Modifying axle housings

Archdukeferdinand

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2006
Location
Vilas, NC
I'm looking for ANY tips when it comes to modifying axle housings.

My biggest concerns are heat/warpage and machine selection. I've got a 175 amp lincoln mig that I use mostly and I'm most comfortable with it. I've also got an old gas powered miller stick that gets better penetration than my mig will ever hope to but might be overkill for a d30 and 8.25 housing?

Next would be any timeframes or good patterns for weld/wait. Can I just alternate where I lay beads down and do it at once or do I need to have a long cool down after each little bead is laid?? I know that's stretching it but a ballpark would put my mind at ease. I know I'd figure it out but I like to ask questions.

Thanks for tolerating my newb questions. I also wonder a bit about cutting things like shock mounts or spring perches. The torch or grinder cause any heat warpage concerns?

In addition to little stuff like shock mounts I'm looking at doing some trussing. I presume the truss puts heat on one side the whole length so warpage would be a real risk there?
 
Just do 1.5"-2" long welds and skip around, shouldn't be to much of a problem. Leave the axles in to make sure they still turn ok. As for the torching, if your comfortable with a torch it shouldn't build enough heat to even matter. And as for your machine it should be ok for that but if you weld at full power it will reach its duty cycle fairly quick, so keep that in mind.
 
lbyota85 said:
Just do 1.5"-2" long welds and skip around, shouldn't be to much of a problem. Leave the axles in to make sure they still turn ok. As for the torching, if your comfortable with a torch it shouldn't build enough heat to even matter. And as for your machine it should be ok for that but if you weld at full power it will reach its duty cycle fairly quick, so keep that in mind.
Click to expand...


10-4. I've used the mig maxed out to put teeth on our backhoe bucket and didn't hit the duty cycle so I think that'll be alright. I'm pretty slow.

I'm plenty comfortable with the torch so I'm not really concerned. Just always like to get more info than I need.:beer:
 
Don't worry so much about heat with thick stuff like that. Sheet metal is wear you need to worry. Yeah, it's possible with your housings, but not likely.
 
GubNi said:
Don't worry so much about heat with thick stuff like that. Sheet metal is wear you need to worry. Yeah, it's possible with your housings, but not likely.
Click to expand...


X2. Just weld it up, you'll be fine.

The only real time to worry about warping is when welding on the axle housings when you are modifying the center section for more ground clearance, etc.

spring perches, shock mounts, etc. should not affect the housing, even with the stick welder.
 
Warping on a semifloat isn't a huge deal. One of the 9" housings I pulled out from a truck was almost an inch out of straight (put my alignment bar in it)...probably been running fine like that for 20 years...
 
Back
Top