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RE told me to do this with Hack n Tap

Double Down

Double Down

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Cincinnati, Ohio
Was talking to RE today because planning on doing Hack N Tap this weekend and the guy I was talking to, said if it was him he would take everything to a machine shop and tell them to lop it off at a certain point and drill to a certain size and point, etc. He said this because that way you know it's centered. Now, I'm guessing that he meant take apart the TC and take the shaft to the machine shop, not the whole Jeep right?

I really plan on doing the Hack n Tap in my driveway, but didn't know if this was a faster and easier way. Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Chris
 
which sales guy? when you split the case, you defeat the purpose of the hack and tap. and depending on the year of your jeep/t-case, the HT is only a few dollars savings over the heavy duty tailshaft kit from advanced adapters. and the cost of taking it to a machine shop and paying them to do it... now if you have a 242, then the story is a little different. a HT is the only sensible way to go.
to get the cut straight, you choke the wheels and put the tranny in gear with the engine running while you make the cut. before that, drill the hole into the center of your yoke, you can even drill the yoke, then drill into the mainshaft thru the cut point. yes you are drilling through more material but if you push hard enough it will drill down pretty quickly. by drilling through the cut before cutting you garantee that the drill will stay centered. then cut the shaft and drill a little deeper and tap it.
 
Rawbrown said:
which sales guy? when you split the case, you defeat the purpose of the hack and tap. and depending on the year of your jeep/t-case, the HT is only a few dollars savings over the heavy duty tailshaft kit from advanced adapters. and the cost of taking it to a machine shop and paying them to do it... now if you have a 242, then the story is a little different. a HT is the only sensible way to go.
to get the cut straight, you choke the wheels and put the tranny in gear with the engine running while you make the cut. before that, drill the hole into the center of your yoke, you can even drill the yoke, then drill into the mainshaft thru the cut point. yes you are drilling through more material but if you push hard enough it will drill down pretty quickly. by drilling through the cut before cutting you garantee that the drill will stay centered. then cut the shaft and drill a little deeper and tap it.
Click to expand...

i dont mean to do this but i disagree, if you go to a machine shop then ur garenteed no problems and if there is they will buy you a knew one, plus ur cuts are going to be straight, and you tap is also going to be straight.
Its not hard to disasemble your transfer case those shafts just come out,(not just come out there is some assembly required but you'll figure it out) believe me i know i did the same thing to mine when i took it to me uncle (a machine wizard) and then together we put it back in my jeep under an hour
my 2 cents are do what the RE guy told ya
my transfer case is also a np243 (5spd)
 
*xj-man* said:
i dont mean to do this but i disagree, if you go to a machine shop then ur garenteed no problems and if there is they will buy you a knew one, plus ur cuts are going to be straight, and you tap is also going to be straight.

2 cents are do what the RE guy told ya
my transfer case is also a np243 (5spd)
Click to expand...

be afraid...be VERY AFRIAD....

go with raw brown...I'm pretty sure he's done at least 3 of these before...

he hasen't screwed anoyone with info that I can remember...I would trust what he tells you...


GOT TROLL ?
 
Definitly dont take it to a machine shop, thats a good waste of at least $100. I've done two with no problems at all. You need a cut-off wheel and an angle grinder (Sawzall will not work) a drill, and a smaller bit to drill out the hole first. It just needs to be close, not dead center. There is play in the washer for the flange for a reason. After you drill with the first bit, take it out and put it in the hole and check to see if you are going straight in, and adjust with your bigger bit as necesary. Having a friend watch the bit for you while you drill is good cause your arm will get tired...
 
just get a good bit to start a pilot with and you will be fine. did mine last week no problem. it was quite a bit off center too and everything worked fine...was close but worked fine. dont drop the extra coin.
 
I'm almost embarrassed to say that that's how I did mine. Split the case and had a machine shop cut, drill, and tap the shaft. Then again, with the RE H&T, I wanted it to be right. I was also only into my H&T for $15.00, bought at their garage sale a few years back, and I had access to a machine shop. Total for my RE H&T was $40.00. To me it was worth the extra effort.
 
am i missing something or what I did mine in my driveway with a sawzall. not an exact cut but you cant tell while driving and the whole centering thing they are talking about you can drill on the edge of the output shaft and it is still gonna be straight. the splines are not going to shift or anything. (drill as close to center as possible) I was just saying it dont really matter.
 
You can think of your TC as a lathe.
Do it this way and it'll all be straight and centered:
Rawbrown said:
to get the cut straight, you choke the wheels and put the tranny in gear with the engine running while you make the cut. before that, drill the hole into the center of your yoke, you can even drill the yoke, then drill into the mainshaft thru the cut point. yes you are drilling through more material but if you push hard enough it will drill down pretty quickly. by drilling through the cut before cutting you garantee that the drill will stay centered. then cut the shaft and drill a little deeper and tap it.
Click to expand...
 
Makes sense to me, but what is the best tool to use to cut the shaft while it is turning? Also, do you keep the shaft turning while drilling also? Depending on the tool you guys suggest, like sazall, etc what type of blade should I get that will work the best?

And just to make sure I understand this correctly, RawBrown, you are saying that before I even doing any cutting I drill down through the existing shaft? If that is correct, how far do I know that I need to go or am I just doing that to get a good centered hole so that when I cut it off I can start drilling into the hole I started from the original shaft?

Thanks,

Chris
 
Double Down said:
Makes sense to me, but what is the best tool to use to cut the shaft while it is turning? Also, do you keep the shaft turning while drilling also? Depending on the tool you guys suggest, like sazall, etc what type of blade should I get that will work the best?

And just to make sure I understand this correctly, RawBrown, you are saying that before I even doing any cutting I drill down through the existing shaft? If that is correct, how far do I know that I need to go or am I just doing that to get a good centered hole so that when I cut it off I can start drilling into the hole I started from the original shaft?

Thanks,

Chris
Click to expand...
The drilling can be done with the shaft spinning before or after the cut.
Either way, it'll be centered.
The hardness doesn't go all the way through, just the first 1/8" or so.
After the cut is easier for me and the bits.

I like to use a cut-off wheel with the shaft spinning.

Remember, if the shaft is spinning, your cuts will always be straight and your holes will always be centered.


Edit: BTW, I have machined a 242 shaft, and it works even better, but I already had the case apart.
Look up my Okiefab SYE thread.
 
Last edited:
I did the H&T to my wife's 242...no issues. I hadn't thought of trying it with the shaft spinning....then then again, I used masking tape to mark where I was cutting. If I were to do it again, I would use that method.

Centering the hole is easy....draw an X with a scribe or spin the shaft. And as correctly noted....if your off 1/16", no big deal....plenty of room.

Considering how long it takes to just pull the xfer case...the H&T takes about the same amount of time....and you don't have to re-install the xfer case.
 
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