Printable View
i had the truck out in the dunes yesterday and dang near didnt get it out :eek:
my budget for mods is pretty much non exsistant so... what sucess have any of you had in welding up the spider gears on the rear axle to lock it up and would doing the front axle too make it undriveable on the street?
thanx in advance
Front would make it quite unfriendly on the street. To the point of being a safety hazard in my opin.
x2!
Rear is not very noticeable, UNLESS you plan to carry a lot of weight in the box, then you may break axle shafts. Don't do the front unless you have power steering and lockout hubs.
Dave
With lockout hubs and never needing 4wd on road the front would be fine. I use 4wd on road in the winter when there is a big snow...you probably know that routine...North Dakota has a real winter...
Power steering would definitely help when in 4wd...not mandatory but a great improvement over the stock setup with the front locked up...not just a nice improvement in that case, but a great one.
I think with a spooled/welded front in snow, it wouldn't matter if you had power steering or not, as the truck is going to continue to go straight even if the wheels are turned. A solid rear diff. makes a huge difference in off-roadability, leave the front open, maybe pop a Power Lock or even a lock-right in it when you can afford it.
David
PS A locked-up front end on the road with snow would not be fun.
I welded my rear diff (Lincon locker) several years ago and I have never had a problem. Altough technically it should be called a "Miller locker" cause that's what I used. I notice it a little on the street (small hop on tight turns) but I can live with it.
Weld the gears to the carrier in addition to eachother, otherwise plan on them breaking loose. This also takes the load off the cross shaft. Don't be suprised when the welds get hairline cracks, welding 8620 to cast iron (?) may do that. Pre-heat if you feel like it, but be sure to let it cool slowly.
I wouldn't weld a front....btdt.
i have a couple pounds of nickel rod left from a case repair i did for a fella, i will start with that and if it doesnt look sufficient enuff i will cap off with some 8018c3 lo hi
thanx for the info guys