Finally took apart the Craigslist solid axle and I found this:



My friend who has rebuilt these axles in the past says that with some careful filing I can get it good enough so the races will sit good and not leak. The birfs need replacing for sure as I think a piece of bearing was crunching around in there for who knows how long.
What do y’all think?

 

Hard to tell from the picture. My question would be is how thick do you think the Knuckle ball is in that area with the damage? Getting the trunion race to seat, I don't think will be a problem.

 

I think I know what you mean..as in do you think there’s enough metal (where the damage is) to not risk the thing to crack? When I clean/file it I’ll asses and take more photos
I just scored another axle housing. It’s a little rougher on the outside and it would be more work because it hasn’t been modified for hi-steer but inside the knuckle ball (on the passenger side) is cleaner. Would cutting the passenger side knuckle ball then reattaching to driver side of another housing be a good move? Or are they side specific?
I have a lot more research to do..

 

They are not side specific but can be a pain to remove. You have to cut off the steering stops and sand/grind the weld down until you see the line where they were put together then pound it off with a mallet. It's a pain. Quite a few years ago I went through this to rotate the knuckles to increase caster on a lifted truck.

 

Im not seeing anything to concerning going on here. I think you are over thinking this. Its not uncommon for things to get a bit chewed up when a birf breaks. If you can get the bearing race seated, I think your fine. If youre really worried about that gouge on the right, fill it with weld and grind it smooth, though I dont think it's necessary. Swapping knuckle balls sounds like a good way to open up a real can of worms. Also, if it makes you feel better, it is common to have to grind away some material from that area when installing longfields.

 

Fellas, I think you are right. I’m just going to clean it up and move forward. After some contemplation, I figured if I was in sub Saharan Africa and the insurgents are coming, it’s time to rebuild this axle, bolt on the machine gun and get the rig going again.