Welding Dana 80 axle tubes

I'm curious about the bolt method... not getting a good mental picture from the description. And with all this discussion, maybe someone just needs to make a billet center section for everyone to weld their tubes into so the material is the same? LOL
 
VTECSTI said:
we need to go back to middle school and learn how to spell a little as well. maybe dropped out for welding school prematurely?
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I thought this was a competition diesel fourm, talking about welding. Didn't know everything had to spelled correct. What next, the grammer police. Come on, get real. Actually good reading, and then posts like this.


To the guys that aren't just welding it with regular steel, what filler are you using? Pm me if needed
 
I dunno, Ive used Messer MG250 rods and ezi weld Cast 99 rods. High nickel, machineable, work great on cast . Peen every pass and never had issue. Preheast and slow cooldown a must.
 
I have mig welded all over a Dana 80 with no issues at all, the air bag purches, the four link, and the tubes to the pumpkin.

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BBD
 
Wouldn't drilling and tapping for bolts be quicker and easier than all that welding anyways?
 
Begle1 said:
Wouldn't drilling and tapping for bolts be quicker and easier than all that welding anyways?
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Welding is probably easier...I am drilling and tapping mine with it out of the truck, no gears or oil in it. Makes it easy when you can drill at a comfortable angle and nothing in the way.
 
RyanB said:
Welding is probably easier...I am drilling and tapping mine with it out of the truck, no gears or oil in it. Makes it easy when you can drill at a comfortable angle and nothing in the way.
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We just take a wire wheel to the area and clean it up. Then I slide under there with the stick welder and some 7014 rod. Never had one break yet. How can it get any easier then that?
 
Here's a 10.5 that spun on the tubes. Pulled it back down on a frame machine and mig welded it 30k miles ago.

 
Think about it...the factory welds the two together. It's not rocket science...just clean the the tube and center section and weld it!
 
brushpuller said:
Think about it...the factory welds the two together. It's not rocket science...just clean the the tube and center section and weld it!
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Where does the factory weld it together at? If you look, they actually just weld to the axle tube and hope that the plug weld inside the housing is enough to keep it from moving.
 
zstroken said:
Where does the factory weld it together at? If you look, they actually just weld to the axle tube and hope that the plug weld inside the housing is enough to keep it from moving.
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The hole is through the "cast" part and the steel axle tube is at the bottom of the hole, the factory (dana) welds the hole closed, witch means they weld cast to steel... and realy, that holds quite well for as little weld is there!!!
 
brushpuller said:
The hole is through the "cast" part and the steel axle tube is at the bottom of the hole, the factory (dana) welds the hole closed, witch means they weld cast to steel... and realy, that holds quite well for as little weld is there!!!
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They are just plug welds...it wouldn't matter one bit if the weld held to the cast or not. All that is happening is that the casting is preventing the "plugs from turning"

For instance...say the hole is 3/4" in diameter and before welding you dropped in a piece of 3/4" coper tube in the hole. You then weld it and fill the hole right to the top. Your weld will be fully welded to the steel axle tube but nothing else...This would probably be enough to keep the tubes from ever turning on a standard axle or pulling out of the housing but it wouldn't take much to scheer off the welds and turn the housing on the tubes with the torque we create.

I have no pics yet for you guys but on the Dana80 in the front of the new truck my brother and I are building those plug welds only come up off the tubes into the casting by about 1/4" or a little more. It was orginally from a Ford F350 Cube Van and had the heavy 3/4" axle tubes (the dodge uses tubes that are thinner) and some of the 10-bolt Dana80's in the fords had 1" thick Tubes.

RyanB
 
brushpuller said:
The hole is through the "cast" part and the steel axle tube is at the bottom of the hole, the factory (dana) welds the hole closed, witch means they weld cast to steel... and realy, that holds quite well for as little weld is there!!!
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Their goal is to weld to the tube.
 
I have seen alot of axle shops drill, tap, and bolt the axles after doing the normal welds...I have seen alot of axles welded too (suspension links, bump stops etc..) and never seen one fail IF DONE PROPERLY...but over powering, abuse and other things come into play too...
 
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