Anybody done this? Word around town is that you can weld on an 8" pipe cap and call it "Good".

Welcome Newbie.






















NOW FAWKING SEARCH!







:flipoff2:

I'll be a little nicer than John, it must be his time of the month.

You could do the pipe cap. I plan to cut up my existing $G front cover and add to it some 4" wide strips along the bottom. Probably will do the same for the rear. I currently run the Southdown in the rear and although it works well, it is constantly coming loose. Very annoying.

Uhhh, yeah. Do a search.

You *could* do that and call it 'good' as you say but you are missing some important things.

1. You really ought to remove the old diff cover entirely (read: you need to remove the axle and dissasemble and clean it)

2. You need to remember that there's a ring gear in there that spins around and will need a place to go (read: you need to modify the pipe cap)

3. You need to make sure that you can put gear lube into your diff (read: you need to weld a bung in)

4. You need to make sure that you can put the *right amount* of gear lube into your diff (read: don't F-up the placement of the bung)

5. You need to make sure that the lube you put into your diff actually stays IN the diff (read: make sure your welds are good and don't LEAK)

6. You need to make sure that the front panhard rod will clear the pipe cap (read: you need to learn where and how much to shave off of the pipe cap)

7. You need to make sure that the rear pipe cap won't interfere with the fuel tank (read: measure twice and cut once)

8. You need to make sure that if you hang out on POR that you learn how to do a fawkin' search.

:flipoff2:

understood.

haha, thanks fellas.

Jon

Originally posted by lwg
I'll be a little nicer than John, it must be his time of the month.



His time or mine?



Anyway,

Here you go:

take cap.
give cap lobotomy.

final dimensions: 1.5 static pipe height
domed surface height 3"

in other words if you were to take an 8"pipe cap, you would leave 1.5 vertical, then measure off 3" of the diameter, cut down to the 1.5, then across to the rest of the diameter. oh and cut out a fill hole.

That better Larry?

j

Here is a write up I did for the 'how to' at the bottom of the page. There are some 'after' pics as well. Ill have some in process pics in a week or two.

http://www.jpurnell.com/RR/Misc/protection.htm

-Jeff

John,
Well done. I don't want to make em cry right off the bat. There's plenty of that later!!

try searching , cause i just some it on here the other day

excuse me saw it:rolleyes:

ooo kkkkkkkk....

i did the search. i'm new, haha, what'd ya expect?

thanks for the initial roasting... i deserved it.

:shaking: fukkin newbies :D

I found my MJLee diff guards to be very easy to put on, they're still there, I didn't have to try to make sure the wheel I was reinventing was round, and I didn't waste any of my time making something I could buy for less than my labor would be worth to make.

In other words, WHY BOTHER?

I prefer to put my "talents" to work elsewhere.

Peace,
Paul

Originally posted by PTSchram

In other words, WHY BOTHER?

Because it's BETTER. :D

Plus people have a hard time identifying your axle and you can mess with their heads. :flipoff2:

Originally posted by Serious One


Because it's BETTER. :D

Plus people have a hard time identifying your axle and you can mess with their heads. :flipoff2:

Sorry to have to disagree with you Mike. If you hit something hard enough to tear up a mass produced diff guard, you were either going too fast or where you shouldn't have been in the first place.

If you want to make it BETTER, put some portals under your Rover and not worry about ground clearance.:flipoff2:

Peace,
Paul

Originally posted by PTSchram
If you hit something hard enough to tear up a mass produced diff guard, you were either going too fast or where you shouldn't have been in the first place.

Do we have to re-hash that SG discussion??? :)

I disagree with the mass produced diff guards in general. They can fall off, mud/water/crap gets stuck between the diffcover and the actual axle housing (the metal is thin enough, what would happen if it actually started to *corrode*???)

The pipe-cap solution is not for the faint of heart. If/when you have to do a complete tear down of your axle, you are at the proper position to do the pipe-cap (we call it the SewerCap).

Also, if you give those mass produced diff guards a good whack from the side or bottom, what's holding it to the axle housing? That thin piece of metal and a marginal weld bead.

My money is on the SewerCap.

I've mangled enough stock axle housings AND mass produced diff covers to know what works and what doesn't work for me.

Oh yeah, one more thing, if/when you blow that 2-pin carrier you run the risk of punching a hole in your stock axle housing diff cover. With the SewerCap you could shoot at it with 50cal. rounds and nary show a dent. :flipoff2:

LOL! Not having had ANY experience with Safari Gard products, I'll keep my mouth shut on that one.

I've been wheeling for about 15 years and have broken many parts and gotten badly stuck. So far, I have never broken a diff cover. When I do, I'll change my tune.

When my two-pin diff breaks, and blows parts out of the cover, I doubt the condition of my cover will be of much concern:flipoff2:. When I blew up the diff on my drag car back in 1981, I bent the axle housing but didn't pierce the cover. Eight teeth off the ring gear, both axles twisted (had to pull one of them out with my dad's pick-up).

Maybe I should have couched my statement in terms such as "For my wheeling, the MJLee guards are sufficient" :flipoff2: When I lose one (how I didn't week before last amazes me), have a diff cover rust out, or any of the other terrible things befall me, I'll consider going the pipe cap route. Maybe the wheel will be round this time-every once in awhile, it is.

I have to go and argue the merits of automated level controls with the engineering staff. Funny, we have a fire that is caused by a level falling too low and there are still folks who think that manual controls are the way to go-even when the building is unoccupied for more than 48 hours at a stretch.

Peace,
Paul

Originally posted by PTSchram
I have to go and argue the merits of automated level controls with the engineering staff. Funny, we have a fire that is caused by a level falling too low and there are still folks who think that manual controls are the way to go-even when the building is unoccupied for more than 48 hours at a stretch.

Peace,
Paul

Im sure you are aware, but there is a difference between automation and idiot proof. To quote spinal tap "its a fine line between clever and stupid"


Back to the diff cover topic....It is like any thing else, upgrade when you feel or have the need. Hey, I still run 10spline diffs, havent needed to upgrade yet!

-Jeff

Idiot-proofing would require entirely replacing our facility engineering staff.

The sewer cap is the only way to go, and for all the reasons Mike said. I have seen so many botl on diff guards ripped off, even thought they slightly welded them on. And when you bust your diff, your stock diff cover will ghave a nice hole in it most likely.

We run sewer caps, and we dont have to worry about it, how about you.

Oh yeah, one more thing, if/when you blow that 2-pin carrier you run the risk of punching a hole in your stock axle housing diff cover. With the SewerCap you could shoot at it with 50cal. rounds and nary show a dent.

hmm... u know, being able to shoot up meh diff covers might be one of the better reasons I've heard yet for the sewer-cap upgrade! :flipoff2:

**
and slade's other point about fracturing the stock cover near the bead if you nail the bolt-on/weld-on guards just right is something I have seen happen more than once... that is some thin metal there.. I still like the 50-cal resistance factor tho!

/mp

K.C.:
My wife says if I don't have anything valid to worry about, I worry about things I shouldn't worry about!

Time to run out and buy some pipe caps:flipoff2:

Peace,
Paul

Originally posted by Serious One


what would happen if it actually started to *corrode*???)



I've seen this very thing happen. One of the fella's who was with us in Moab had this problem. He somehow managed to put a pinhole in his diff. It barely leaks, but still leaks. Apparently there isn't enough metal there to weld due to corrosion. It was caused by mounting a diff cover and forgetting about it for years.

I'm not taking sides on this one, but I do agree that diff covers have their disadvantages. That's why we should all just weld 1/4" steel to our diffs and be done with it!!

ooo kkkkkkkk....

i did the search. i'm new, haha, what'd ya expect?

thanks for the initial roasting... i deserved it.

Basic idea behind the search, is that all of us who lurk here *assume* your question is new because most everyone here searches. Even more importantl is when those of us who do use the search button do not have to sift through multiple threads (which wastes our time). Oh yeah....:flipoff2: WELCOME.

Way

so the question is this:
Will Black Mustache use the search button from now on?

Answer:
Can you make a shoe stink?:flipoff2:

i'll do the Sewercaps soon enough.

haha, you fellas are alllright!:D

Originally posted by Black Mustache


haha, you fellas are alllright!:D

Most of us are, you'll learn soon enough to avoid the likes of me!

Good luck, let me know how it works out as I've been shamed into following suit:flipoff2:

Peace,
Paul