can i weld my rear

[kamikaze4x4nj]

if mine has a limited slip which i think it does can it still be welded? its a amc 20, thanks, Matt

[jeeping1974]

i do believe so. as long as you have spider gears in there, you can weld it. why? is the posi gone?

[kamikaze4x4nj]

i just want a full lock since its a trail only rig and i drive it to trails and not aorund town

[jeeping1974]

you can. you have to make sure that the spider gears are very clean and that you can get in a good weld. you might want to remove the carrier as that might make is easier. have you regeared your axles to teh gearing that you want?

[shepherdskeep]

I did my rear D44, but it has an open case - not posi. I recommend using 3/32" 6013 stick rods with AC - 6013 bonds very well to iron (for the final step, welding the spiders to the carrier) but performs best with AC, not DC. Be prepared for the spider gears to melt fast. I used 5 rods on mine. Of course, make sure to clean it out thoughly (slag) before bolting the cover back on. I've seen quite a few MIG welds let go & chew up ring & pinion gears, so I went with SMAW.

[jeeping1974]

if you are thinking about regearing then go right ahead and do it for the time being. if/when you regear your axles, you might want to think about a spool for the new carrier, if you are not comfortable with wleding the rear carrier that is.

[shepherdskeep]

Welding the diff is easier than it sounds. I jacked it up & put jackstands under both sides, drained it, used 2 large cans of brake cleaner inside, blew it dry with an air nozzle, clamped the ground cable to the top edge of the pumpkin, set the amps (at 95, IIRC), and started welding. Each open area (2 sides) of the carrier got 6 locations welded - where each spider meshed together (4 places), and to the horizontal sides of the carrier wall (2 places). Most welds will require a lace technique. Rotated the carrier & did the same on the other side. After carefully removing the slag, be sure it has cooled to the touch before final cleaning & bolting the cover back on. Do not force it to cool with air or water, this will risk cracking the iron.

The only thing I'd worry about with welding a posi carrier is the heat from welding messing up the posi clutches. A "linocln-locker" works best on an open carrier.

[Dmntxn77]

A friend of mine welded his rear with a factory Cheby posi.. He just filled as much of that posi as he could with weld. Now it is just one big steel brick.. Its not the most reccomended method, or the most technical, but that was over 2 years ago and still going strong.

BTW, that was on a GMC Jimmy with a factory 12 bolt and 35"s...