Any 13 bolt boys? sealing issues? *Update* illustrative pic

[sled_dog]

Added steel to the diff cover and it looks real good and strong but I messed it up and screwed up the lowest hole for the cover. My immediate reaction was, ok whatever time to grind the 14 bolt more. So I ground the 14 bolt down to a 13 bolt now. As I was finishing I noticed how little a contact area there is at the bottom and that maybe it was a bad idea. Anybody done this?

Factory - http://www.coloradok5.com/14boltshave/beforeshave.jpg

Demonstration of how mine is -

I will get real pictures tonight. I bid on a BlueTorch Fabworks cover on Ebay. The red dot i put on there is where I will add another bolt to make it a 14 bolt again. Hopefully the cover and added bolt will prevent peeling.

 

[leadfoot067]

Re: Any 13 bolt boys? sealing issues?

i shaved mine its about a 13 1/2...lol..and its been leaking ever since....gonna build a new cover one of these days..and prolly lose the 1/2 bolt....thought about a small skid plate under the axle thats attached to the diff cover....... /forums/images/graemlins/thinking.gif my cover keeps getting cought on stuff and bending back making it leak.....

 

[sled_dog]

Re: Any 13 bolt boys? sealing issues?

Mines gonna leak like crazy /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif. I was worried about peeling too. The reinforced cover is designed to prevent peeling and help with bashing. I think I better just break down and buy a bluetorch fabworks cover.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33728&item=2436943450
Grind and fix it up to match my clearanching I will be fine.

 

[84_Chevy_K10]

Re: Any 13 bolt boys? sealing issues?

My 14 bolt has been missing two of the upper bolts for years and I have laughed and told people yeah it's just a 12 bolt. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[sled_dog]

ttt

 

[Triaged]

Sealing will be a problem but I would be more worried about cracking the bottom of it draging it over some rocks. I left all the bolts in the cover (and 11 in the ring gear /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif)when I shaved it and it still leaks.

I think you might as well cut off the entire bottom and plate it like some of the PBB guys have done. At least then you can tap out the plate you put on for some small bolts.

 

[84k5]

If that was mine I'd cut that off and plate it. That's not much material for 5K of truck to come down on. I've got a hairline crack in my 10 bolt from coming down on a rock, and it's thicker than what you've got there.

 

[sled_dog]

I'm entertaining that idea. Wondering where I could get my ring gear cut. NM of course i can remove more without having to cut ring gear. Gonna see what kind of plate I have sitting around.

 

[84k5]

I wouldn't even shave the gear. The strongest part of the gear is the outside, so why cut it off? 1/2" plate is the norm.

 

[sled_dog]

Yeah now its just welding to cast. I'm not gonna cut the gears, just grind a little further. Long as I have a gap between the ring and the housing it doesn't matter.

 

[k20]

Ok, just thinkin a bit, what if you made a skid plate of sorts. Heres my idea. Use all 13 bolts and make a rock ring of sorts with a skid plate. Make a ring around the diff using the 13 bolts that are left, that should be pretty strong, and then form fit a plate to the bottom of the diff, make it about as wide as the 2 outside bolt holes you can see in that pic. Make it out of something along the lines of 1/4 or 5/16" steel, then as it loops up, make some kind of ring around the snout. Maybe have it come up as a U shape around the snout, and have an inverted U to come in from the top and use 2 bolts to hold them together. Kind of like the holder for where the steering column comes through the firewall. Maybe this will give you an idea.

 

[sled_dog]

Hehe, read my cast iron welding thread. I was just saying something like that. My idea was full length down the housing starting with a few pinion bolts. U shaped ring with those 2 holes is a good idea.

 

[Triaged]

I have seen some people cut it off and weld in a 1/2" plate without having the ring gear turned down (guys with heeps can turn down the ring gear I wouldn't on a full size). There are a few that have cut off as much on the housing as the guys that turned the ring gear down and just clearanced the 1/2" plate. I think that is how I would do it.