14 Bolt shave

wheelNC94GC

wheelNC94GC

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 19, 2007
Location
Chesnee SC
The big issue here is welding cast iron and steel. I am a decent stick welder but I am curious as to how hard it is and how easy it is to mess up. How do you guys get the bottowm of the diff to seal when you shave off a few of the mount holes?
 
pirate had a good thread on shaving. not just grinding the lip, but really cutting it down like your talking about. measure and leave 1/4 clareance AT LEAST below ring gear. high nickel or a cast rod, but you knew that already.
 
Welding cast iron can be tricky, easiest way is to get it red hot with a torch then weld while hot. This will "shrink" the weld into the cast when it cools.
 
Ive heard alot of people saying they did not heat it up before they made there welds. Is this a big gamble or is that just wrong? Basically what is going to happen if i dont heat it up is what i want to know.
 
I have done a couple with out preheating welded with nickle
but I welded the inside first then I ran vertical up on the outside then went back inside & welded a couple of more stringer passes over the initial root pass

been running a couple of years with no problems that I have heard of
 
Preheating will help prevent cracking later on. We've welded a bunch of boat manifolds, and have been to preheat using the mig to make the metal expand all it will and when it cools it will "wedge fit" the weld in place. I was taught this method by some old school guys and always has worked. Nic. is the better way to go though imo.
 
Are you guys just using a torch to heat it up? I heard you get it red hot and then weld it. Ultimatly tig would be the best weld and you wouldnt have to heat it right?
 
Yeah a rosebud torch, and yes tig would be the best....Caution.....Caution......the metal will be hot and alot of people rest there hands on what they are welding when tigging. Tig with a nickel filler rod would be the best if you are a good tig guy. Always been told that preheating is the "best" way to weld cast iron even if tigging.
 
Ya....im not a tig guy but i know someone who has been doin tig for a while so i'll look into that. Thanks for all the help guys I dont think i'll be able to get started on the shave untill next weekend but i'll keep you guys updated.
 
pirate pic...the ring gear was turned down too some.
aimg.photobucket.com_albums_v214_nhodierne_PJshave14after2.jpg


Heat up the housing first with a torch and then start burning.
 
Alright thanks...i think i got down how to shave it and weld it now. I dont think i'm going to go as far as turning the ring gear down but one last question...how does this seal the diff fluid in?
ai215.photobucket.com_albums_cc27_fmtndrummer_PJshave14after2.jpg
 
If you have a strong enough cover (1/4" steel), it will seal across the bottom from just the 2 side bolts without much deflection.
 
Jeff B said:
I have done a couple with out preheating welded with nickle
but I welded the inside first then I ran vertical up on the outside then went back inside & welded a couple of more stringer passes over the initial root pass
been running a couple of years with no problems that I have heard of
Click to expand...
Yep mine is doing great! i have beat on it pretty good and no problems.
Shaved it on top and bottom , milled ring gear .25" off OD.
plated it with .5" plate.
Jeff welded it with Nickel rod and peened it after every weld.
I plated the factory cover with .25" plate around the outer edge and a 3/8" strip down the middle, welded it all the way down so it can't peel back. no leaks from welds or cover.
The pics show it after we finished it I guess now about 2 years ago?
 

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^ Why shaved on top? i've never seen that, at first i guessed clearance issues, but in the pic, there is nothing there?
 
madssjeep said:
Yep mine is doing great! i have beat on it pretty good and no problems.
Shaved it on top and bottom , milled ring gear .25" off OD.
plated it with .5" plate.
Jeff welded it with Nickel rod and peened it after every weld.
I plated the factory cover with .25" plate around the outer edge and a 3/8" strip down the middle, welded it all the way down so it can't peel back. no leaks from welds or cover.
The pics show it after we finished it I guess now about 2 years ago?
Click to expand...
When you say you peened it after every weld what do you mean?
 
tapping it with a hammer to relieve the stress of the cast cooling at a different rate then the weld material. It helps to relieve stress cracking thats why a ball peen hammer is called a ball peen hammer
 
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