Tips needed, diff welding.

[EffyE36]

Hi, i've had my Clarke 135te for about a year and have done quite a few things with it, still an amatuer though and have much to learn.

Anyway i need to weld the central diff on my gto, rwd conversion etc

It has three planetary gears that rotate both around a sun gear and within a housing, to lock it i need to weld the planetary gears to each other. Just wondering if i could get any tips as messing this up would be costly and i'm tempted to pay a professional to do it for me.

If i was to do it myself then i would plan to run a slower wire speed on max power and just go slowly take my time and make sure i get good penetration.

i've attached below a picture of the gears and a finished weld on someone elses gears.

Thanks Jonni

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View media item 9183

 

[rkde]

You will be pushing a little 135 to get full penetration - I would advise that to be 100% sure I would drill through the case and into the gear and then drop in some needle bearings as dowels and then weld over the top to lock them in, then as you have suggested max power and slower wire speed and if you can add some weld preparation too it will all help

 

[EffyE36]

That's a good shout but i imagine id need a pillar drill with an unobtainium drill bit to get through the hardened steel? :/ I know i'm pushing my welders capability, maybe weld within the gears then a small plate in there then weld all around it? Thanks for the advise.

 

[Fazerruss]

Welding up a precisely machined component like that above seems a very crude method to me.
Have you considered what it will perform like unless you have it balanced?

 

[Kent]

Heat treated engineering steel? Don't even attempt it!
The plant is too small and without knowing what you are really dealing with as regards the metallurgy I should look more towards mechanical means of fastening
What are the alignment Tollerances?