Why Not Customs :: Wichita, KS

You have decided to put Rock’s under your rig. These are really cool axles as well as strong for those big tires. The low gears are great for crawling, and the width is over the top when it comes to stability, but there is one issue with a Rockwell axle and that is ground clearance.

The area of concern is the differential. This sticks down and can get you stock when having fun on the trails. You can just live with it, or you can do what is called a Mohawk. You can buy the kit and do this conversion, or you can do all the work your self. If you are going to do either approach you should have some skills with a welder and torch, or friends that do.

Now lets look at doing this yourself with some shop tools and plate steel. Of course lets start by strip the axle down to the bare housing. This is a good time to inspect everything. Once you have the center chunk out of the way and the housing is on jack stands, it is time to start the project.

You will need your torch to start cutting the center out of the axle housing. You will need to cut a 7 ¾” hole in the bottom of you differential housing of your Rockwell axle. Now once you have done this you can stop right here. Cut a piece of 3/8” material and weld it back in and you have increased your ground clearance. If you are ready to take the next step, then here we go.

Now that you have cut the 7 ¾” hole, find the center of the bull gear in the housing. You will need to mark a 3” wide mark on each side. This will be the area that covers the bull gear. The next cuts will be cutting the extra material on the sides of the bull gear to start making the Mohawk look on your Rock. I marked up 5/8” from the axle housing around the differential. This cut will be the area of material you cut to add clearance on each side of the bull gear. From the section that covers the bull gear down to the area that covers the bearing caps can be cut several ways.

I cut my axles with an angle so that the rocks on the trail don’t have a sharp edge to try and slide over. From the surface of the bull gear down to the bearing cap surface I put an angle in. I make this a 1 ½ wider at the bottom on each side than at the top. By looking at the pictures you can see how this is done.

Now all of the cutting on the axle is done and it is time to clear up all of your cuts and prepare for welding. I use 3/8” plate on everything I added back as this is what will protect the bull gears from what ever you come in contact with.

When you start putting the first plate in that will cover the bull gear, make sure you have plenty of clearance for the gear when the chunk is installed. After that is confirmed you can then cut the other 4 pieces of plate that will cover the side over the bearing caps and tack everything together. Take a good look at everything and confirm everything clears and looks good. Once it is welded, it will be hard to go back and correct anything that is not right.

Weld everything up both inside as well as outside. Check all welds for any pinholes, as this will also have to hold oil. Clean everything up and reassembly your axle. Go and enjoy the added clearance and the fact that you did this yourself.



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