anything?

Getting a plasma cutter and a mig welder for this weekend. Time to start cutting and welding! Pictures to follow.

Any updates? Looks like a awesome plan

Help.

What'd you do?

Still need to figure out how to use the rear suspension minus the diff. What actually holds the wheels on? Can I just pull the axles and loose the diff or does the axle hold the wheels on?

Also just lost my helper so now I am working by myself.

Assuming you are using a GD wagon shell like yours? The rear hub is held on by the trailing arms, lateral links, and strut/spring combo. The axle just goes through the hub and spins the bearing to which the wheel is attached. It should be totally ok to remove the axles and diff, however I would keep them handy as replacement parts.

The axle nut and outer cv joint needs to stay in the knuckle. This keeps the wheel and hub from falling off the car. You can get rid of the axle bar and the inner cv joint. For the diff you can just get rid of it to make space for something else or just to save weight.

^ he's right, you do need the outer joint to keep the bearing in place.

LMAO Okay, let me try this again.

you can get rid of the diff. no need

remove the outer cups and shoot the axle nut to hold it all in.

holds the bearing in.

[QUOTE=cueballsi;3274977]can u get rid of the diff and out in axle shafts... like only the part into the bearing somehow.... reduce weight![/QUOTE]

I have no idea what this says. Anyone else?

This is awesome! Can't wait for updates. And in regards to the diff and axles, you can remove them, just keep the part that actually slides through the hub and use the axle nut like you normally would. This will keep the hubs/bearings together, but you can get rid of the rest of the axle. :)

Thanks,
Rick

Tell me you're still working on this! I'd hope someday I'll get the chance to make one Haha

remove rear half shafts. as one stated before, your strut is supported by knuckle, lat links, and trailing arm. the half shafts line up with the splines in the wheel hub/bearing and transfer the power to the wheels. so, its ok to remove rear diff and shafts. its as if you have a FWD car and made a tear drop trailer. FWD's have the same setup as you are trying to accomplish. in the rear, driveline wise, they only have wheels. LOL. at least with older cars, thats how they were. obviously if you dont have power to rear wheels, you dont need a diff. the wheels will turn at their own rate when not coupled together, enough of me. how about an update!!!

[QUOTE=02RS25;3372278]remove rear half shafts. as one stated before, your strut is supported by knuckle, lat links, and trailing arm. the half shafts line up with the splines in the wheel hub/bearing and transfer the power to the wheels. so, its ok to remove rear diff and shafts. its as if you have a FWD car and made a tear drop trailer. FWD's have the same setup as you are trying to accomplish. in the rear, driveline wise, they only have wheels. LOL. at least with older cars, thats how they were. obviously if you dont have power to rear wheels, you dont need a diff. the wheels will turn at their own rate when not coupled together, enough of me. how about an update!!![/QUOTE]

re-read the last page, you need to leave the outer CV bolted thourgh the knuckle to keep the wheel bearing together. FWD cars would just have that spindle as part of the knuckle instead of part of the CV assembly.

As for updates, i'm pretty sure the project is dead in the water due to the massive tongue weight this setup would have. The shell of the car without the motor and front end will be ~1000 lbs?, and with the rear axle so far behind the center of gravity most of that weight will be on the trailer tongue. And that's not even loaded up.