Welding up rusty axle tubes

[79bonanza]

Hey I have this semi float 14 bolt I'm gonna run in my k5 but the tubes by the u bolt plates are pretty rusted. So do you think I could just get the tubes welded back up to the original thickness. My buddy is a welder and owes me one so I could get it professionally welded for free. What do you guys think.

 

[79bonanza]

 

[79bonanza]

Somebody else around here is having the same issue but I don't remember who. Seen it in their build

 

[Deuling]

Your prolly thinking of mine. Yours looks better. Mines leaking grease lol.

I'd weld it up and grind it back down. My pig also looks like the surface of the moon.... If your pig looks decent, I wouldn't be too worried. For me it's both look crappy so Im saying forget it. I'll swap the 6 lug stuff to an 8 lug housing I have.





This is what came off the pig...

 

[79bonanza]

Yup that's it, I hope that axle wasent under something that hauled a lot. Dag on that's a lot of rust

 

[Deuling]

Yup that's it, I hope that axle wasent under something that hauled a lot. Dag on that's a lot of rust

It was a plow truck that never left my buddies yard for the most part. If I can find the u bolts in the scrap pile, I will take a pic. Prolly under 1/4" in diameter in some spots...

 

[79bonanza]

Haha that's awesome, it's kinda fun finding really sketchy stuff still being used

 

[Deuling]

Yup lol.

As far as your axle, I'd try to weld it up. And see how it turns out.

 

[79bonanza]

Yea I'm gonna give it a go, hopefully it all works out

 

[diesel4me]

The axle tubes on a 14 bolt are actually quite thick--at least when new..I was surprised to see some we torched up for scrap that were 3/8" to 1/2" thick near the backing plates...the 10 bolts were much thinner,more like 1/4",maybe 5/16" tops...

I've seen axle tubes leak and twist at the diff housing,but never saw one leak lube there till today--even in this salty corrosive atmosphere here...not surprised though..I'm familiar with that pile of flakes,I have a few in my driveway and garage every time I move my truck...

I wonder if you could slit a piece of pipe in half and weld the halves over the bad area?...better than just laying layers of beads on it I would think...

 

[Deuling]

This one is a 14 semi float. Which from my experience now, they appear to be quite thin tubed axles compared to the full floaters. At least the 6 lug versions. My ten bolt front tube appeared to be 3/8" or more.