Just having a little fun....ouch!

[Goatman]

Well, I finished getting it all back together tonight after work. I checked the other side, and guess what...........the weld was cracking for about 1.5-2" at the very bottom of the tube and inner knuckle. Made me think again about Currie and other custom axle builders that always put a gusset on the bottom......maybe they know something.

Both sides should be good to go now.

 

[SeanP]

And people complain about how difficult it is to turn knuckles!
Billy

No shiznit. Think about the life we took off of our rotator cuffs swinging the 3 pound sledge to rotate ours. This would have been the easy way.

Richard, try it with a welder and not a soldering iron this time

SeanP

 

[SeanP]

The reason that my 7100s for the rear are still sitting on my bedroom floor.

And I rejected $300 cash for my big off road rear springs for the same reason. Links this winter, though.

SeanP

 

[Goatman]

And I rejected $300 cash for my big off road rear springs for the same reason. Links this winter, though.

SeanP

You turned down 300 clams for your BOR's?

Man, that twice what they're worth.

 

[moneypitxj]

when you weld the axle housing u again. pre-heat weld post-heat then cool in sand. thats the best way to cool cast down.

 

[JeepFreak21]

You turned down 300 clams for your BOR's?

Man, that twice what they're worth.

What do ya mean?! They've only been used once! :laugh3:
Billy

 

[Goatman]

when you weld the axle housing u again. pre-heat weld post-heat then cool in sand. thats the best way to cool cast down.

Never heard that before......

It's a little hard to bury a complete front axle housing in the sand. It's even harder when it's still attached to the Jeep........

 

[4ward]

Never heard that before......

It's a little hard to bury a complete front axle housing in the sand. It's even harder when it's still attached to the Jeep........

Yep, people do it all the time. I've been thinking about digging a sand pit myself. You could just weld it up and then slam it straight into the side of a dune :laugh3:

The HAZ is the entire area that has been discolored. Ya know, the pretty blue/purple area that's left after a good hot burn. You want to keep it as small as possible, but sometimes it has to be larger just so you can get the required heat into the welded area. I think it's time for you to buy a tig welder :wave: I've been using 312 stainless filler lately and it's sweet.

 

[CRASH]

What do ya mean?! They've only been used once! :laugh3:
Billy

Now that is just cold.......especially from a guy who sold his junk last year!

 

[JeepFreak21]

Now that is just cold.......especially from a guy who sold his junk last year!

:laugh2:

 

[Goatman]

Well, my 4 month old ball joints are toast, on both sides. I got a nice case of DW on the way to work this morning, and again on the way home. That's a first for me in this rig. Don't have time to change them since I'm leavng in the morning, so I'll hope for the best.......and I'm carrying new ones.

The ball joints are Moog from Car Quest, and this set lasted 4 months, the previous set lasted 3 years. I'm trying Spicer's this time, so we'll see how they hold up.

I'm going to have to either go back to 35's or slow the f#ck down. :rattle:



Hmmm.....maybe I need to keep my eyes open for a discarded D60 housing from a warrenty job at work.........and then save up for some 5 lug hubs.

 

[CRASH]

Well, my 4 month old ball joints are toast, on both sides. I got a nice case of DW on the way to work this morning, and again on the way home. That's a first for me in this rig. Don't have time to change them since I'm leavng in the morning, so I'll hope for the best.......and I'm carrying new ones.



The ball joints are Moog from Car Quest, and this set lasted 4 months, the previous set lasted 3 years. I'm trying Spicer's this time, so we'll see how they hold up.

I'm going to have to either go back to 35's or slow the f#ck down. :rattle:



Hmmm.....maybe I need to keep my eyes open for a discarded D60 housing from a warrenty job at work.........and then save up for some 5 lug hubs.

MY original ones from the 44 build 4 years ago are still very, very tight. I was goig to buy new ones for my new SuperKnuckles, but decided the old ones were still perfect.

Oh, and regarding DW, you need drop brackets or a long arm. Contact URF for details.

CRASH

 

[Big Red]

I'm going to have to either go back to 35's or slow the f#ck down. :rattle:
QUOTE]

It should be easy to trade your 37's for 35's if you want down the road. I just sold my set of 35" MTRs yesterday. 37's are what 35's were just a few years ago, the tire size keeps going up as does the need for 60's.

 

[Lawn Cher']

Here'a a clue, BigRed...

























Goatman was kidding!

 

[langer1]

If it's a cast knuckle you will never get a good weld, and stick has much better penetration than a mig.


If the tube broke and not the weld, it was hardened by the carbon in the casting.

You also need a high nickel rod made for cast iron to steel such as Nirod.
BTW I think it forged steel not cast, but still sticks the way to go with the proper rod.

 

[BrettM]

why does everyone assume that whenever they see "cast" it means "cast iron"? They are cast steel, just like most diff housings, and are not all that difficult to weld, just give a little extra attention to pre and post heat.

 

[Mr.OverKill]

why does everyone assume that whenever they see "cast" it means "cast iron"? They are cast steel, just like most diff housings, and are not all that difficult to weld, just give a little extra attention to pre and post heat.

aint that the truth:exclamati :exclamati :exclamati

 

[langer1]

why does everyone assume that whenever they see "cast" it means "cast iron"? They are cast steel, just like most diff housings, and are not all that difficult to weld, just give a little extra attention to pre and post heat.

I did't say cast iron, but you sure right about the pre-heat and controlled cool down.

 

[JnJ]

You also need a high nickel rod made for cast iron to steel such as Nirod.

:gag:

 

[Goatman]

If it's a cast knuckle you will never get a good weld, and stick has much better penetration than a mig.

Damn, I wonder what Spicer and all the other OEM axle manufacturers do to weld these things up at the factory. I bet they use robotic stick welders with high nickel rod.....what do you guys think? And I bet they have a high failure rate since you can't really weld to cast.

And, I wonder how Currie, Dynatrac, Tri-County Gear, Wagoner Machine, and a whole bunch of other good quality aftermarket axle makers do to attach the inner C's to the axle tubes........they must use Super Glue!





BTW, after inspecting a few Currie built front axle housings this weekend, I could see that my weld bead wasn't close to the size of the beads on the Currie built housings, so that's one contributing factor. Also, all the Currie housings have a good gusset at the bottom of the inner C. I think if mine would have had a similar gusset it would not have come apart, since the cracking started at the bottom. The new weld is a much larger bead area, and it was done with a MIG. :gag: There will also be good gussets on the bottom.

Always learning.....even if not by choice.