Real World Land Cruiser Axle Housing Use and Answers.

[RustyNailJustin]

From my personal experience with Cruiser axles in desert racing and trail use.

 

[muddogbob]

To make the strongest 60/62 steering housing, would you just add some fat gussets between the knuckle balls and spring perches? I’ve got some sleeves to widen my front by 5”, and I keep wondering if I’m wasting time not going with a diamond/ruffstuff housing. I don’t race, I just like to build stuff stout.

 

[RustyNailJustin]

I wouldn't run a spacer. Going to a custom housing is money ahead. My time and effort are worth it. Exactly why I posted this thread.

 

[White Stripe]

I widened my housing with a spacer, but I trussed it from knuckle ball to knuckle ball up to almost kissing the felt gaskets. It added probably 70lbs to the housing. But it was inexpensive to do. I would be surprised if ever bends. I would not use diamond, they make nice stuff, guy at work ordered from them, it took them forever to build it. Way way longer than time promised. They were not honest at all and led him to believe it would be done quickly. Ruff stuff would probably be legit. Nice video above and is informative.

 

[bjowett]

Great info! Thanks for posting some real world results. I'm looking at using 2007+ Tundra 9.5" rear axle housings for my next axle build. The tube outer diameter has grown to almost 3.5".

 

[hoser]

I would not use diamond, they make nice stuff, guy at work ordered from them, it took them forever to build it. Way way longer than time promised. They were not honest at all and led him to believe it would be done quickly.

Perhaps I was lucky but my Diamond axle came on time and exactly as ordered.

 

[Tank5]

I would not use diamond, they make nice stuff, guy at work ordered from them, it took them forever to build it. Way way longer than time promised. They were not honest at all and led him to believe it would be done quickly.

Perhaps I was lucky but my Diamond axle came on time and exactly as ordered.

I had a similar experience with Diamond Axles as White Stripe posted. I shared my experience in the Bad Sellers section. I will never use Diamond Axles again. I bought my own axle jig components after dealing with them, figure I could screw it up on my own just as much as they did. If I ever choose to buy a custom built housing in the future I would go with Ruff Stuff.

Thanks for for sharing the real world experience.

 

[RustyNailJustin]

Diamond axle did exactly what they said they would do for me.
One of the more challenging things if you do use a Ruffstuff housing is the center chunk is so big and tapers so slow back to the tube, mounting leaf spring on the offset is a bitch. Even this diamond needed cut into pretty good.

 

[muddogbob]

Diamond axle did exactly what they said they would do for me.
One of the more challenging things if you do use a Ruffstuff housing is the center chunk is so big and tapers so slow back to the tube, mounting leaf spring on the offset is a bitch. Even this diamond needed cut into pretty good.

Ruff stuff sells a housing with a built in spring perch.

 

[txlonghorn]

Diamond axle did exactly what they said they would do for me.
One of the more challenging things if you do use a Ruffstuff housing is the center chunk is so big and tapers so slow back to the tube, mounting leaf spring on the offset is a bitch. Even this diamond needed cut into pretty good.

Thanks for the vid. Very informative. I'd like to learn more about the leaf setup you have up front on that rig. Looks like it sees some abuse. Up-travel on the shock body looks to be about 4"? You mentioned having to utilize poly bumps. What brand/style have you found works the best? I would guess you are destroying them every race. Have you made an attempt to use the more expensive micro-cellular variety like the sumo springs? What leaf packs do you run? Feel free to link me to a build thread, and I can attempt to answer my own questions if I've missed it.

 

[RustyNailJustin]

Thanks for the vid. Very informative. I'd like to learn more about the leaf setup you have up front on that rig. Looks like it sees some abuse. Up-travel on the shock body looks to be about 4"? You mentioned having to utilize poly bumps. What brand/style have you found works the best? I would guess you are destroying them every race. Have you made an attempt to use the more expensive micro-cellular variety like the sumo springs? What leaf packs do you run? Feel free to link me to a build thread, and I can attempt to answer my own questions if I've missed it.

All good questions. Deavers are the only leafs that hold up to more than one full desert race. We generally recondition the springs ever 3rd race. We have about 5.5" of uptravel on fresh springs and it settles to 4.5 or so.
We have found the energy bumps will live for a full race and if you blow one out it's one bolt to swap in a pit.
I have considered the cellular ones but there gas been a back and forth for years in the rule book about possibly allowing hydraulic bump stops. So while waiting to see what happens, we have got our suspension pretty tuned and happy with what we got.
Shocks are the max you can run in 4600 class.
2.5" body 14" stroke, remote res. Shocks are ADS brand. Been super happy with them and their customer service and helping us tune.

 

[txlonghorn]

All good questions. Deavers are the only leafs that hold up to more than one full desert race. We generally recondition the springs ever 3rd race. We have about 5.5" of uptravel on fresh springs and it settles to 4.5 or so.
We have found the energy bumps will live for a full race and if you blow one out it's one bolt to swap in a pit.
I have considered the cellular ones but there gas been a back and forth for years in the rule book about possibly allowing hydraulic bump stops. So while waiting to see what happens, we have got our suspension pretty tuned and happy with what we got.
Shocks are the max you can run in 4600 class.
2.5" body 14" stroke, remote res. Shocks are ADS brand. Been super happy with them and their customer service and helping us tune.

Great stuff. Any idea what the weight of the rig/spring rate of the springs are? You must have the upper shock mount pretty high to be able to squeeze a 14" in there. I know guys fit 14" bilsteins on the more mildly built rigs, but the body on a nice shock is much longer. I have about 5" of uptravel with 12" Fox but the 14" would be way too long, despite allowing for more droop. The ADS shocks must be sweet. Sounds like a great build.

 

[RustyNailJustin]

Some of the rules make it extremely tough to package things like shocks. No inner fender cutting all pass through supports are only allowed if they are part of the cage.

 

[RustyNailJustin]

I don't remember where we ended up with the spring rates. Now adays I just let them know we need new spring packs and they recreate what we had settled on.
The rig is heavy! Mostly because you have to keep so much body and the cage requirements are pretty strict. It weighs in at 4450 pounds wet

 

[Sputnik40]

Sub'd, good stuff. I run an FJ60 front axle with a 2.5" extension on the passenger side. Gusseted knuckles with a very small truss for the ram assist. Does ok but after jumping it a few times at speed can just sense it's only good for crawling.

Wish I could afford a Ruff Stuff housing but it's just too much to justify for how often I get to seriously wheel, and then as you point out you start wearing out springs, stops, etc.

 

[txlonghorn]

Great pics. Now it feels even more like black magic after seeing that photo with a clean inner fender. Wondering if the ADS have a shorter body than other manufacturers... I expected to see it way up in the engine compartment. I cut mine out for 12s!

 

[Tank5]

Rustynailjustin,

I am curious, what diff are you running in your front diamond axle? Is it a 9.5" 80 series third? How does it hold up to your real world abuse?

I just bought a Ruffstuff front housing set up to run a 80 series 9.5" diff. Before I start building it would be good here what you have seen. I am building an overlanding/expedition truck not a race truck.

 

[RustyNailJustin]

Rustynailjustin,

I am curious, what diff are you running in your front diamond axle? Is it a 9.5" 80 series third? How does it hold up to your real world abuse?

I just bought a Ruffstuff front housing set up to run a 80 series 9.5" diff. Before I start building it would be good here what you have seen. I am building an overlanding/expedition truck not a race truck.

So diff wise we have ran nothing but 9.5" diffs front and rear for 4 years and they have survived.
Everything gets torn apart after every race and there has not been any issues with the 3rds.
At first we were running spools front and rear but have switched to ARBs and that also helps reduce the cumulative fatigue on that stuff.