Jeep Cherokee Xj One Ton Swap - Welding Dana 60 Axle Tubes

[@csneigoski13]

Lots of people refer to that welding machine as the “Lincoln tombstone”. Got mine from my great grandpa and also used it to weld parts for my Cherokee! Love the content man!!

[@csneigoski13]

Also, pro tip for welding cast iron.. heat it up, run your weld, and then if you have one, get a pneumatic scaler and peen the weld. It will help prevent the cast iron from cracking due to shrinkage.

[@benjaminreinhardt259]

Stand the axle up on end to make welding the tubes easier, that way the joint is very easy to access by walking around it. Obviously you will have to do one side at a time this way. Tack at 3,6,9, and 12 o'clock. Then weld 3-6, 9-12, 6-9, and then 12-3.

[@ardennielsen3761]

85amp 5/32 6010 is softer then a 7018, so welding the tubes to the case with 6010 is better... 7018 cracks off the case tho does hold some fusion keeping something on it. those tubes are centrifugal cast roller forged carbon steel so they do pop like cast iron but can be cut in half and welded with 6010 or 7018 "120-140amp". Lincoln 7018 NASCAR rods have an upper range of 84'000psi so they work for welding the axle shaft as well... SMAW NASCAR rods? I used a bunch of boxes of Russian 3/16 7018 rods, measured them at about 38'000psi, they seal gas lines really good.

[@backcountrybeagles]

Lots of great information here, appreciate it! Next time I'll give 6010 a shot.

[@ardennielsen3761]

@@backcountrybeagles Air Liquid 5/32 6010, sticks freezes fills blow outs digs in deep turned up high... runs at 75amp up to 180amp using the old AC boxes. at 65amp it can be used to weld 16 gauge mufflers, 5/32 is a nice rod that can fill large voids free hand in any assessable position, just brush the dust off and it cuts thru 30 year old frame rust. drill bits and other machining tools also cut thru 6010 easier then some case harden-able cast iron.

[@MD-lm7fj]

Im considering the same swap but wondering about overall width. Can you tell me the measurment of the total width of the axle? From lockout to lockout?

[@backcountrybeagles]

WMS to WMS is 69"....I don't have my lock outs yet but I'd guess another 3-4 inches on each side so 75-77".

[@MD-lm7fj]

Thanks for the reply. That gives me a ballpark to work with.

[@moejr14]

Hey bud. Could you give me an idea of why coil overs are better than coils and shocks?

[@backcountrybeagles]

For me, and others, it’s 3 things. 1) Packaging, 2) Adjustability, 3) Capability. It is much easier to fit a coilover into a setup, rather than a shock and coil (1 item to worry about over 2). These are adjustable coilovers so with the turn of a knob on the top I can adjust these to ride better on rocks, high speed desert, street, low speed crawling etc. I also had them built/valved specifically for the jeep and what I’ll be doing with it, rockcrawling, overlanding & daily driving. For capability, these are 14” coilovers. If I build the suspension right I should be able to get 13” of travel out of them before we land on bump stops/limit straps! That’s a lot more than the 10” I had before up front!

[@moejr14]

Hey pal. I love the contact. Keep up the good work man. I hope your KZbin channel blows up. I got one question. would be possible to weld the tubes to the housing without removing the seals or Do you think it would burn up the seals inside it by heated the casting up and welded it?

[@backcountrybeagles]

Thank you man, appreciate it! As for the seals, I would think that heating the housing up to 3-500 ° with the seals in would in fact cause damage to them to some degree. If they didn’t leak right away I’m sure the would not too far into the future.