What rod for welding difs?

I have a 79CJ5 that is going to be off road "only". I want to weld the spiders, what type or # rod should I use.

I want to weld the rear, and possibly the front.

I own a small sign company and have been welding most of my life, but only standard / common steel. Welded SS once, it turned out beautiful.

What type ac/dc (stick) rod can I use. I use 7014s' for all of my welding.

With all components cleaned, and useing high amps to get good penetration, should I weld in short quick beads to keep the generated heat down as much as possible? Or strive for long smooth heavy beads?

If I lock the front also, will it be excessively difficult to turn in loose terrain? If I get on a trail that requires a lot of tight turns, I could unlock the hubs and be back to normal. Or would this be a nightmare? Locking and unlocking?

Do any of you guys have locked front and rear? How much of a differance does it make having the front locked vs open?

I know welding is frowned on by some but this is the only way I am going to have a half way capeable ride. If I have all 4 pulling, I should be able to idle through the rough sections rather than having to keep the momentum up to make it.

Anyway, thanks for any rod info or tech you can give me.

 

Lincoln lockers will break ans yes they make it very difficult to steer.
The gears are made of 8620 steel. You can call a welding company and tell them you are welding 8620 and ask what they recommend.
If you can install a lunch box locker in the rear it will make a huge difference, they can be gotten for about $250

 

:iagree:

 

Don't weld the front.

Go ahead and weld the rear. Be sure to weld the side gears to the case-gonna take a lot of rod. Use whatever rod you are comfortable welding with, cause it's against the rules to weld gear steel to cast whatever anyway. Go ahead and weld it up all in one shot and get it good and hot-better than a bunch of heating and cooling cycles. The welds may crack as it cools, so don't be alarmed when you hear it popping.

I've seen more broken detroit lockers than welded diff's. Do a decent job and it will be stronger than the rest of your drivetrain.

 

Why not put in a spool in the rear. They're pretty cheap. I've seen 'em for around $100. You'll hate driving it with the front welded, but you'll probably get real good at replacing axle shafts.

 

Hay guys, thanks for the info.

I will take the advise above and not lock the front.

What is a "lunch box locker"? I have seen this mentioned several times here but without any explanation as to how it got it's name.

Does anyone know where I can get a spool, I'm guessing AMC 20, for $100.00? I'm not sure but I think everyting I have seen was 2ish?

Do you buys think I should use a nickle or SS rod?

I have an old CJ3, I may use it for practice.

Thanks again...

 

lunch bock locker replaces the spider gears inside the carrier as opposed to a full detroit which replaces the carrier as well. The lunch box can be installed without having to reset up the gears. So you can do this your self.

 

X2. A buddy of mine is welded in the front, and his is a pita to drive most of the time. It isn't really too bad in the trails, and he unlocks the hubs on the road and it isn't bad to drive, but I would never do it on one unless it had hydraulic steering. We've done several with 6011 rods and only ever had one break (due to about 600hp too much and a maniac driving it), and like it has been said, it's pretty much whatever you are comfortable with. Locker in the front would be your best bet, welding the rear will be fine though.

 

OK here what i done all i have is my front welded an i love it but i got power steering too all u got to do is unlock 1 hub an u still got 4wd but its like it was from the factory just 1 wheel pulling it makes it a lot easier to steer i don't have my rear welded i drive on the highway a lot as full spool would be the way to go in the rear bout 150 or so

 

I have both front and rear welded. Wish I had never done the front. To answer your question about having trouble turning on loose soils, you will have some difficulty, but the big issue will be when you hit something that allows traction to both tires and they cannot slide or slip. (eg. comming out of a ditch onto the street) Locking and unlocking the front is a giant PITA.

Once you weld the rear, drive it like that for a little while. I think you will find that it is quite capable like that. If you still feel the need to do the front, spend the money to do it right.

 

X3 on the front end, welding a 20 can only increase it's value, not gonna hurt it any. The skinny pedal and barley pops is what breaks axles.

 

Nickel 99 rod is supposed to be good for cast. I found that is is kind of weird to weld with but I am not an expert welder. I've never welded spider gears with it.