Toy Diff protection

Jeepless · Mar 18, 2008

I know that 60s are bad ass, but I don't have them so lets leave them out of the discussion.

I recently lost a drain plug out of my front diff, yes I tightened the damn thing every week and still managed to lose the little fawker.

I am moving to the low profile style marlin sells, and am cureious what others are doing to protect the tincan under the fronts of their toyotas.

I am thinking of just welding some straps in a cross (X) on the front of it and call it good. I know there is a lot of armor type shiat out there but I think it is over priced.

Ideas?

willy`s redneck · Mar 18, 2008

Shave it and use one or both of your bottom third member studs. pull the studs out and put bolts in place of the studs. Pull the bolts to drain the oil it doesn't drain to fast but you won't rip the drain plug off any more!!

Jeepless · Mar 18, 2008

Good point, if I shave it then I could just strap the whole thing and not worry about it at all.

willy`s redneck · Mar 18, 2008

Thats what i did to mine

super samurai · Mar 18, 2008

ohhh! my axles are being re done. probably tomorrow.he is goona see if he can heat treat them, because re splining diggs deeper, below the existing heat treat.probably gonna weld unless i find a cheap enough locker.

Toyw/me · Mar 18, 2008

I made my own diff protection using 1/4" plate, a couple of heavy c-clamps, a torch, and a old jeep brake drum that I cut in half. I found the inside dia. of the drum was the rite size for the front and bottom of my toyota housings. Then just ground off the drain plug ring and welded my armor on kind of like an upside down T. Iwas going to shave it and then decided it was more work than3/4" of clearance is worth.

1 grumpy · Mar 18, 2008

try trail gear they make some good dif armur

super samurai · Mar 18, 2008

I plasma cut a steel co2 tank bottom and weld it on with a drain in the bottom,they are cromoly and are really tough

MIG'DHORSE · Mar 18, 2008

i shaved mine. i was thinking about tacking the nuts to the studs so i dont have to search for a thread match. its a bitch if you dont cut it perfectly straight. then you have to trim a 1/4" plate to match its a lotta trouble.

London Gentleman · Mar 18, 2008

Pics of said "shaved axles" would be nice... especially Willy's Redneck.

Pook · Mar 19, 2008

If you don't care about the ground clearance cutting off the diff plug and just laying a piece of 1/8" or thicker flat bar across the bottom is a quick and dirty way to get rid of the drain plug and a big headache.

I have run shaved toy diffs for years, they all leak, just a matter of time. So if you don't want to deal with leaks don't do it.

Jeepless · Mar 19, 2008

I would like to see a couple of pictures if you guys have any, not sure the 3/4 of an inch is worth the time and effort of the shave.

Still up in the air about having the drain plug there....I figure if I need to get the oilout, I can allways pull the axle shafts and yank the third....

kingkrawler · Mar 19, 2008

When I first got my Yota, I noticed that whoever wheeled it before me managed to shave off the protective ring around the plug. I just welded a new ring around it, swapped out the plugs for some 10mm allen plugs and haven't had any issues since then.

You'll notice a big diff in difficulty grinding down regular metal and grinding down a weld. It's much harder to take down a weld...

MIG'DHORSE · Mar 19, 2008

Pook said:
If you don't care about the ground clearance cutting off the diff plug and just laying a piece of 1/8" or thicker flat bar across the bottom is a quick and dirty way to get rid of the drain plug and a big headache.

I have run shaved toy diffs for years, they all leak, just a matter of time. So if you don't want to deal with leaks don't do it.

leaking? how.

Pook · Mar 19, 2008

They all end up leaking at the thirdmember flange. Probably a combo of the third taking hits and ripping out on the studs and warping of the mounting surface from the shaving job.

This probably would vary on how crazy you get shaving it. My last set I had to grind the tips off the ring gear for a little extra clearance.

DPH · Mar 19, 2008

I your looking on how to shave your diffs check out: 4WD Toyota Owner Magazine (May/June 07). The Hardcore Corner he shows you how to do it.

If you can't find the magazine or have questions give Tim a call at 360.481.5130 or on the web at www.wildwestoffroad.com.

David

JThompson · Mar 20, 2008

Maybe I am just a spender, but $25 isn't alot to me. I got my stuff from Trail-gear.

MIG'DHORSE · Mar 20, 2008

London Gentleman said:
Pics of said "shaved axles" would be nice... especially Willy's Redneck.

http://www.nw-wheelers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22918&highlight=trail+tears

not a detailed writeup or anything, just some pics of the process of shaving the housing. it's a lotta work, especially for a fab newb like me. i'm not going to shave my rear housing, especially after all that work. i just wanna wheel. i'll cut off the drain plug and weld it up. that's good enough for me. :awesomework: