WELDING DIFFS

[BIGDADOFFROAD]

ON MY CHEROKEE I WANT TO WELD THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL OR LINCOLN LOCKERS. LIKE MOST OF YOU I DO NOT HAVE A LARGE POOL OF MONEY TO DRAW FROM SO IM GOING TO BUY A SLIP STYLE LOCKER FOR THE FRONT AND WELD THE BACK HAS ANY ONE DONE THIS BEFORE, IF YES HOW DID IT HOLD UP, IF NO WHAT ARE THE DRAW BACK, OR IS THERE A LOCKER OUT THERE THAT CAN GIVE ME TRU TRACTION WITHOUT WELDING THE DIFFS. MY CHEROKEE JUST NEEDS MORE TRACTION.

78 CHEROKEE
360 2BB
DANA 44 FRONT AND BACK
4 IN LIFT
33 X 12.5 X 15
MOSTLY STILL STOCK

[joe]

This thread seems to come up a lot. Use the search eng fior the tech forum and type in "lincoln" or "welded axle" etc and you find past threads on welding the diffs.

[tuck]

depends what you use the Jeep for. Welded differentials are great if you want lots of traction, but they can be bad if you drive a lot on snow or ice, or if you're using it to drive a lot on the street. welded differentials and most lockers will make the tires wear unevenly, cause the tires to bark around corners, and cause extra stress on most of your axle components. But the traction is as good as it gets, and there's no wondering if it's going to slip or lock, it's always locked.

some people swear by this method, and have put a lot of miles on a welded diff. But think about it, if that weld lets go you've got metal chunks floating around in your differential.. it's not going to be pretty. But FSJ axles aren't that expensive, so I say you put on your mask and start welding.

oh yeah, here's a link to a demo-derby site article on welding diffs, a different approach. enjoy. http://www.derbypro.com/tut9.html

[ August 23, 2002, 10:09 AM: Message edited by: tuck ]

[KYJ10]

I welded the fronts on both my MJ and my J10. The MJ had the vacuum disconect axles, and the J10 has lock out hubs, so it didnt affect it under normal conditions. If you weld all the spider and side gears together, there is no way it will break. Unless you suck at welding. It will snap ujoints or shafts first. Just clean all the junk out real good b4 putting it back in the diff housing. I put duct tape around my bearings to protect them. The heat from the welding melted the tape somewhat, but gas or starting fluid will take the sticky tape residue right off. Ive driven many miles both on and off road and havent had a lick of problems. I wouldnt do it to the back unless it's for off road use, as it will wear the rear tires out. Not to mention the stress on shafts and ujoints. If you dont have lockouts on the front, then dont do it either. Will be impossible to steer. But if its a trail rig, who cares. Dennis

[Sycho15]

A mini-spool is another way to go. It's cheap (though not as cheap) and it's removeable if you find you don't like it.

[WillyPete]

i welded my J10 rear end. it's held up, i like it, and the chirping on the street is tolerable.

traction off road is great :D

front is still open, i'm debating whether or not to weld that too...

[Sycho15]

WillyPete- that is a fine-looking truck! Do you drive it daily? My friend spooled the 9" in his F-150 and it wore the tires out real fast, made it a ***** to turn, and eventually caused his frame to break by the steering box.

It went like mad off-road though :D

[scotty]

if i had lockouts on my little cherokee,id have welded his front diff long ago smile.gif he also has the disco axle,and the only reason i havent done it yet is not 100% sure i want the front driveshaft to be spinning in 2wd since its my daily driver. not a fuel mileage concern,or a parts wearing out faster concern,its simply that its more important for it to stay balaced if its spinning...

i had the front welded in my GW for awhile. the available traction was really cool,but with 38s it is impossible to steer on hard pack dirt or ay surface where thers lots of traction with both hubs locked,and non-ram-assisted steering ;) i liked the traction alot,but i dont like repairing broken u joints and axleshafts in the woods,and also the jumping in and out to unlock/lock hubs was getting old. had to take it apart anyway to swap gears,so i put in a true trc limited slip up front. not sure how eell i like it yet,the welded diffy may find his way back in.

as far as the rear goes,not much more to say. it will cause lots more stress on pretty much everything,and will wear out tires quicker. its behavior,however,can be alot more predictable than a locker...

if you are running 3.73 or higher gears,an open carrier is real easy to come by ifn you decide you dont like it. heck,ive prolly got 2 or 3 of em sittin around...

definately start collecting spare parts if youre gpnn weld either the front or the rear,specially if youre not gonna be ice to it off road with big tires

my $.02 on that smile.gif

[WillyPete]

thanks! yep, that's my DD (well, when i can find the time to get it down here it will be). she still turns ok, probly cuz of the long wheelbase; doesn't sound like i've broken anything yet ;)