turning into a rusty hulk over time, especially with the effort invested. It is exposed to the elements.

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Here is what is starting to look like a larger version of the OEM ABS tone ring, with a bolt circle that will match the rotor adapter patter on the hub. Next flip it over and final-machine the profile on the bottom half of the roughed-out teeth, remove lots of metal from the inside diameter and finish up the mounting tabs for recessed 5/6"-18 grade 8 socket head cap screws.

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Don't know if you have figured out the rear brakes yet, but looks like explorer brakes and possibly the marauder brakes can be made to fit pretty easily.

http://www.sccoa.com/forums/showthread.php?136826-Sloid-axle-on-a-budget!&p=1094439#post1094439

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/9-inch-rear-disc-brake-installation.569272/

Those wont work with his setup because he is using a 9" floater rear end, it doesn't have the traditional 9" bearing flanges.

http://1speedway.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=68&product_id=56
 
Is he going to use an aftermarket rim, because I didn't see 5x4.5 listed as an available bolt circle pattern. DO marauder use 5x5?

He already has a set of 20" wheels so i would assume they will make a custom hub in the Marauder 5X4.5 bolt pattern, my concern is will the hub clear the center cap?
 
Kenny at Speedway machined the 5 on 4.5" pattern for me. It only works with his aluminum hub (not the steel version), so that is what I have.

I did consider switching to a larger bolt pattern on the rear, but decided against it given that the stock pattern could be used. The studs barely intrude into the oil seal area, so this would probably not work with a "wet" axle tube. But why let oil into the axle tubes with this setup? I have seals in the axle tubes by the carrier bearing to keep the oil where it belongs.

The brakes are the standard-issue Wilwood NMDP with a fabricated mount bracket that will also position the ABS sensor.
 
Just say "No" to Explorer rear brakes ...

Just say "No" to Explorer rear brakes (for most applications). I looked into using Explorer rear disc brakes. They may be fine for many street applications, but since they are not even vented (they are solid discs), they don't qualify as a performance option. Probably fine as a drag race setup where you only drive 1/4 mile at a time, and only use them once per trip!

I ended up choosing a very nice Wilwood setup from Moser. They sell an Explorer package for $525. They have Wilwood packages starting under $600 with 12.19" vented rotors that will fit inside of 15" wheels. ...
re:
http://www.moserengineering.com/bra...ries-rear-brake-kit/big-ford-2-36-offset.html

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Just say "No" to Explorer rear brakes (for most applications).

Correct. Performance brakes, especially for a tank like the Marauder, are fixed-piston calipers. And large.

The tone wheel machining has made clear the limitations of removing hard 430 stainless material with the mill. Off to the waterjet shop to cut out the center.

edit: Here is a photo of the futility of using a mill to hog out material. Waterjet it is.

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ABS rings getting closer

Here are the ABS rings after being cut on the waterjet. Too much material to remove with an endmill. I decided to make the thickness of the ring 3/16" instead of 1/8". Although in this picture they are 0.030" oversize because the waterjet isn't as accurate as the mill.

The blank looks like a Russian nesting doll. So much better than days on the mill. Even with them near net shape, it will still be a good 12 - 14 hours of machining to finish off the pair.

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First tone ring done!

What a lot of work! The next one should go more quickly now that the mill programming and learning curve have been overcome. I really owe my machinist friend a favor!

This will allow the brake caliper and abs pickup bracket fab and welding to proceed while the second tone ring is fabbed up. Annealing and passivating of the tone rings will probably follow after the axle is installed. Not sure the annealing is strictly necessary to maximize magnetic permeability. I guess the ABS light will tell the tale. Passivating for corrosion resistance is necessary, but cheap and easy. Just mix up a mild nitric acid solution and heat it up to 140F for half an hour. I could probably do it on my kitchen stove, it has a good vent. :D

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I delivered the hub assembly with ABS wheel to the fabricator today. The axle housing is looking great! Can't wait to get rid of that howling, vibrating POS that slaps the brake pistons back in their bores every time I go around a corner.

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The spacers under the Watt's links upper attachment points are temporary, just need some shorter bolts.
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And here's the brake rotor and adapter next to the second mechanical brake caliper. Gotta have a parking brake. :D
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That's looking great. I was wondering about the watts link mounting, that looks like a great approach. I had imagined something going under the top 2 center section studs instead of welded to the top of the housing. Beautiful welds.
 
Beautiful work!

Did you weld a sample axle and do a cut and acid etch to check for porosity and proper penetration? ;)
 
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