Are you ready to rock? That's good, because after last month's teardown of our '99 Dodge Durango, dubbed the Heavy Metal Mudder, we're ready to get this mud-lover farther from the shop and closer to the pit. Still firing away in Eastern Texas with Carl Yarborough and his crew at Old Town Customs, we turn our focus this month to building up the already beefy 2 1/2-ton Rockwell axles. We refreshed the massive axles ("2 1/2-Ton Teardown," Mar. '09) using a set that we picked up from Red River Parts & Equipment, and began the prep for all of our aftermarket axle upgrades. Though not much needs to be done to toughen up the 16-spline six-lug beast, we do have a few important items to address.
A new set of stoppers was at the top of our list since we plan on driving the mudder to the trailhead and back home. Though we know a lot of rigs have great luck with off-road-only pinion brakes, we needed something more conventional and safer for the road. TC Design and Engineering offers a fully bolt-on front and rear disc-brake conversion kit for the 2 1/2-ton Rockwells. The kit allows you to retain the massive six-lug bolt pattern, and with its low-profile four-piston calipers at each corner we have the option of running a smaller and more traditional 15-inch wheel. This opens up our tire choices tremendously.
Among the other axle upgrades, one of the hot-topic items that we had to deal with was our steering system. After examining all our options, we decided to go full hydraulic using a double-ended ram kit from PSC Motorsports. Though we could give you a big song and dance on why we didn't run a steering box and create some elaborate steering system, the reason for going full hydraulic is simple--it's easy and strong and works great. And since this is definitely something worth taking a closer look at, we wrote up a separate article about full hydraulic steering systems that you can read about next month.
So until we meet again, keep those engines roaring high and tires slinging higher, and always remember to rock hard and tread lightly!
 1. Dropping in Detroit Lockers...  1. Dropping in Detroit Lockers in the 2 1/2-ton third members will be the easiest locker install you will ever do. The carrier has to be taken apart, but then the Detroit Locker simply drops in and takes the place of the original spider gears. A note of caution: Out of the box the locker will be connected by a through bolt with a wing nut at one end. Do not unscrew the bolt until the locker is sitting in the carrier and you have the two halves back together! |  2. Since our Rockwell monster...  2. Since our Rockwell monster will be spending some time on the road, we needed a dependable brake setup that could handle the varying speeds and terrain we're sure to encounter .Using an off-the-shelf and completely bolt-on four-way disc-brake system from TC Design and Engineering, we started by removing the original spindle studs and replacing them with Grade 8 bolts to secure the front caliper brackets. |  3. One of the advantages to...  3. One of the advantages to TC's kit is the ability to run a 15-inch wheel. This opens us up to more tire and wheel packages and lets us create a wheel with more backspacing, something we'll definitely need a lot of since the brake kit requires you to run the Rockwell hubs flipped out. |
 4. Stopping power from the...  4. Stopping power from the kit is provided by a front and rear set of low-profile four-piston calipers complete with hardware and performance brake pads. They install in no time flat, so if you can service the brakes on your daily driver you can mount this installer-friendly disc-brake kit. |  5. When most of us think of...  5. When most of us think of hubs, we don't necessarily think of some masterpiece of metal. That is until you hold a pair of cast-aluminum Ouverson Engineering hubs for the factory 16-spline 21/2-ton shafts. Each hub kit requires absolutely no assembly and bolts directly onto the steering axle. Having a selectable hub will keep the wear and tear of the drivetrain down and should make handling this monster on the highway a bit easier. |  6. One of the factory drawbacks...  6. One of the factory drawbacks of the 2 1/2-ton axle is the massive differential pan that eats up a good bit of ground clearance. To combat this, Preston Simpson uses his steady hand and a plasma cutter to peel off the massive stump-grabber. |
 7. Replacing the differential...  7. Replacing the differential cover and giving our front axle some much needed ground clearance is a high-clearance weld-on skid from Old Town Customs. Though this design is still in the prototype stage, by the time you read this the cover should be in production and ready to ship. |  8. Steering is handled by...  8. Steering is handled by way of a full hydraulic double-ended cylinder kit from PSC Motorsports. Replacing the original pump with a custom unit and swapping out the original gearbox for an orbital can help. You can learn more about how we made our Durango full hydraulic and what you need to know to make yours fluid-driven too in the "Hydra-Jacking" story in next month's issue. |  9. Mounting our ram in place...  9. Mounting our ram in place is a bolt-on high-steer cylinder mount from Old Town Customs. An integral part of the Rockwell steering kit, the bracket attaches to the 2 1/2-ton third member and works in conjunction with OTC's high-steer arms. Be sure to stay tuned for more info on the arms and how we plan to beef up our steering. |
Next Month
It seems like our list continues to grow for our Heavy Metal Mudder, but time equals progress, right? We hope so! Be sure to check out next month's installment as we tackle the new suspension system for this mighty Mopar and come just a little closer to getting this Barney Brawler in the dirt.