welded diff

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Get a two pinion differential, for two reasons. #1 the two pinion has huge windows and you really have a lot of room to sew the side gears to the carrier, since you are making a spool the differential gears don't matter anyway. #2 You will want to hold on to your good diff so that you can put it back in when you get tired of calling the cops every time you turn.
 
Isn't a full spool only a $100? :confused:

That, IMO is a small price to pay just in case you get ANY contaminate into the weld....
 
I was advised against a full spool, as some have apparently stripped the splines for the axles. I took my 4 pinion carrier apart, and welded what I could on one side, flipped the spider gears into the other half and welded as much as possible there. I then put it all back together, and welded everything up in the small windows.

If the 2 pinion differential carriers were easier or cheaper to come by that is the route I would have taken.

Good Luck!
 
gittinit said:
I was advised against a full spool, as some have apparently stripped the splines for the axles.
Click to expand...

That doesn't make any sense. A welded diff is the same as a spool. It acts the same, drives the same, smells the same, tastes the same, ruins your tires the same.
 
thread heist, (I don't want to start a thread on a simple Q)


I was thinking about a sorta "quick change rear". Since as of now, I rarely do any 4wheeling and don't need costly, any not road friendly traction aids.

I was thinking of putting extended brake lines on the rear just enough to be able to pull the shaft from the carrier. My plan is to spool or Aussie lock one diff, and have another open, and swap the two when needed. Would it be wise to do that? It wouldn't be changed like every week, more like 1-5 times a year, max. Would the seals leak like right after the 1st pull? Is that how fragile they are? Or can they stand to be used multiple time?

Also I don't know about the center section gasket. Would those two things rule out doing all that?
 
The axle seals are really tough, mine only fail on the trucks that I consistently overload because any slack in the rear wheel bearing allows the shaft to move enough to eat the seal. I don't know how many times you can pull the shaft before the seal dies but I can tell you that it is a lot.
 
A lot of people make a big deal about being careful not to damage those seals when you pull the rear axle, don't let the axle shaft sit unsupported, etc. But it's not necessary. If you look closely at the end of the axle housing, they built in a ridge to protect the seal when the shaft is partially pulled out. You'd really have to try hard to damage it.

Get a set of the Marlin HD seals, and you can pull the shafts many times without issue.

And yes, RDB make things MUCH MUCH easier.
 
so from what you guys are saying it's not the best thing for everyday driving. i guess a new diff would be about 200 bucks from an auto wrecker anyways, my gears are 4.30 is that kinda rare.
 
A spool is perfectly predictable, safe to drive and quite reliable. When people hear you turn they will think that you are being a tool, no matter how slow you are driving, and cops are people too. The life expectancy of your tires will go down a little bit, but the upshot is that if you keep them rotated they will wear very flat and true. Have realistic expectations, and you will never be dissapointed.
 
Save your money and get selectable. Fatory Toyota E locker can be retro-ed to fit (little grinder work) or go ARB. That is if ya are still drive any time on the street. Did it to my old 40 and was cool for the trails but sucks way bad on the street.
Just my 2 cents
 
KLF said:
That doesn't make any sense. A welded diff is the same as a spool. It acts the same, drives the same, smells the same, tastes the same, ruins your tires the same.
Click to expand...

Yea thats what I thought too, but the way it was explained to me was. The full spools cost $200 and the splines are weaker, er um softer or something and don't hold up to the abuse that a welded 3rd can, when done properly.

I'm just passing on what I was told. I have no 1st hand knowledge, but after 2 different people told me this same thing on the intardnet I decided I didn't want to waste money on a spool and tires, just to swap it out later for a locker.

I have a 4.30 3rd I could sell if you want it jer1. PM me if interested.
 
Last edited:
my brother welded his diff in his truck it was nuts donuts in one spot with 36's (in the rain) and fourbyed sweet. He beat his truck up till the engine died, im a little different and use my truck as a daily driver.
the locker sounds sweet but my question is do i need to dissasemble my ring and pinion to install since my gears are 4.30 not generic 4.10.
 
The install depends on the locker you choose. You can do a Lock-Rite with basic tools, you just need to be very careful and thorough to put the diff back together exactly like it was.

Any other locker install requires re-setting up the gears, ie: setting the backlash.
 
jer1 said:
my brother welded his diff in his truck it was nuts donuts in one spot with 36's (in the rain) and fourbyed sweet. He beat his truck up till the engine died, im a little different and use my truck as a daily driver.
the locker sounds sweet but my question is do i need to dissasemble my ring and pinion to install since my gears are 4.30 not generic 4.10.
Click to expand...

I've got a 4.30 diff sitting in the shop. Don't need it and would be willing to send it your way for the right price.

Interested? PM me
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom