i'm sure plenty of people have broke the front alloy diff housing on their tracker/sidekick and would like a cheaper solution than an anvil housing.http://diff mods 001.jpeg
does this look familiar? the pass side bracket works the bolts loose as you go forward and reverse in 4x4, it's a camming action. then a bolt that is backed half way out now exerts tremendous force at the outer edge of it's hole until it breaks a chunk out. well, we have a way to stop it. modify the housing to accept studs and locating dowels. we used head dowels from a 1.6 8valve.

ok, now that i have figured out how to attach these images; here's the procedure. it's pretty simple. first step is to carefully drill a 1/2" dia. pocket about 3/8" deep into the threaded holes in the housing. i used a unibit to start the drilling since they are somewhat self centering. this serves as a pilot hole for the conventional bit. the conventional drill bit likes to walk off center as you begin drilling, thus the pilot hole. after the pockets for the dowels are drilled, test fit the dowels. they should seat with light taps from a hammer.http://diff mods 006.jpeg

now that we have confirmed dowel fit, carefully remove the dowels. next, obtain a set of studs that match the thread&pitch of the original bolts. be sure they are long enough to allow fitting of bracket and nuts. we double nutted ours. clean all oil, etc. from studs and threads in the housing. brake cleaner is a good way to do this. we next mixed some high strength epoxy and applied it to the stud threads which engage the housing. don't get sloppy, excess epoxy will plug the dowel pockets and is real difficult to remove. firmly install studs. after a few hours, when the epoxy is set up semi solid; clean any excess out using a dental pick, eyeglass screw driver or other small tool. allow epoxy to cure overnight.http://diff mods 009.jpeg

a little trouble with the images, let's try again.http://diff mods 009.jpeg

reinstall dowels.http://diff mods 010.jpeg this is where we hit a fork in the road. those who are still using the stock diff bracket will drill it to provide tight fit to the dowels. a loose fit defeats the purpose of this mod and renders it useless. a light press fit is mandatory. if by some chance you do wobble things out a bit then follow the procedure for the aftermarket bracket. my cousin's tracker has the Calmini suspension kit. the holes in the bracket provide a real loose fit. so we installed the dowels, and fitted the bracket flush to the case. this next step requires a little skill and a delicate touch. if you are a little nervous, then find a friend or experienced welder to help. we tack weld each dowel to the bracket. use 2 tack welds about 180 degrees apart on each dowel.http://diff mods 011.jpeg

now remove bracket, taking care not to separate the dowels from it. now finish welding the dowels to the bracket. doesn't need to look that nice since you will grind 'em down next. don't weld them up while the bracket is on the housing, the aluminum may melt away. now grind everything flat as possible. deburr and clean any weld out of dowels. follow up with "body and paint", painting will prevent rust problems.http://diff mods 015.jpeg

below is the completed setup and a pic of my cousin's rig where it now resides. total cost in materials was less than $16. we already had the dowels. it is much cheaper than a custom one piece housing, easier to reinstall too. now he won't have a partially engaged bolt levering a chunk of housing loose when he nails the throttle.http://diff mods 020.jpeg

Or just do a solid axle swap and save yourself alot of trouble :flipoff2:

i did the swap in mine. see the avatar. i don't know about that saving alot of trouble thing, unless you have the scratch to pony up for the tt kit. no matter how you look at it, this is the most economical fix. when my rig was like my cousin's, i only broke one cv. it had a welded diff and we were hopping it way to hard. with 33's it may have never broke a shaft. this write up is to help those without the need or funds for the sas. i know you're just giving me shit, but this is going to help people. that's why it's here.

...why only three doweled & studded support holes? I see (4)

It would seem logical, if you're going to do all that work, one additional isn't that much more in time -or- $

PLUS, it IS one more supporting attachment on an already weak housing.

...why only three doweled & studded support holes? I see (4)

It would seem logical, if you're going to do all that work, one additional isn't that much more in time -or- $

PLUS, it IS one more supporting attachment on an already weak housing.

Execpt the Calmini bracket only has 3 holes...I don't know why...but it does.

Oz

i thought about that. if you look at the pics closely, i did prep that 4th hole. but neither the stock or calmini brackets had 4 holes. i honestly don't believe it will be necessary. the rig has seen some hard use last week. i will post if it ever fails at that location. 3 studs are plenty strong. the original design flaw that causes this problem is the bolts being cammed loose by the sloppy bracket fit. this gets worse with the longer and sloppier calmini part.

the rig has seen some hard use last week.

Specs of "The Rig"? Tire size / locker?

Our carrier housings used to crack, not the mounting bracket......

Interesting.......I miss the old IFS days on 31's.......:D

Specs of "The Rig"? Tire size / locker?
mine was a 91 1.6 8v with 35's and welded front. cousin's rig is a 96 with 1.6 16v, 35's, calminin lift combo, and 35's. his is the white one in this thread.

[QUOTE=zuki4x4chick;10018479]Our carrier housings used to crack, not the mounting bracket......

mounting bracket didn't crack. the housings did. the problem is CAUSED by movement of the bracket. closely read the first statements. it's explained there and touched on again further down.