Is an upgraded diff cover really worth the cost on a 14 bolt?

pender1

Active Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2017
Location
Hartsville, SC
I've got a 14 bolt ff that I'm building to go in my K5 and I've been looking around at the common upgrades. A fancy diff cover seems to be a popular thing, but they are really expensive. Has anyone actually had an issue from a weak cover or is it just one of those things you beef up for the hell of it?
 
pender1 said:
I've got a 14 bolt ff that I'm building to go in my K5 and I've been looking around at the common upgrades. A fancy diff cover seems to be a popular thing, but they are really expensive. Has anyone actually had an issue from a weak cover or is it just one of those things you beef up for the hell of it?
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If you dont plan on smashing it in to rocks, stock will be fine. A few years back the SOLID diff covers were a lot more affordable than everything else. Yes, I have seen covers smashed all the way in to the ring gear.
 
RHSCTJ said:
If you dont plan on smashing it in to rocks, stock will be fine. A few years back the SOLID diff covers were a lot more affordable than everything else. Yes, I have seen covers smashed all the way in to the ring gear.
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I mean, I'm going to do some offroading, but I'm on 33" tires with a worn out 305 engine (for now). Not exactly a rock bouncer.
 
A stock cover is very thin. The force of a vehicle moving that cover into a rigid object will result in the cover loosing every time. Another thing people don’t think about is the lip of the stock dif cover catching and peeling away from the housing allowing the fluid to escape. Especially with a 14 bolt on 33” tires, that’s not very much ground clearance at the diff. That 14 bolt you just built is not the 14 bolt you’re about to rebuild. How much does a R&P cost + install kit+labor? I’ll bet you it’s less than a Barnes diff cover (or the like). Also, they tend to hold more fluid than stock. Another benefit for a little $$ invested. But just my .02 FWIW.

P.S. if you can weld decently buy a DIY kit and save a couple bucks
 
skyhighZJ said:
A stock cover is very thin. The force of a vehicle moving that cover into a rigid object will result in the cover loosing every time. Another thing people don’t think about is the lip of the stock dif cover catching and peeling away from the housing allowing the fluid to escape and that 14 bolt you just built is not the 14 bolt you’re about to rebuild. How much does a R&P cost + install kit+labor? I’ll bet you it’s less than a Barnes diff cover (or the like). Also, they tend to hold more fluid than stock. Another benefit for a little $$ invested. But just my .02 FWIW.

P.S. if you can weld decently buy a DIY kit and save a couple bucks
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I got to this thought by contemplating a shave kit, but really started questioning the cost versus my usage. I really had no reason to put a 1 ton under my blazer other than I needed a new axle and said why the hell not since I have to buy one anyways.
 
Why not?
Its heavier and has (significantly) less ground clearance.
 
RHSCTJ said:
If you dont plan on smashing it in to rocks, stock will be fine. A few years back the SOLID diff covers were a lot more affordable than everything else. Yes, I have seen covers smashed all the way in to the ring gear.
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They still are cheap, $65 for it. GM Corporate 14 Cover
 
Ron said:
Why not?
Its heavier and has (significantly) less ground clearance.
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That's true, but it opens me up to future upgrades, suspension and drivetrain related. This is not a quick project, I bought the blazer knowing it'd be years before I finish this thing. I'm running 33's now with the plan that when they wear out I'm going to lift more and do some steering upgrades and go to bigger tires, 37's maybe. I'm also planning on doing a disc conversion down the road, so weight will be less of an issue.
 
Very easy to back into a rock and tear open the stock covers. I guess you could just carry some fluid and a spare cover with you.
 
I’ve smashed a hole through a stock 14b cover. Wasn’t hard to do, just rolled back into a rock. For a trail fix, we put a t shirt over the gash and held it on with ratchet straps. Drove 2 hours home that way. Do the upgraded cover.
 
covers on ebay are thick and like 60$if youre patient. thats hardly expensive considering what its protecting.
i went with chassis unlimited on ebay - the cheapest by far and they had their fill plugs mounted high
 
Mac5005 said:
The Barnes 13 bolt cover is worth every penny.

I had the solid brand cover before that.
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Why did you get rid of the solid? I run a solid cover on mine

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
 
I gotcha, I trimmed mine up so it's only 13 bolt now. Amazingly it doesn't leak
Mac5005 said:
I got 1.25” more clearance with the Barnes 13 bolt cover. The cast solid cover was hd but I had knocked several chunks off of the ribs on it and some chunks off the bottom lip.
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Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
 
Do you have one on the front? If not I'd put one on the front first. The old school was was to weld a thicker piece of steel top to bottom across the ring gear area. If you have a welder and some scrap this can be done almost free and provides more protection than factory.
 
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I have a 14 bolt cover for sale. Yes it's used, but still offer just as good protection. Check the for sale section.
Why did I take it off? For a 13 bolt cover! I needed that extra 3/4 of an inch!
 
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