welding "9rear
Junior User
Joined: Feb 2002
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From: va bch usa
welding "9rear
Any idea if they make a mini for a dana 50 for my f-250 light duty? i Just want a locker for the front and a mini spool sounds like the way to go. I just run mild stuff anyway like the beach and some wel beaten wood trails so i don't really need arb or a detroit.
Elder User
Joined: Apr 2003
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From: Cheney, Wa
welding "9rear
welding the spider gears is a slow painfull death for a differential, everytime the spider gear should rotate it usually chips peice of your weld off....so you have peices of metal floating around in your pumkin. its only a matter of time until it gives out and you have buy a whole new 3rd member...mini spools are by far the way to go if you want a 1 peice axle. there's nothing to get chipped off or worry about failing (if you don't fill the teeth in enough the gears will still try to turn and then end up grenading for the tooth being half filled.)
anyway exatcly how long does it take to put a spool in the back...and can i do it with a kmart 120 peice tool kit? that's all i've got here at college, but i've been waiting to jump the spool wagon!
anyway exatcly how long does it take to put a spool in the back...and can i do it with a kmart 120 peice tool kit? that's all i've got here at college, but i've been waiting to jump the spool wagon!
Posting Guru
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,404
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From: Cleveland, WI USA
welding "9rear
welding the spider gears is a slow painfull death for a differential, everytime the spider gear should rotate it usually chips peice of your weld off....
anyway exatcly how long does it take to put a spool in the back...and can i do it with a kmart 120 peice tool kit? that's all i've got here at college, but i've been waiting to jump the spool wagon!
Read my post above for brief instructions and the Tech Article on Building a ford 9" rear end under 2001 articles. That's everything you need to know.
It's about a 4-5 hour job if you take your time. Even less if all the nuts & bolts cooperate.
Good luck.
Kevin K.
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 465
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From: Tower MN, Houghton MI
welding "9rear
Originally posted by tucker_lucas
Red Rocket, have you had any problems driving on the highway so much? I was worried about driving mine with the mini-spool too much on the pavement. I absolutely love it off-road. Any who have had a mini spool on the pavement for awhile, please let me know.
Red Rocket, have you had any problems driving on the highway so much? I was worried about driving mine with the mini-spool too much on the pavement. I absolutely love it off-road. Any who have had a mini spool on the pavement for awhile, please let me know.
When i first put in the spool, I had 34X9.50 swampers on my truck. With swampers, you honestly couldnt tell it was back there on the pavement. Now with wider, BFG radials, it is a noticable. The main thing is the tire chirping. other than that, its fine for me on the street.
I do get some strange looks making turns in town from the chirp. chirp.chirp though... I have never realy worried about it though, tire wear hasnt been noticably different, and nothing else has worn out in it
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 286
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From: Homestead, FL
welding "9rear
Hi- I just wanted to jump in with a couple cents after seeing the longevity of this post. First I'd like to say that by definition, ANY kind of spool or locker will NOT make your truck handle better in the snow (for lateral traction reasons). But that's not my reason for replying.
My point is this. I have two friends that I helped make "Miller" lockers because they were too cheap
for Detroits. The spider gear welds are only the small part of the strength in a welded diff. This is what you do:
Remove the carrier from the housing. Don't mix the caps up.
Spray the crap out of it with brake cleaner, and make sure you get it virgin clean.
Tape the bearings to keep spatter off of them.
Use 7018 wire or rod (if you're using a SMAW welder). Concentrate on welding the SIDE gears to the carrier.
Now you can work on the spider gears just to complete the job.
Done right this type of lock is definitely STRONGER than any mini-spool. With a mini-spool ALL the torsional load of the driveshaft is concentrated exactly on that center pin. Now don't get me wrong mini-spools have two advantages, they're easier to do right and they don't ruin the carrier.
But only thousands of miles of daily driving are gonna tell the whole story.
My point is this. I have two friends that I helped make "Miller" lockers because they were too cheap
for Detroits. The spider gear welds are only the small part of the strength in a welded diff. This is what you do:Remove the carrier from the housing. Don't mix the caps up.
Spray the crap out of it with brake cleaner, and make sure you get it virgin clean.
Tape the bearings to keep spatter off of them.
Use 7018 wire or rod (if you're using a SMAW welder). Concentrate on welding the SIDE gears to the carrier.
Now you can work on the spider gears just to complete the job.
Done right this type of lock is definitely STRONGER than any mini-spool. With a mini-spool ALL the torsional load of the driveshaft is concentrated exactly on that center pin. Now don't get me wrong mini-spools have two advantages, they're easier to do right and they don't ruin the carrier.
But only thousands of miles of daily driving are gonna tell the whole story.
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Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,404
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From: Cleveland, WI USA
welding "9rear
Originally posted by osborn_1
so if i put a mini spool in my rear end and changed the gears in a year i could put the mini spool in with my new gears?
so if i put a mini spool in my rear end and changed the gears in a year i could put the mini spool in with my new gears?
In the dif., you have a carrier which is just a housing that the ring gear bolts to and the axles slide into. Inside the carrier are the spider gears (and the clutch pack if it's a trac-lock). The spider gears are attached to the carrier with steel pins and to the axles by the splines in the side spider gears. The mini-spool replaces the spider gears and is held to the carrier by the same steel pin that held the gears.
To "change the gears" in the rear end, you pull out the carrier, unbolt the ring gear, bolt on the new one and reinstall the carrier. You also have to change the pinion gear which, on a 9", comes off the front of the 3rd member.
Basically, the mini-spool goes INSIDE the carrier and the ring gear goes on the OUTSIDE.
The tech article on rebuilding a 9" has some great photos and tons of great info. Check it out.
Kevin K.
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