Seeking Experience with Front Range Fab / Diamond Axles (2 Viewers)

[Mike Shull]

I broke one. It wasn’t mine so we don’t know the history. 42”x16.5 swappers (or whatever height came in that width in 2005) at heavy throttle, bounced once. Snap.

Update: tbi sbc, sm420, 4:88 gears, Detroit rear, ARB front.

Come to think of it, we broke two axles that year. The other was on a similar setup with 35’s that had been totaled. T-bone. Hit axle. Did nothing but replace the body. Axle snapped 10 years later on a sandy wash in Moab, just driving along. Also wheeled hard for 10 years of known history. To @cruisermatt ‘s comments, or implied from his comments, these are stronger than most people realize.

@EWheeler rescued us on this adventure. That’s how we met.

 

[cruisermatt]

Yeah, wasn’t referring to you, I was referencing spending $24k on custom 10.5” axles to do forest service roads

 

[Mike Shull]

I know. And I’d bet that we both mean good intent with our comments. Save $$$ and put it into something else If you can. Everything will need parts eventually. Get something that is cheap to maintain. My opinion.

 

[gnob]

my experience with DA was enough that I likely wont do any business with guy anymore.
the housings are rad but cs is a fücking joke.
my axles weren't built like i asked and dude told me to fůck straight off.
no comm. took forever. sent shyt to my old address. technically never completed my order.
took several weeks to even get ahold of guy to order.

if i were to go again id do spidertrax i think.

 

[PIP]

You're going to spend $24k on axles to handle the monstrous power of the mighty plastic R2.8 Cummins?

Have you driven one? Done any research on that little bastard Chinese Foton engine with a bicycle cam chain?

It's your money...

 

[EWheeler]

Its feeling like Pirate4x4 around here.

@dbransco Consider the weight of an FJ80. There are hundreds, if not thousands of built 80 series running built 80 series axles without issue. I’d wager a set of built 80 series axles will last for 95% of the abuse you may put it through. They wont last if youre jumping them.

Youre getting some greif admittedly, from folks with experience building and wheeling these trucks, because we all know none of what you're proposing/asking about is necessary, unless you just want it. I get that. I make lots of unreasonable financial decisions just because its what i want to do. A build with $25k in axles, another $20k in r2.8 costs, youre looking at a $100k+ FJ40 unless the rest of the truck is untouched and not up to spec of the axles and engine.

I dont think you’ll get many folks recommending the r2.8 unless: 1. Its from a shop trying to sell you on the build because theyll profit 2. Another r2.8 owner because they wont admit the underwhelming performance of the engine due to how much money they spent on the swap. 3. Its from someone that has no experience and is just throwing it out because thats what they see the “cool” people doing on the internet.

Its a cool idea, unique for sure, but for the costs, there are far better performing and economical options.

 

[dbransco]

my experience with DA was enough that I likely wont do any business with guy anymore.
the housings are rad but cs is a fücking joke.
my axles weren't built like i asked and dude told me to fůck straight off.
no comm. took forever. sent shyt to my old address. technically never completed my order.
took several weeks to even get ahold of guy to order.

if i were to go again id do spidertrax i think.

Thanks for feedback. This was my concern just with the minimal communication I've had thus far

 

[EWheeler]

Another option is buying Ruffstuff housings and having a local fabricator assemble/complete the build if you dont have the abilities.

 

[dbransco]

Its feeling like Pirate4x4 around here.

@dbransco Consider the weight of an FJ80. There are hundreds, if not thousands of built 80 series running built 80 series axles without issue. I’d wager a set of built 80 series axles will last for 95% of the abuse you may put it through. They wont last if youre jumping them.

Youre getting some greif admittedly, from folks with experience building and wheeling these trucks, because we all know none of what you're proposing/asking about is necessary, unless you just want it. I get that. I make lots of unreasonable financial decisions just because its what i want to do. A build with $25k in axles, another $20k in r2.8 costs, youre looking at a $100k+ FJ40 unless the rest of the truck is untouched and not up to spec of the axles and engine.

I dont think you’ll get many folks recommending the r2.8 unless: 1. Its from a shop trying to sell you on the build because theyll profit 2. Another r2.8 owner because they wont admit the underwhelming performance of the engine due to how much money they spent on the swap. 3. Its from someone that has no experience and is just throwing it out because thats what they see the “cool” people doing on the internet.

Its a cool idea, unique for sure, but for the costs, there are far better performing and economical options.

Yeah, this bull**** is getting old. I was/am a competitive long range shooter and I stopped contributing to the related forums because they ended up being a colossal waste of time. I don't get peoples need to puff their chests on the internet. I digress; however, I remember reading some shooters posts and feeling subpar. I met quite a few in person and it was laughable how they didn't know s***.
Let's face it, 99% of us could drive Chevy Sparks to work, grocery store, etc. Need to carry tools buy a budget El Camino or some s***. Regardless, lot of people preaching but in fact we all do it and we justify our decisions. So be it.
I truly appreciate the advice. I originally posted, asking about experiences with Diamond Axles, but thank you for creatiquing my engine choice (not you EWheeler).
Any axle set I build/buy will be "more" than I need, I'm just comparing which more will suit me best. I agree with you that $24k is a chuck of cash and I may very well change direction due to that. I'm not sure 60s are that path.

 

[gnob]

Thanks for feedback. This was my concern just with the minimal communication I've had thus far

ime, with some vendors, if you aren't a "big name" your shyt gets shuffled to the back of the line.

 

[PIP]

Yeah, this bulls*** is getting old. I was/am a competitive long range shooter and I stopped contributing to the related forums because they ended up being a colossal waste of time. I don't get peoples need to puff their chests on the internet. I digress; however, I remember reading some shooters posts and feeling subpar. I met quite a few in person and it was laughable how they didn't know s***.
Let's face it, 99% of us could drive Chevy Sparks to work, grocery store, etc. Need to carry tools buy a budget El Camino or some s***. Regardless, lot of people preaching but in fact we all do it and we justify our decisions. So be it.
I truly appreciate the advice. I originally posted, asking about experiences with Diamond Axles, but thank you for creatiquing my engine choice (not you EWheeler).
Any axle set I build/buy will be "more" than I need, I'm just comparing which more will suit me best. I agree with you that $24k is a chuck of cash and I may very well change direction due to that. I'm not sure 60s are that path.

I critiqued your engine choice because I'm familiar with them. I cannot recommend an R2.8. It's not a good quality engine.

Can I tell you a story that may help you out here?

A good friend of mine wanted about the same thing it sounds like you want- A turbodiesel early 4x4.

He was very disappointed with the R2.8 after getting intimate with one. In the end he couldn't find a good solution to build something so he bought a Mahindra Roxor brand new for $15k and bought a CJ7 for the grill and title for $500. He combined the two and with a few power mods he loves it. I've driven it 75 mph and taken it through some rough stuff on his property. It's absurdly impressive for how little it costs.

I would consider putting a FJ40 body on a Roxor chassis long before I'd buy into the R2.8 hype.

Other options in the Domestic USA small turbodiesel market include the Jeep Liberty CRD stuff and the 2.8/3.0 Duramax stuff.

Way better support than the R2.8 has.

 

[dbransco]

I critiqued your engine choice because I'm familiar with them. I cannot recommend an R2.8. It's not a good quality engine.

Can I tell you a story that may help you out here?

A good friend of mine wanted about the same thing it sounds like you want- A turbodiesel early 4x4.

He was very disappointed with the R2.8 after getting intimate with one. In the end he couldn't find a good solution to build something so he bought a Mahindra Roxor brand new for $15k and bought a CJ7 for the grill and title for $500. He combined the two and with a few power mods he loves it. I've driven it 75 mph and taken it through some rough stuff on his property. It's absurdly impressive for how little it costs.

I would consider putting a FJ40 body on a Roxor chassis long before I'd buy into the R2.8 hype.

Cool, appreciate the feedback. I've got acquaintances with differing opinion, so I'll let you know. The crate is sitting in my shop now. I don't discredit your friends experience, but if it was such a piece of s***, I doubt Torfab, Profitts, etc. would be using them in their builds.
I haven't described my uses in their entirety, but I'm not interested in a FJ40 bodied Mahindra.

 

[Tank5]

I had DA build me an axle more than 10 years ago. My experience buying was bad enough I wouldn’t do it again. I had to fix a couple things they got wrong but the housing has held up well and I am still using it today. The experience encouraged me to learn how to build my own, which I have done since. That is way too much money for poor customer service. There are other options.

If you are dead set on buying a DA housing I would encourage you to buy it through a bigger shop. I have heard that DA treats them better than the average Joe buying direct. Because of the potential repeat business I expect they are more responsive to the business buyer.

Maybe their customer service has improved since but I will never know.

 

[PIP]

Cool, appreciate the feedback. I've got acquaintances with differing opinion, so I'll let you know. The crate is sitting in my shop now. I don't discredit your friends experience, but if it was such a piece of s***, I doubt Torfab, Profitts, etc. would be using them in their builds.
I haven't described my uses in their entirety, but I'm not interested in a FJ40 bodied Mahindra.

It was my experience. I got one of the first R2.8's for adapter development. From what I learned through reverse engineering and testing I could not support the R2.8 platform.

The R2.8 is made in China. The Roxor is made in Detroit Michigan.

 

[dbransco]

I critiqued your engine choice because I'm familiar with them. I cannot recommend an R2.8. It's not a good quality engine.

Can I tell you a story that may help you out here?

A good friend of mine wanted about the same thing it sounds like you want- A turbodiesel early 4x4.

He was very disappointed with the R2.8 after getting intimate with one. In the end he couldn't find a good solution to build something so he bought a Mahindra Roxor brand new for $15k and bought a CJ7 for the grill and title for $500. He combined the two and with a few power mods he loves it. I've driven it 75 mph and taken it through some rough stuff on his property. It's absurdly impressive for how little it costs.

I would consider putting a FJ40 body on a Roxor chassis long before I'd buy into the R2.8 hype.

Other options in the Domestic USA small turbodiesel market include the Jeep Liberty CRD stuff and the 2.8/3.0 Duramax stuff.

Way better support than the R2.8 has.

I very much considered the Duramax 2.8L, but there are lots of examples of short life engine failure (holes burnt in pistons, etc.). There is virtually no support for the 3.0l as of yet and the timing chain is at the rear of the engine (if I'm not getting my engines mixed). The Crysler 3.0 was intriguing, but again support was questionable and there aren't very many straight forward options for its use in a swap situation. I've done a lot of research, not to say I may be wrong.

 

[dbransco]

I had DA build me an axle more than 10 years ago. My experience buying was bad enough I wouldn’t do it again. I had to fix a couple things they got wrong but the housing has held up well and I am still using it today. The experience encouraged me to learn how to build my own, which I have done since. That is way too much money for poor customer service. Their are other options.

Honestly if you are dead set on buying a DA housing I would encourage you to buy it through a bigger shop. I have heard that DA treats them better than the average Joe buying direct. Because of the potential repeat business I expect they are more responsive to the business buyer.

Maybe their customer service has improved since but I will never know.

Thanks

 

[dbransco]

It was my experience. I got one of the first R2.8's for adapter development. From what I learned through reverse engineering and testing I could not support the R2.8 platform.

The R2.8 is made in China. The Roxor is made in Detroit Michigan.

The block is made in China and its lined and built in Columbus, is it not? It's not the ISF2.8

 

[PIP]

The block is made in China and its lined and built in Columbus, is it not? It's not the ISF2.8

The R2.8 engine is built 100% in China. The only thing that happens in Indiana is they drop it in a fancy looking wood crate and add the swap specific wiring, Catalytic converter and instructions. That's a different made in USA than my standard, but I guess it passes?

 

[Mike Shull]

Hopefully my comments did not rattle anyone. Normal this is a pretty calm crew. It must be this hot weather. Time for some fresh air?

 

[EWheeler]

I would run built 80 series axles without hesitation. (Full floater rear). They come for sale on the forum here from time to time and also locally when folks decide to upgrade to one tons.

A big component of not breaking things is having the suspension properly setup so you can rely on articulation and traction instead of momentum to get up/over obstacles. Low trans/tcase gearing also helps with controlling your approach to obstacles.