Welding axle tubes. [Archive]

portponies

01-10-2005, 07:04 PM

I want to do this to my project before I start putting everything back into the axle housing.

What are the pro's and con's?

Did you weld them yourself, or take it somewhere?

If you took it somewhere to have it done, where did you take it.

Thanks in advance for your help.

:thumbs_up

markstang

01-10-2005, 07:54 PM

well you could bend the axle housing if you put a lot of heat into it. you can do it how badass said. some guys will put a jig in the housing & weld a little bit on 1 side then a little on the other side & let it cool off for a hour or so. then go & weld a little more & let it cool off.
Metz Performance in menomonee falls can weld it & it will be straight when they are done. 262-251-3535 Bryan will help you out.

Mark

Twirkin50

01-10-2005, 09:05 PM

I just welded mine, and I went ahead and put a more solid weld on the lower control arm brackets as well. Turned out real nice and I did it the way Mark was talking about. We welded a little bit and then waited about 30 min or so and finished the other half. Turned out real nice and the rear housing looks real nice now with some fresh paint. Make sure you get the area REALLY clean or you will have some poor welds. I thought the blast booth at work cleaned it good enough, but you really have to get in the seam between the housing and the tube. You have a welder don't you? You should be able to get it done with no problems.

Twirkin50

01-10-2005, 09:13 PM

Just curious, but what is the advantage to the Dog bone looking weight that is bolted to the underside of the housing?

Twirkin50

01-10-2005, 09:20 PM

Has anyone removed it and found a problem? Sorry for jacking your post fritz!

Twirkin50

01-10-2005, 09:26 PM

Hmmmm, maybe I will leave it off. Doesn't really weigh that much, so I figured it would be useless.

BBATCO1

01-10-2005, 09:33 PM

This is not a job for an amature. You need a pretty good welder to get a good burn into the housing as it is cast. You have to know what you are doing to not warp it. Anytime you weld steel it moves, and here it is very important to use a jig to check and assure straitness. I would rather not have this done than have it done wrong..... :shifter:

Ghost

01-11-2005, 01:09 AM

I had fast times do mine

On the dog bone ??

if you have the stock gears I would leave it, but if you have new gears I would ditch it

portponies

01-11-2005, 05:56 AM

My biggest concern is welding cast iron to steel. I've always seen it crack a little once it cooled down.

I have a small MIG welder, but I'm wondering if TIG would be a better choice.

markstang

01-11-2005, 07:24 AM

mark williams welds it with a stainless filler that is made to weld cast to steel.

I sent a housing out to www.markwilliams.com & they welded the tubes & put 9" ends on it.
I sent it to them because I plan on going deep into the 8's with my 8.8 & need it as strong as it can be made. & they gave me a 5yr warranty on new axles for it.
I would call Metz Performance, they make a 9" rear end housing almost every other week. I know he did a 8.8 on an outlaw mustang back in oct. so he has a jig.

Mark

SuperSonic

01-11-2005, 07:53 AM

Fritz,

Like some of the guys said, be very careful. You can actually get camber changes if the tubes are not straight when finished. I know some road racers who actually put a little negative camber in on purpose by welding the tubes in a jig a certain way, the negative camber in the rear will help a lot for hard cornering on a road or autocross course. I can't remember how much negative camber you can dial in to the rear, it's not much because too much can cause binding on the splines on the axle.

Craig

RSNovi

01-11-2005, 08:54 AM

I had mine welded by Hardesty Pro FAb in Michigan. I believe he has a jig he places them in and then he tig welds the tubes and the shock/control arm mounts. It turned out real nice and the jig ensures that everything stays straight.

BBATCO1

01-11-2005, 09:54 AM

Like Mark said Call METZ!!! It will get done right! The cast on a ford 8.8 is pretty dense, and can be welded very sucsessfully. I doubt a small mig welder will get it done. You need plenty of heat, and ALOT of knowledge. When welding suspension parts, and especially on the rearend accuracy is key.

upngo50

01-11-2005, 01:01 PM

Just curious, but what is the advantage to the Dog bone looking weight that is bolted to the underside of the housing?

The dog bone you speak of is to help reduce road noise similar to the damper you find on driveshafts of some vehicles like the turbo coupes.

fivonut

01-11-2005, 03:44 PM

I dunno Fritz. I know you have lots of parts and availablility to lots of parts. I'd have to think that loosing one axle housing probably isn't a big deal for ya. If you never try you never learn. No one was born an expert they all made mistakes somewhere along the line. I say give it a shot, try it out see what happens learn from your mistake and get another axle housing if you need one.

portponies

01-21-2005, 07:12 PM

Just to update everyone, I just got done welding one axle housing myself and everything went better than expected. While I'm not a certified welder, I have been using welders for over 20 years.

The housings were pressure blasted last week to eliminate as much oil and grime as possible both inside and out. Then on Monday I dropped them off at a place to get sanblasted. I picked them up last night, and they are about as clean as can be for used parts.

I laid down about a 3/4" bead, rotated the housing about 90 deg., and repeated. When I was all done, I could touch my hand to the housing within 1 1/2 inches to either side of the weld and it wasn't too hot. The welds won't win any awards, but I didn't get any cracks, and I got real good penetration on the cast iron.

Thanks to everyone for the replies, and like Devin said, it didn't hurt to try it myself.

BP Convt

01-21-2005, 08:57 PM

Housings are not completely straight even before welding the axle tubes. Can you say "Factory Tolerances" and "Wisconsin Potholes". I would still have a competent shop with a jig setup the rear and straighten the axle tubes if need be.

This is one of those deals like engine balancing. You do it because it's the right thing to do when investing money in a good short block. If your at the point where you need axle tubes welded, then have your housing setup in a jig to make sure everything is absolutely straight.

My 2 cents.

FastGT94

01-24-2005, 08:48 AM

Do you remove all the components before welding or can you leave the diff installed?

BBATCO1

01-24-2005, 02:59 PM