Mr.OverKill
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- the city of El Cajon
the minimal possible misalignment of the knuckles you might get would have absolutely no effect on either the unit bearings, the u joints, ball joints, steering, axle shafts or any of the components in the axle.I just feel that its possible to get the knuckle out of square with the tube, even though it is a tight fit the tube only goes 1 1/2" or so into the knuckle.
If sleeving was the better way to go then EVERY axle manufacturer would be doing it not the knuckle rotations as we do.
Think about this, IF you sleeve and dont use tube seals or you use tube seals but they leak/ get worn out you will trap dirt, dust, rocks and debris to the inner part of the sleeve in the original tube, mix that with water and you get a very corrosion prone area or the rocks get wedged between the shaft and housing and damage the shaft, with no way out it could happen over and over again without you knowing.
What happens when you insert your sleeve in the axle tube and bend the original housing tube, the axle shaft could rub on the sleeve causing axle shaft wear and at the very least cause a stress/ week spot on the shaft or even wear to the point of breakage.
Just some points to think about.
Oh, and another thing, if you cut the tube and sleeve it, when you weld it the weld will try to pull and warp the tube and cause the tube to be bent right from the get go, thick welds pull ALOT!!!!
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