right now i have a detroit locker in front but i have it for the 3.73 down carrier i have stock axle shafts and i just bought a set of 4.56 gears and a 3.92 up open carrier the detroit locker is going to my friend for his truck. he has already paid me and i used that money to pay for gears so i just have to pull it out and give it to him when the gears get here. my stock axles have survived fine with the locker in the front but i also know when to stand on the throttle and when not to and not to turn with the hubs locked unless the locker is unlocked and never lock the hubs on pavement. my question is should i weld the spider gears in my new carrier that i am getting? will this break my axles for sure? i'm not trying to spend $300 on new axles right after i just spent like $550 for the gears. or should i leave the carrier open?

basically if i weld the spider gears in my carrier what are the chances of breaking my axles and if i do break an axle can i unlock the hub and drive 45 mins back home? i usually try to build my stuff good enough that it doesn't break with the exception of those axles

 

Welding the spiders will only end in tears, like when they explode and pretty much destroy the frontend. Get another locker or leave it open. don't half *** it by welding the spiders.

 

Weld them like this:



Welded Dif, What the hell!!! - Pirate4x4.Com Bulletin Board

 

In your case, I'd say swap a D60 in and stop wasting money on the TTB. Hell, for the $550 you spent on gears, you could have found complete solid D44 with the gears you wanted already installed in it. Maybe even an LS unit, locker, or welded spiders. But since you are asking about the TTB...

I'm not going to make this decision for you, but I will tell you this:
There is nothing like having all 4 tires spinning.
I would break a welded D44 TTB with 33" BFG AT's within the first few wheeling trips, if not the first.

Welding spiders definitely isn't half assing it if you can weld properly.

 

I have seen the mustang guys do that to the rear...It makes it like a spool... my son had a 93 stang with a spool on the street...It worked fine just a bitch in a parking lot but held up fine ..So if you do it to the front & only in the dirt & no pavment you might be ok..??.. I allways used LS in my 4x4 in the front...Lew

 

weld it!!!

 

LMFAO! That is classic.

 

Your not talking about the picture above right, cause thats like a paper weight!! The pinion is welded to the ring gear. Its a cool looking paper weight though.

 

yeah i was planning on doing it like that! i've done a bunch of spider gear welding before just like that but i beefed up the welds a little more and havn't had and problems, i havn't tried to move the car after i did it though lol

the only reason i havn't swapped to a solid axle is because i am honestly scared

i've never done anything like that before, i've 4linked a car before buttttt i'm scared i might get something a little off when i weld on my leaf springs + i really don't want to lift my truck any more and it's my daily driver as well

and it was like around $500 worth of parts to 4link the car as well, with the car it was easy to get the bottom link bar level because the car was tubbed and we just lowered the rear and made the bar level, the bigger tires made up for the rear being lower i don't know how i would do this with a truck...

and the 550 for gears was for the rear gears and install kit and the front gears and bearings+install kit+3.91 up carrier

and seriously i have never welded a carrier before i always just bought a spool but trust me i can weld lol like i said i have 4linked a car before it was a chevy though and basically a bolt in 4link kit just weld the brackets on where it tells you to set the pinion angle put in the springs shocks and go

and after reading all your posts i think i might leave it open....

 

i hope nobody thinks thats right

 

All he'd need to do is upgrade to a heavy duty clutch...

 

Yeah maybe a 12V cummins with 200 injectors and a 62 mm turbo stuck infront of a southbend DD and he will have enough torque to break the ring gear free.

 

i can't even imagine the noise that thing would make when it broke free lol i bet you'd be able to hear it for a long ways though, the worst diff i have ever blown up was on my old trailblazer it was a 10bolt with a locker (not a posi a locker) well something messed up and broke off a peice of the ring gear shot it through the cover and through the rear floor into the area behind the rear seat, i was in a mud hole messing around at wide open throttle my speedo said around 100 and i was going slower than you walk and all the sudden it bit real hard and went bang.....i didn't even take the cover off the diff i just swapped a new dif in and sold it to my uncle

 

To deal with all the extra traction from your welded diff, all you need is a heavy duty clutch like sncblue03 said, and an upgraded drive shaft.

 

I highly suggest getting yourself another locker. The TTB doesn't take kindly to being welded, I have seen them spit out u-joints with 3.50's, 33's and a bagged out 2bbl 302...
Actually, I'd go for a good aggressive limited slip, that would probably the most aggressive you should go without wanting to carry a spare set of axles just in case. We won't mention how many axles I killed with my 6.9 pig with an open diff and stock 235/85's...
I still have yet to see any aftermarket high strength TTB axles, but, they're probably out there and expensive to boot.