Jason4x4
1/2 ton status
highway time ain't no big deal, my blazer has a spool and a square driveshaft, I drive it on the street
CK5
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welding spider gears
- Thread starter 73redblaze
- Start date
moneypit_K5
1/2 ton status
it'll just chirp a little around corners, the larger the tire the less wear/chirping you'll get.
Of course, come rain and snow, you'll wish you'd never messed with it.
Of course, come rain and snow, you'll wish you'd never messed with it.
73redblaze
1/2 ton status
please explain
moneypit_K5
1/2 ton status
well, both tires will break loose at the same time, meaning your ass end will most likely pass the front end on the freeway.
with an open diff, one tire will stay grounded when you lose traction.
73redblaze
1/2 ton status
ah yes. thats alright mines not a DD its trailered eveywhere.
BlazerBoyK5
1/2 ton status
What about hitting curbs?
It never snows here but do you have any driving tips for driving in the rain with a spool?
And im running 38s. Is that big enough? Also how does a bigger tire wear less?
It never snows here but do you have any driving tips for driving in the rain with a spool?
And im running 38s. Is that big enough? Also how does a bigger tire wear less?
I have not had any issues with rain. But like any locking dif snow ice or mud your gonna have fun lol.
73redblaze
1/2 ton status
so how can you tell a full floater from a simi floater? the cover are diffrent right? and if it has c clips? i know what a c clip is i just didn't know thats what they were called. so if it is a ff i dont have to remove anything such as c-clips correct? just weld it up and turn it to weld the other side? i would take the gears out but i know i would screw something up. it seems really complicated. do you need any special tools to remove and replace gears? again sorry for the newb questions
moneypit_K5
1/2 ton status
quickest way to tell a full floater is on the hub. full floater will have bolts that bolt the axleshaft to the hub/brake drum.
and, the larger the tire, the slower the differential moves, thereby less tire scrub.
and, the larger the tire, the slower the differential moves, thereby less tire scrub.
bp71k5
3/4 ton status
The full float carrier is super easy to remove and replace. If you don't want to chance getting weld spatter into anything just pull it. All you gotta do is count how many notches each side rotates and rotate them back the same way when you put the carrier back in.
If I was doing this, I'd do the spider ball thing so I could keep the carrier intact if I wanted to switch to a detroit.
It's super easy to pull the carrier out of a 14FF, and then pull the carrier apart to just weld the spiders and side gears together. Plus you can actually get it half-way clean, it's much easier to weld the stuff on the bench then under the truck, don't get weld splatter on everything, plus you don't ruin the carrier for any future use if you change your mind.
The only issue I ever had street driving my Blazer was increased tire wear. Almost forgot that I originally had 35" MT/R's when first installing the welded 14FF and the 38" TSL's. The increase rear tire wear was barely noticably on the MT/R's but more pronounced with the Swampers. I'm sure there would be more of a tendency for a truck to spin out on slick roads than an open diff but it's a very slight difference. I've driven in lots of rain and snow and with adjusting your drive style accordingly I never noticed any tendency to want to spin out. A friend also ran a welded rear diff in his longbed truck for year and drove it out of state several times to trails and again never had any issue with the rain.
The only issue I ever had street driving my Blazer was increased tire wear. Almost forgot that I originally had 35" MT/R's when first installing the welded 14FF and the 38" TSL's. The increase rear tire wear was barely noticably on the MT/R's but more pronounced with the Swampers. I'm sure there would be more of a tendency for a truck to spin out on slick roads than an open diff but it's a very slight difference. I've driven in lots of rain and snow and with adjusting your drive style accordingly I never noticed any tendency to want to spin out. A friend also ran a welded rear diff in his longbed truck for year and drove it out of state several times to trails and again never had any issue with the rain.
moneypit_K5
1/2 ton status
let me rephrase. a welded diff isnt going to cause you to lose it. It just means that when you are slipping a tire, they are both slipping.
73redblaze
1/2 ton status
alright guys you convinced me. il pull them. pics to come.
73redblaze
1/2 ton status
so this one i found looks like it has a closed carrier. can i still weld it up? i just have to pull them out first right? whats the advantages / disadvantages of a closed vs open carrier.
Thats an open carrier. There is no "closed" carrier. Gov-loc, Open or Detroit are the stock options. Open would probably be easier to weld up, but I am not sure since I have never worked with a Gov-lock.
moneypit_K5
1/2 ton status
no one I know would want to weld up a detroit locker carrier
an open carrier simply means there is no form of locker/posi traction unit in the differential.
Here are some pictures to help you.
To remove the carrier. Remove the Four large bearing cap bolts marked in the first picture and the two small center bolts that hold the clips. Keep the bearings caps oriented how they were in the axle. I use a center punch and make corresponding dots for each corner so they cant get mixed up.
Spin the adjuster rings according to the arrows in the first picture counting the turns you adjust them in. It helps to mark where you started (use center punch again) and write these numbers down
Remove the carrier. It is heavy so be ready.
Remove the ring gear bolts. An impact will probably be required for this if you dont have a way to hold the carrier tight.
Second picture is what it will look like with the ring gear removed and the carrier split in two.
Third picture shows to remove the one side gear and weld the spiders to the cross shaft. After they are tacked you can remove it completely to weld all the way around.
Fourth picture shows the welds in between the spiders. It helps to fill that big void by using a piece of 3/16 or 1/4 inch plate cut into an hourglass shape then fill the voids between the filler metal and the spiders.
Fifth picture shows to fill all the gaps in the spider gears all the way around.
That should result in a bulletproof spiderball.
To remove the carrier. Remove the Four large bearing cap bolts marked in the first picture and the two small center bolts that hold the clips. Keep the bearings caps oriented how they were in the axle. I use a center punch and make corresponding dots for each corner so they cant get mixed up.
Spin the adjuster rings according to the arrows in the first picture counting the turns you adjust them in. It helps to mark where you started (use center punch again) and write these numbers down
Remove the carrier. It is heavy so be ready.
Remove the ring gear bolts. An impact will probably be required for this if you dont have a way to hold the carrier tight.
Second picture is what it will look like with the ring gear removed and the carrier split in two.
Third picture shows to remove the one side gear and weld the spiders to the cross shaft. After they are tacked you can remove it completely to weld all the way around.
Fourth picture shows the welds in between the spiders. It helps to fill that big void by using a piece of 3/16 or 1/4 inch plate cut into an hourglass shape then fill the voids between the filler metal and the spiders.
Fifth picture shows to fill all the gaps in the spider gears all the way around.
That should result in a bulletproof spiderball.
moneypit_K5
1/2 ton status
Here are some pictures to help you.
great pics dood, that aughtta help out bigtime.
no one I know would want to weld up a detroit locker carrier
Well I was comparing an open to a Gov-bomb not a Detroit
great pics dood, that aughtta help out bigtime.
It should..always helps to see what you are doing.
73redblaze
1/2 ton status
sweet! thats exactly what i needed!!!
do i need to count how many times i turn the bolts? or just the ajuster ring? and how exact do i need to be?
do i need to count how many times i turn the bolts? or just the ajuster ring? and how exact do i need to be?
