8.25 diff guard CRANE or Blue Torch??

hey guys--

quick question for those of you who have run these or know guys who have-

would you go with a Crane diff cover or the Blue Torch cover?

CRANE

or

Blue Torch

things to consider are:

price (value)
strength
ease of installation

Ive searched extensively on here and someone said they had a problem getting the Blue Torch cover to seal/mount properly

lemme know!

thanks

CaptTrev

The crane cover definitely looks like a much better built diff cover.

I have the Crane and can say it is well worth the money. No lip at all and has taken a heck of a beating and never has lost a seal. It fit was perfect also.

I'm running the Crane and have had no problems. Fit was great, and I have shaved the rear to match the Crane cover and am happy with the results.

Keep in mind these covers are quite different as the Crane is cast while the Blue Torch is welded.

btray

I installed Crane covers front and rear this weekend. I can tell you that it was a peice of cake to install. I haven't really put them to any kind of test yet.

The front D-30 matched up pretty good but the rear, you have to take off a good bit of steel to match them up.

Yeah, but there's a good amount that can go!

http://www.4footed.com/images/mods/diff-shave/





Yes, I've had problems getting it to seal - but it's BEEF. You can see it's taken a few hits.

bburge

i looked at several replacement diff covers.. and my real problem with the 8.25 is the big flat across the bottom just reaching out to grab rocks.. i got a TURBOCITY slider like this..



it decreases ground clearance by less than an inch but allows me to drag over rocks 2" taller than the static ground clearance.. well worth it and its so thick i doudt ill ever bend it....

heres where i got it..
http://www.mad4wd.com/tek9.asp?pg=products&specific=jplnjpn4

bburge said:

Yeah, but there's a good amount that can go!

http://www.4footed.com/images/mods/diff-shave/

Yes, I've had problems getting it to seal - but it's BEEF. You can see it's taken a few hits.

bburge

Click to expand...

very nice job cutting it flush. does it get hunge up alot less now?

Blue Torch Fab. I've delt with them before and they have been great. Not to mention their increidable support of other boards. Personally I think Crane's is a waste of money for the grade of steel they use(IIRC some 8xxx series?).

i have the crane cover, no complaints, all stout, all buff

brandon

From my experience installing a Crane 8.25" cover on a friend's 94 Cherokee, I voted Blue Torch.

The cover we got straight up did not fit. We got the gasket on there, lined everything up, started putting the bolts in (leaving them loose but threaded into the housing). The last two bolts would not go in. After looking closely, we determined that the cover did not line up with the bolt holes horizontally, so our last two bolts on the right hand side would not catch thread. We ended up screwing up the threads in the housing trying to shove the cover over enough to get things lined up. Eventually we had to pull the cover and drill those two holes out big enough to get the cover bolts in and threaded. What a royal pain in the ass...

I'm not sure whether we just got a bum cover or what, but after voiding the warranty by drilling the holes out, crane didn't have much to say to us other than "no one else has had that problem, but here we'll send you a free t-shirt."

:|

I have Crane covers on both my 30 and my 44. The 30 has taken a few good hits without effect, but I've yet to tag the 44 cover. My experience was that the fit and finish were perfect. Simply scrubbed them clean, painted, then bolted them on without incident. They are cast chromoly steel and extremely beefy. I really can't imagine ever doing damage to one of these things.
They're pricey - but I will never have a worry about my diff covers again. One less thing . . .