Welding to my 60F

[Turtle Bite]

Your caliper is pointing the wrong direction:flipoff: Why not leave just a 1/4" gap? Or put a big bevel on the centersection and end forging if you insist on doing it the hard way.

If you were to leave the 1/2" gap you could weld the end forging to the tube normally and just plug weld the centersection to the tube like factory. Would save alot of work.

250 degrees is WAY to cold. I have been doing alot of research (books, not the internet) on how to correctly weld to the centersection. To do it "correctly" you would heat everything in an oven at 900 degrees, an hour four every inch of thickness.Then weld with Nickel Rod. You would then slowly cool by putting it back in the oven or insulating.

 

[Bunk1]

I had link mounts welded to my center chunk by the great Dean at Bent metal customs(that was for mauler). He didnt pre heat, He used nickle rod for short welds and immediately peened them with a hammer, then waited 5 mins or so and did another small pass. Its held together just fine. Just putting that out there.

 

[orangecrush1]

you're so observant. Didnt think I was going to be chastised over having the outers on the wrong side for pic purposes :flipoff: . I'll make sure and pay more attention to detail on picture day. As for the nickle rod and peening technique, I've heard of that method. I'm trying to find out from someone who has had first hand experience.

 

[AMJ]

Do like Darius said and leave a 1/2" so you can weld the tube to the c. The 1/2" you gain just isn't worth it. Plus it really helps to have that little bit of room to mount your links.

 

[Binder]

I'm trying to find out from someone who has had first hand experience.

I've done a ton of it, weld cast center section to mild steel. 309 rod and peen with a air hammer while still hot. The correct way to do it is pre heat like you wrote above. I've never had a way to heat a whole axle so never tried it that way. Welds usually hold well but not as strong as they should be.....My prediction is if you weld the inner C directly to the center section is the weld here will eventually crack. You would also weld the inside of the C to the tube. This weld won't crack and should be enough to hold everything together.....SHOULD....
I can tell you from personal experience that it really sucks when your axle housing breaks in half. Is that risk worth a half inch?

 

[darius]

Well here's the way it is. the reason you shouldn't weld directly to the center section is for the same reason your not supposed to weld your axle tube to the center section. the center section (ductile iron) and the axle tube (mild steel) are 2 different metal's with 2 different set's of characteristics, aside from them flexing and welding differently, differential's were designed from the factory to allow the axle tubes to move slightly. You will see that people who weld their axle tubes in eventually end up with cracked weld's or broken center chuncks. You would be compounding that problem by welding 2 junk material's together, though your knuckle is mig weldable. A Proper cast to mild weld would happen just like Binder explained using preheat, 309 rod (high nickel), peening following every pass, and hurry up about the next passes, cooling for 5 minutes between passes allow's the metal to cool slightly. If performed correctly you will net a 55,000 lb tensile strength weld.


Or like I said before, leave 1/2" and do it the right way.:beer:

 

[Bunk1]

Shameless plug.....

I have a yukon 4340 short side inner that can be cut down to work on your diff..Its in the for sale section.

 

[orangecrush1]

You guy's are awsome, this is why i posted my delema i don't want to look like an idiot on the trail with a broke ass diff. certainly not over 1/2 in. knoledge is power. :worship:

 

[crash2]

You guy's are awsome, this is why i posted my delema i don't want to look like an idiot on the trail with a broke ass diff. certainly not over 1/2 in. knoledge is power. :worship:

Just don't fall off the road k thanks goodbye :redneck: