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Clear Gearz Diff covers

B

bcsavage

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Canada
Thought these were kinda cool. Sure they'll scratch up and look hazy after a while but maybe some plastic polish would brighten it up.

http://www.accuautoparts.com/axledetails.jsp?parts_id=TDP:8412

TDP8412.JPG


feel free to flame away, but I like them and that's that :p lol
 
well there is the "neat" factor of seeing gears.

there is the "hey, my gear oil is looking a bit dirty. time to change it"

*shrug* whatev, I still like 'em.

and I couldn't think of where else to put it, it is a modification :D
 
caz said:
clear =
icon13.gif

[Rockcrusher IMG] =
icon14.gif
Click to expand...
Not sure I agree there, mabye just hard feelings for Rockcrusher screwing with too many peoples (inculding mine) order for over 8.5 months before I took my business elsewhere.


Anyway, I'd say Solid, Blue Torch Fab, or mabye Ruff Stuff (yet no personal experiance with the RS).
Almost $100 for a clear cover that'd last about 3 miles before looking like {insert ugly thing here} on both the inside and the outside seems dumb to me.

To the original poster; like the two guys with the 'dual' exhaust and the other guy with the fart-can-sounding flowmaster... whatever makes you happy, in the end it's your money.
 
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I guess I wasn't getting at the brand as much as the type of cover. lol... I give up :)
8.5 months = ridiculous... I'll probably be going with Solid's myself.
 
RCman said:
To the original poster; like the two guys with the 'dual' exhaust and the other guy with the fart-can-sounding flowmaster... whatever makes you happy, in the end it's your money.
Click to expand...

Ouch, thats hurts man lol. Nah, Im jk...your right about in the ends its your money tho. If I could go back I wouldnt do the dual exhaust thing, but hindsight is 20/20. That money was sorely missed once I realized more lift and new tires were more important. Oh well.
 
The covers are a great idea. They are almost as impact resistent as a regular cast cover. There was an article in 4WOR about them a few years ago.

However: they don't add strength to the housing like a cast cover would. You diff cover adds ALOT of strength to prevent housing flex. These covers do not.

IMHO, Rock Crusher, Crane or nothing.
 
bcsavage said:
Thought these were kinda cool. Sure they'll scratch up and look hazy after a while but maybe some plastic polish would brighten it up.

http://www.accuautoparts.com/axledetails.jsp?parts_id=TDP:8412

TDP8412.JPG


feel free to flame away, but I like them and that's that :p lol
Click to expand...


:skull2: If I had to stop on the trail and help a bonehead that was using one of these I would not be a happy camper... Plastic on a diff seems like a very bad idea. It would be cool in a shop used to display lockers and stuff like that.

Andrew
 
I run a SOLID cover on my 8.8, it's great. If I were going to use a clear cover, I would definately not use it on the front. I tend to drive by braille and I would be afraid I'd shatter that poly the first trip out.

They would be alright on a DD or light duty tow rig, if only for oil level/cleanliness checks. I've seen what my diff fluid looks like after not too long, I don't think I would want to see that every day.
 
I remember seeing an article in a mag where they tested several hardcore covers and included those clear ones in the mix. I always laugh now when I see one because it reminds me of that article.

They bolted all the covers to a peice of plywood and hit them with a huge sledge hammer. The clear cover about killed the guy because the sledge bounced back and almost hit the guy in the head.

It was just a funny visual.
 
The comments about using plastic on a rig seem a little off to me... there are plenty of buggies/trail rigs running delrin skids and they take a beating..

As for these covers, they're made from polycarbonate... Same stuff bullet proof glass is made out of...so to me it seems like the covers will probably take a pretty good beating.

Yeah it flexes but it's nearly unbreakable..and it has better thermal properties than steel.. I dont see why they wouldnt work and I think it's a pretty neat idea...

EDIT: yeah I do bet it would get scratched up, etc. with use... but I bet the majority of people running this cover dont see many rocks...
 
uncc civilengineer said:
The comments about using plastic on a rig seem a little off to me... there are plenty of buggies/trail rigs running delrin skids and they take a beating..

As for these covers, they're made from polycarbonate... Same stuff bullet proof glass is made out of...so to me it seems like the covers will probably take a pretty good beating.

Yeah it flexes but it's nearly unbreakable..and it has better thermal properties than steel.. I dont see why they wouldnt work and I think it's a pretty neat idea...

EDIT: yeah I do bet it would get scratched up, etc. with use... but I bet the majority of people running this cover dont see many rocks...
Click to expand...
I agree, there are plenty of buggies and trail rigs using delrin as skids... however, its a SKID not a protective cover, and it's also not polycarbonate. They are to totally different materials for totally different purposes.

Also, when polycarbonates are used in applications exposed to weathering or UV-radiation, a special surface treatment is needed or degrading happens much more quickly. This treatment is usually in the form of a coating or a coextrusion. One drag on a rock will remove any coating applied, and have you seen what happens to polycarbonate when exposed to chemicals such as gasoline, oils, and common cleaners when it doesn't have this protection?

Also I believe (if I remember from Material Science correctly) at temperatures above 60-65°C (about 140°F) hydrolysis is more present, degrading the plastic. I don't know how hot a differential really gets, but I'd bet somewhere in that neighborhood.

I do agree with you that the majority of people running this cover probably don't see many rocks, only curbs.
 
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