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whos welded a 8.25 rear

S

soldwrangler

NAXJA Forum User
Location
gardendale, al
how did your rear hold up, would like to know about any problems. mine currently has 33s and does moderate wheeling, nothing that i would think it would break on, just would like some other opinions. thanks david
 
its been covered before, youll probably blow it up. bite the nail and spend for a detroit or lunchbox
 
For the oposition coming I was hesitant to post, however here goes.
If you know how to weld and weld it right it will work. I wheeled mine fairly aggressive with 33's and 27 spline shafts at first I was a little timid and then well lets say I just didn't care and it never had an issue.
Things I did notice - this is while it was a daily driver- I was getting some pretty good torsional twist out of the shafts on dry pavement-to be expected- but like most metal the more you work it the weaker it will get.
I never broke a shaft and I never broke any of the welds- key is weld the spiders and then to the carrier as well---nay sayers--if he wanted to spend 6+ on a detroit he wouldn't have asked this question.
Take an extra set of shafts along and you should be fine.
 
STEELFISH said:
...Take an extra set of shafts along and you should be fine.
Click to expand...
Take an extra housing, diff cover, ring and pinion along also, so when the welds come loose inside and the shrapnel starts flying around inside, you will have those along also.
Might as well have a master install kit and someone knowedgable enough to install it all on the trail.
 
Im running a welded 8.25, 27spline with 34" LTBs. My rig right now is just a bargain beater that is trailered to and from trails, so there is no street driving. I haven't broken a rear shaft *yet* but I only have one wheeling trip on it. My front is also welded and I destroyed the front dr side axle and u-joint. But I play in the mud alot but every now and then I get in some dirt and roots and thats where it grenaded. I got mine pulled out and then a little solid axle yota on 33's busted his front right down from where I did and hes open f/r. Id never had a problem through that line until then..But as sean pointed out, you can't just swap axles when it breaks, so you're mostly likely done for awhile...I have a D60 sitting at the junkyard waiting for me to pick it up, so im not too worried about the 8.25..
 
X2!! i will be welding my 8.25 soon but... i will be running only 31's .... for about another month! Doug (shortxjdoug) is running a welded 35 and 34x10.50 LTBs.... i think??? maybe he will chime in on it???
 
I had a 90' XJ with a welded d35 that I drove like I stole it, never had a problem. Sold it to my buddy and he still drives it on the street with the welded rear, yeah you will get looks while going around corners and through parking lots, but who cares. And to SeanR, if you know how to weld, you welds wont come "flying off". That did happed to my cousin however. He bought an allready built up yota from some dumbass that couldnt weld for shit. Every weld on the truck (lots, cause its a sas converted truck) had to be redone, and his shitty ass welds in the rear end f-ed up the entire rear 3rd. All you need to do is turn your welder waay up, and make big (penatrating) spot welds where the spider gears come in contact with eachother (to basically jam the gears from moving, there is a writeup on this on the pirate board), DONT weld the gears to the carrier, you want to have play there, other wise there will be a ton of stress on those welds and they WILL break and they WILL f-up your gears.
CHEERS
-Jerry
 
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I ran a welded d35 in my old Jeep( now Shortxjdougs) and put many hard miles on it. Never once did I ever regret it, and if it is done right then there should no fear there.
 
You guys have to remember that there are people out there breaking Dana 70's. For some, NOTHING is strong enough.

For the use described above, I'd say welding is a fair way to go - -inexepensive and it works. Just don't expect welding to turn that 8.15 into a 60 or more. Also, I'd say that limiting driving on very traction surfaces like street driving, or places with sticly rock like Moab would be advisable.

Oh, BTW, I was in on the welding of Steelfish's rear axle. I've done several. The welds stick if you know how and what you are welding. Preheating works wonders, and if you have to ask why or what that is, have someone that knows do it for ya...
 
sandmcrew2 said:
I All you need to do is turn your welder waay up, and make big (penatrating) spot welds where the spider gears come in contact with eachother (to basically jam the gears from moving, there is a writeup on this on the pirate board), DONT weld the gears to the carrier, you want to have play there, other wise there will be a ton of stress on those welds and they WILL break and they WILL f-up your gears.
Click to expand...

You are talking about what they call a "fozzy locker" where the spiders can rotate just a little bit before grabbing. I've found that it doesn't work. If things can start to move, they build up rotational force that adds stress instead of relieves it. I weld everything to everything so it can't move at all -- ala homebuilt spool -- which is exactly the same thing (no movement whatsoever).

Sure -- you are going to totally destroy the carrier -- so what. It can be replaced at any time with minimal cost (heck, they are free if they are open -- no one wants them). You will, of course, have to re-set the gears if you install a new carrier, but if you are going to do much wheeling where you need to weld or otherwise mess with gears and axle internals, you ought to learn how anyway. It's no big deal and you can save tons of money by learning how to do it yourself.
 
1. Fill large bucket 1/4 full w/ LIME

2. Heat spider gears red hot w/ torch

3. Put diff in bucket and fill w/ lime until diff is covered

4. Forget about it for 3-4 hours

5. Remove diff (Caution:Will Still Be Hot) clean off lime w/ brake clean

6. TIG Weld

Will Never Break(Well, maybe just axles):lecture:
 
i have never heard of this lime bucket thing in welding a diff, and i weld for a living. whats the point? with a proper preheat (no need for more than 500 degrees, much cooler than red hot) and proper weld technique, welding both the spiders to themselves, and to the carrier, i cannot imagine a diff welded this way breaking before i would bend a housing, blow both shafts, and sheer the wheel studs off. please elaborate with this lime crap. i will soak mine in acetone or MEK, let dry, and start welding. i take breaks every other bead on the gears/ carrier, and let it cool down some to reduce warping. i still have not had one of my welded diff's break under hard wheeling conditions, and i am yet to preheat a carrier/ spiders. i start with the spiders, work my way out, and weld completely. i also watch very carefully for discontinuities.
 
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