Cracked lower left shock mount on front diff/axle housing ... Hmmm (1 Viewer)

[sunrk]

Was adjusting front bearings and doing a wheel rotation on my 80 a few days ago and I discovered a crack where the LHS lower should mount is joined to the 'body' of the front diff/axle housing:



Is this something that will be a simple repair (just not for me as I've never welded anything)? Looks like it will be when the wheel off (to give access) and the area all cleaned up so the joint can be re-welded. I'd almost think it's worthwhile having the other side of the same mount, and the matching RHF lower shock mount checked as well.

No idea when it's happened, and I never noticed it even when I was building up the housing with mostly new drive and brake parts a few weeks ago. It might have happened when I was off camping as I was driving on pretty narky dirt roads hauling my off-road box trailer behind that was loaded up with the camping stuff.

Opinions please?

 

[BILT4ME]

Wire brush clean the cracked area to find the extent of the crack. Clean BOTH side of the bracket as much as you can reach.

It can be welded relatively easily. Maybe could go to an exhaust shop that does custom exhausts and they can weld it. Make sure they "back-gouge" the joint before welding in order to get the weld into the joint properly.

 

[sunrk]

I'm trying to work out what to do about this since I don't have any way to do welding myself...

Ok so I am faced with a dilemma. The replacement front diff housing I built up last year with lots of new and refurbed parts has at least one cracked lower shock mount meaning it has to be fully stripped down and removed from the vehicle to be repaired.

Since discovering that I am now suspicious that it might be more damaged than just that. I know I can buy a new housing out of Toyota (or all four x 4) for around $2k.

The time required to remove the existing housing for repair/inspection won't cost me anything if I do it all myself but it means the 80 is out of service for weeks. Who's dealt with an issue like this before and what was the pathway you chose for repair/correction?

There is a place locally that makes plates to beef up the area so the resources are out there - I'm weighing up the cost of materials + time of going that way vs buying a new genuine housing and building that up.

 

[Rwhat]

Buy a decent wire feed welder and start practicing. Start with flux core and watch YouTube videos. I learned over 20 years ago without YouTube and was trial and error. I’m no professional, but can do wire feed, stick and still learning tig. I gave up on trying to learn how to pipe weld.

Once you can weld it will open a lot of DIY stuff you can do.

 

[Pascoscout]

Why does it have to be removed and stripped down for repair? Local laws?

That's probably a 20 minute fix for someone who knows what they are doing.

 

[sunrk]

Because of the access. This is the link to the place making the weld-on plate kits. The biggest problem is access, and preparation. It's not a 20 min job.

80/105 Landcruiser - Steering box plate kit

A known weak point in the 80/105 Series Landcruisers is the chassis where the steering box mounts. We have seen many completely stock Cruisers with cracks in this area. Unfortunately once you start adding lifts, bigger tyres & some offroad abuse, Th

www.ramptcustoms.com.au

Getting access to the inside to weld the top seam of the inner plate is the hardest part. Rampt has a video showing what's involved.

 

[LINUS]

I’m liking what both @BILT4ME & @Rwhat said.

If you’re interested in welding, this could be a good start after some practice welds.

I’d modify a bit Rwhat’s flux-core advice - just go right to a bottle (buy or rent, I own 4-5 bottles) & solid wire.

I was told that and as long as you can build a wind hooch, you’ll keep your gas shield 100% & get better results (IMO after going back & screwing w/ flux core).

Just remember to always turn off the bottle any time you walk away - just a good habit so you never walk out to a empty bottle.


— If you rather not take up welding, buy a used housing unless you’re factory locked & no locker shells are available. That or take it to a real fab shop after you wire-brush it.

A good fab shop will grind back alot of metal to lay a bead on grease-free metal & around here exhaust guys are beginner / intermediate welders, at best.

At least the shock isn’t like the radius arm mounts for criticality / roadworthy-ness.

HTH.

 

[Rwhat]

If you can stack dirty dimes with penetration using flux core, GMAW becomes easier. Plus welding rusty s*** or galvanized, fluxcore is great. That’s just my experience. Once I got my first MIG I used CO2. Then we got a bottle of C25 man that was a big difference. Now I’m cheap and just use CO2.

 

[SNLC]

Buy a decent wire feed welder and start practicing. Start with flux core and watch YouTube videos. I learned over 20 years ago without YouTube and was trial and error. I’m no professional, but can do wire feed, stick and still learning tig. I gave up on trying to learn how to pipe weld.

Once you can weld it will open a lot of DIY stuff you can do.

And you can buy a sweet machine for the $2k he is considering for the housing-axle.

Cheers

 

[Pascoscout]

Because of the access. This is the link to the place making the weld-on plate kits. The biggest problem is access, and preparation. It's not a 20 min job.

80/105 Landcruiser - Steering box plate kit

A known weak point in the 80/105 Series Landcruisers is the chassis where the steering box mounts. We have seen many completely stock Cruisers with cracks in this area. Unfortunately once you start adding lifts, bigger tyres & some offroad abuse, Th

www.ramptcustoms.com.au

Getting access to the inside to weld the top seam of the inner plate is the hardest part. Rampt has a video showing what's involved.

I'm confused. What does a steering box plate kit have to do with a lower shock mount?

 

[Pin_Head]

Just take it to a welding shop. They will know what to do and it won’t cost more than a 24 pack of VB.

 

[LINUS]

Just take it to a welding shop. They will know what to do and it won’t cost more than a 24 pack of VB.

You say that, but I’m always getting materials prepped (press brake) & the welding side has a $125 minimum charge, and that’s here in a rural agricultural area where farm implement fab & repair make alot of their workload. But they also guarantee their work.

Your pricing is a good decade+ behind what is reality as I know it up here.

Just so you know if you bring work to a good fab shop, save you the sticker shock

 

[Pascoscout]

You say that, but I’m always getting materials prepped (press brake) & the welding side has a $125 minimum charge, and that’s here in a rural agricultural area where farm implement fab & repair make alot of their workload. But they also guarantee their work.

Your pricing is a good decade+ behind what is reality as I know it up here.

Just so you know if you bring work to a good fab shop, save you the sticker shock

Depending on where you're at I could weld stuff for ya. Not a beer drinker but I do work for whiskey or rum

 

[LINUS]

Depending on where you're at I could weld stuff for ya. Not a beer drinker but I do work for whiskey or rum

OP is in Australia- otherwise I’d have made the same offer myself.



( If he wasn’t into learning to squirtgun a little metal. )

 

[Pascoscout]

OP is in Australia- otherwise I’d have made the same offer myself.



( If he wasn’t into learning to squirtgun a little metal. )

I was thinking that if you're paying $125 minimum at a fab shop and you were somewhere in eastern WA I could help ya out. Lotta rural farming in our state though so never know

 

[LINUS]

I was thinking that if you're paying $125 minimum at a fab shop and you were somewhere in eastern WA I could help ya out. Lotta rural farming in our state though so never know

Ha - No, I’m on a wall of blue - 350 mig, Econotig, the big plasma 950-975 & even a push-pull for AL mig.

The shop I’m thinking has a lifetime stellar rep & warranty all welds from breaking/flaw.
I just use them when I need sheet bent, I don’t have a press brake.

@sunrk - which way you leaning?

-buy a machine & learn & farm out the job?

Unless you plan to gusset & truss a shell, I’d stay clear of buying a whole shell just for that spot cracking, unless you stumble on a used one for cheap cheap.
— just my opinion on smart money here.

 

[LINUS]

Aww dämmit - I just realized we been armchair QBing a ~6mo old issue.

Then he jumped / bumped the thread to gusset plates for the steer box.

Not sure why, -are you seeing any cracks on the framerail that leads you to doing this?
-Jobs like this are a good reason to learn & keep a welder in the shop.