lockers/spools vs. welding spiders

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lightsOUT

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on a non street drivin pulling truck with factory driveline. is there any advantage strenth or performance wise? Im not talking the streetability, just the performance and durability. is one an advantage over the other? the obvious question being welding is pratically free and lockers/spools are not.

thanks in advance
 
Welding is only as good as the person doing it.

Example:

I welded my drag car, 500hp small block with a 3000 stall. Never broke.

My friend welded his 97 F150 351 auto, stock, broke every week.

Schied sells a welded stock carrier, I have one that came from a 3.0 truck.

Its up to you.
 
Weld it! But weld it good. When i weld mine in my D80 it was solid couldnt see any remains of a spider gear and never broke still running it after 3 years and it is being run on the street as we speak
 
just weld it on the hot side, those gears are nice and hard...
 
I used rods from TSC made for cast Iron.

Clean all the grease off, clean it very well.

Assemble the whole thing, the weld every joint you see, wrap the whole thing in a welding blanket and let it cool while wrapped up.
 
yeah honestly it sounds crazu but welde everything you can in there...lol beside the axle of course.. i was afraid to do mine but it lasted on a 30lb launch with a sled behind it I think it should be ok? just make sure you clean it well. also if you get some splatter protection would be nice.. i cleaned mine for like a hour i also rotated mine a couple times keeping the heat even on the carrier. make a pass then rotate another pass then rotate.. should hold fine as long as you dont bind the truck up really hard.
 
we use a high nickel content rod,
and we cut a 1/4" thick piece of metal rectangular in shape that just fits between the four gears, and do on both sides of the thru pin
Gives you much more "good" weld area, and is very very strong when done
 
We have the front diff welded on the '89. It snapped off an outer axle, bound up the driveline enough to kill it, and the welded spiders held.
 
do you have eny problem with yor front end bouncing becuase of the welded front diff? I was told that it can cause the front to bounce and that is what I'm trying to stop. just woundering from some one else that is the same set up as we are if it has eny truth to it or if the front end just needs some shock attention.
 
has any one done this on the AAM 9.25 i been thinking about it to save some cash instead of getting a locker for the front. I have done this on jeeps but they didnt have the tq or hp as my cummins.
 
We just welded up my rear end and I haven't had a problem yet, it definately helps traction wise. The only diff is we took the case out and tacked the big gears (the ones the axles go into) and then split the case and tossed the spider gears out and welded the other gears solid. I think he used something like 20 TIG rods on it. He's done this on other trucks and they don't have any problems out of the rear end.
 
not trying to hijack this thread, but whats the general opinion, of a welded rear in a truck primarily used for drag racing? My dana 70 is worn anyway, so if I could get away with it for a bit, I'd do it. thanks.
 
My truck is primarily my daily driver, I drag race it sometimes, and every now and then I get a crazy urge to hook to a sled. But, since I got the rear end welded, I can't wait to get to the track. Since mine is 2wd I have MAJOR traction issues at the drag strip and I think this new rear end set up is going to help ALOT.
 
olblue - there is no way a welded axle is gonna be any more responsible for bounce than a locker would - axles tied together is tied together wether wleded or mechanical

if you got bounce look elsewhere
 
I had my open carrier welded in my 2wd. I have a Full Spool now. I shattered my carrier when I broke an axel, then shelled my ring gear & pinion. I have herd that it is best to use an open carrier for a weld up rather than a limited slip. That welding of a limited slip carrier actually weakens it.
Just my $.02

Lynn
 
I welded my front last year with a mig I heated it to around 150 then let it soak for a few my rear I run open carrier non welded
 
Rods said:
I welded my front last year with a mig I heated it to around 150 then let it soak for a few my rear I run open carrier non welded
Click to expand...

So explain to me how you are not loosing a ton of footage by running an open carrier with it not welded. I would have to guess you would have to be loosing 10-15 feet by not having the rear welded by the incosistancy in a track. The right side tires hit a tight spot it sends all the power to the left thats still in a soft spot. Doesnt seem like it would work very well care to explain the theory.
 
Jeremy, would you suggest welding my front carrier or finding a limited slip to put up front in my truck?
 
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