Welding Spider Gears - Why It's A Bad Idea And How To Go Ahead And Do It Anyway. 8.75 Chrysler

It's the oldest and cheapest speed modification in the book, but not without it's down sides and liabilities.
We look at all the various reasons you may not want to make this mod to your rear, and then go step by step to show you how anyone can do it using even the most humble Harbor Freight Flux Core welder.
#classiccar #musclecar #diy #differential #welding
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[@demonic477]

I know it's cheap and strong but I never had a reason to do it when you can buy a mini spool or a full spool for dirt cheap and save the rear end . before Covid hit you could get a mini spool for 68 bucks and a full spool for under 100 bucks . now there a bit more expensive but still not out of the budget off a week end racer . the last time I looked a full spool for a Ford 9in was starting around $110 to 150 on the high end and a bit cheaper for the mini spool. so if you can save back a bit of money to get a spool why weld .

[@UncleTonysGarage]

Points well made, but as we talked about in the previous video, those parts are not available for every rear, only the most common and popular. This is universal and that's why we're showing how to do it.

[@tarstarkusz]

Sorry if I'm being a bit slow, but how can it turn at all with the gears welded to each other? I'm looking at the video at 15:06 How can these gears turn now? They are now 1 piece of metal. It looks to me like the input gear is being physically connected to one of the axle gears. What am I missing? I'm obviously misunderstanding the system, but even looking it at, I just don't get it.

[@tarstarkusz]

How can it turn at all with the gears welded to each other? I'm looking at the video at 15:06 How can these gears turn now? They are now 1 piece of metal. It looks to me like the input gear is being physically connected to one of the axle gears. What am I missing? I'm obviously misunderstanding the system, but even looking it at, I just don't get it.

[@kyle8952]

@@tarstarkusz Not all the gears are welded together. The gear that connects the driveshaft is not welded, only the gears which connect the half-axles to each other are. A welded differential is the same as having no differential.

[@Mr.Saltwater]

​@tarstarkusz the inside tire will slip, bounce or the axle will break. Good luck pushing it

[@mikemeyer1791]

In the early 60s, Bill Golden used different diameter tires on an open diff effectively making a sure-grip rear. On the same car, he came up with a rear suspension mod using a swing arm/leaf spring combo that buried the rear bumper and nearly lifted the front tires off the line. Once they discovered his genious, NHRA banned the car. Maverick then went on to build the famed Little Red Wagon and the rest is history.

[@oldblueaccord2629]

I think the credit might goto Garlits on that one. Im sure they all did it back in the day.

[@BigBeavrSlayer]

Use a oxy-acetalene torch set with no air and lay a heavy soot layer onto anything you dont want weld spatter to stick to. Weld it up and wipe off the soot all good and clean been doing it that way for years

[@fireballxl-5748]

Of all the suggestions on this topic, I think this the best. Thank you.

[@Dick_Gozinya]

Interesting. I cast my own lead bullets, and the standard procedure is to smoke the mold with a lighter or a match. The thin layer of soot lets the bullet drop right out of the mold when you crack it open. Same principle at work.

[@BigBeavrSlayer]

@@Dick_Gozinya I have done the same when casting bullets as well, but a thin layer of soot works better to get maximum lead in and not have external inclusions from the soot taking up space in the mold

[@kaboom4679]

Smear some nozzle gel on whatever you don't want spatter sticking to , BTW . Also , if you have shop air , get a needle scaler . They make short work of slag and spatter , along with rust and scale . Some thin aluminum ( beer can ..) and a couple of hose clamps also work as bearing or shaft protectors when welding or grinding , and these are usually laying about in every shop I have ever been in . Or you can cheat and use soda cans , whatever gets you by .

[@kiphenricksen6029]

great idea!

[@natevanlandingham1945]

"Or you can cheat and use soda cans"🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@musicauthority7828]

And after removing all that splatter a person should clean the carrier thoroughly in a parts washer. because there are tiny particles that can get into places where a person can't see them. and you don't want that stuff floating around in your gear lube.

[@drrrrockzo]

I always added some plate, bar stick, rebar or even pipe to the spider gears and welded that in too...no idea if it added any significant strength, but we also never broke one like that either.

[@mdcuddy3286]

One of the projects we were handed in metal shop my freshman year of high school was to make block to replace the spider gears. Some of us did well and then there were the others. Many a shop teacher loved these projects in the late 60's. Great fun to also weld them as a project for metal shop.

[@manmachinemake3708]

Hahaha, Ford 8". Been there, done that ! My '55 crestliner with a 312 and T-10 would pop the spider gears in a heartbeat. After the 2nd time, i welded that thing to a spool and learned to pop the clutch around corners. Really fun in a shoebox with manual steering, brakes and trans. MAN, I miss that car !!! (I later upgraded to a 9" then sold the car)

[@donavencaudill3763]

This is my favorite video on this subject man this is everything you need man and the comments are so helpful I'm glad we all have each other in these fucking cars

[@gregorywhite4810]

Uncle Tony if you welding with flux cord wire it leaves a slag covering over the weld bead . If you are filling a gap like you did that takes multiple passes. You are suppose to weld a bead, then remove the flux with a wire brush or a needle scaler. Once the flux is removed you weld another bead on top of that . Stop remove flux , weld another bead so on and so on. Last time I checked. If you don't remove the flux your welds will have porosity , all types of little small holes from the flux burning up and giving off gases. Weld with porosity isn't very strong and will fail.

[@djstobbe1301]

Lol my high school shop teacher wasn't impressed when we welded the diff on my chevette and put big spacers under the springs to fit taller tires lol ...had a 283 and 2spd pwrglide jammed in it all done with a stick welder lol when I was 16....you can actually wrap the speedo around was a scary little car the driveshaft yolk from the original 5spd actually had the same splines as the powerglide lol 😆

[@NewswithJakenator]

Back in the day all we had to work with was a large junkyard and no budget. We spent weeknights burning insulation off copper wiring for the right to scrounge what we needed. Some of us still have our cars from those days. I still have my '73 Firebird with the '70 Buick 455 Stage 1 I stuffed in it. This was in MI so rust got to most of them, my Bird included. I think only Scotty and Chris had actual posi rears, the rest of us welded them.One of these days I am going to get that old Bird on the road again in all it's Canary yellow and bias ply tire glory.

[@dougjones9493]

Lastly, if you don't like the results have another rear end on hand because the one you welded is screwed

[@bw3506]

This^^^

[@MCarrick-ss7xc]

Thank you for yours simple advice.

[@johnwilkerson2195]

I watched my weld the spider gears in an old 66' Fairlane with nickel rods for bracket racing in the early mid 80s

[@waynefergusson9987]

Was obvious that this video would attract lots of attention and comments ' good stuff Tony !

[@MaxNafeHorsemanship]

I welded one once. Here's the story. The spiders were damaged anyway and it was temp to keep my wife's car on the road until I got another diff. In the winter, it actually helped as long as you were careful, but once it dried up it ate tires like crazy. The extra traction is nice, but you WILL pay for it.

[@rayhuggart5214]

I agree with you , a spool is much better. How much are they..save your pop bottles and cash them in or sell some scrap and get a spool.

[@ChristisKing7749]

old school torch and coat hanger

[@mikeymike758]

Haha... Too funny! The old Hillbilly posi rearend! No consideration for balancing of a rotating assembly. But yeah, if it works? There's also lock blocks that you can buy and install if you don't have a welder, plus no slag to clean up. 🙂 Oh to be 17 again. Lol.... EDIT: You need to play the dueling banjo song from Deliverance when doing the welding. 🤣

[@AA-tb4ff]

Your carrier doesn’t have the be balanced. Just how many rpm’s do you think it’s turning?

[@mikeymike758]

@@AA-tb4ff Well, your carrier is turning 1633 RPM in top gear with a gear ratio of 3.55 and engine RPM at 5800. I would think this is enough to cause a vibration in the carrier assembly at high speeds? But I could be wrong? Cheers

[@mastercricket7626]

well i have 2 open diff atm and going to swap to a bigger stronger diff soon as i decide what one lol so i also have this exact welder ... hmmm might as well have a lil fun i can leave 1 open and weld tf outta the other one and have fun ... ps thanks bro i been asking around and looking to see if this welder was capable of this and had 0 answer b4 now sooo a big shoutout and thank you to you Tony .. peace and love bro keep it rad stay safe and build on .... l8z

[@The_R-n-I_Guy]

I don't know why everyone hates flux core welders. As long as you're not doing body work they're great

[@ExUSSailor]

All the Pineys I went to high school with had the ol' "Lincoln Lockers" in their trucks.

[@Stevesbe]

Raced a Datsun 260z with a weld diff for years no problem

[@nastybastardatlive]

I grew up using a stick welder, but can't seem to weld with the wire feed for shit. I just noticed from watching you that I've been holding the tip too close (like I would with a rod), but I see you let out a lot more wire. I got something out of this video that I totally didn't expect. Thanks man.

[@oldblueaccord2629]

...and you move with the weld direction only not into it. With a stick you have to move into it and the direction you weld. They are both a different feel. I cant weld with a stick worth a damn!

[@kawaiirunnersdriftclub]

To the people who have smaller rear ends: Weld the 4 gears on BOTH SIDES of the case, if needed open a small enough hole to access and weld the other side, and especially for those who have c-clips, it is a good idea to weld the planetary gears to the housing too, because the torsion coming from the axle can break a weld or even the smaller satelite gears, which can break all of it if the planetary gears aren't welded to the case. I've been running a welded diff for almost 3 years now and never had a problem!

[@DanEBoyd]

I have that same MAP torch and those same tin-snips!!! Props to Uncle Kathy for getting right into the slag-storm to get the shot!

[@tnproudcountrys666]

Huge fan from Portland TN!! Would love to meet u tony!!

[@gabrieldimarco9646]

Thank you Tony.

[@harriettedaisy2233]

Tony, just keep your hands away from my rear end.

[@rickmiller5040]

My Son learned the lesson that matching tire size on a welded Diff are important. Drove his drift car with mismatched tires and broke both axels.

[@bushd1644]

Little tip, wipe grease on whatever you don't want spatter to stick to. But obviously don't contaminate your weld with it. And you'll get less spatter if you move your gun nozzle closer to the weld.

[@MikeBrown-ii3pt]

Good tips. Personally, I just use the same "anti-spatter" gel that I dip the nozzle in.

[@alpine1600s]

He was using pure flux core wire, zero gas.

[@fireballxl-5748]

Uhhhh.....the pre-heating of the gears is necessary and that should be hot enough to evaporate any grease, burning it out. Sorry but no short cut there. If the grease isn't burned out, it's the gears aren't hot enough.

[@NH1969GOAT]

Just go to a locker...cheap and works super!!!!

[@01fxdlse]

I welded it just for the instability.. that’s the fun part 😂

[@matthewmattix]

I weld the diff on my Jeep a few years ago and I heated the diff up with a propane torch the diff and spider gear’s. And i drive every now and then. And on my Jeep I don’t weld the center pin

[@kart70]

Obligatory welding safety rant. This isn't to pick on UTG in any way, shape, or form. He absolutely knows what he's doing. This is for others reading the comments. Please wear a full face, honest to God welding helmet. Flux core is extremely bright. Squinting, closing your eyes, or sunglasses are not good enough. Tony is wearing a helmet, so should you. Another reason isn't just eye damage. It's skin damage. There's a lot of UV light. Sunburns suck, whether they came from the sun or a welder. Consider wearing gloves, preferably welding gloves. Again, there's the skin damage factor. No other part of your body is closer to the arc than your hands. Most importantly, burns. It's easy to say, "Well, I ain't going to touch it," but it's also easy to forget that something is hot. Something can move. You'll instinctively reach for it. Burns are just a bad way to ruin your day(s). Fire hazard. This one, I personally learned the hard way. Notice how flux core really sends out the sparks? It's really easy for that spatter to ignite something you really would rather not ignite. Take the time to look at the whole area around you where you are welding. Reduce the stuff that may ignite and get the resources to fight a fire, just in case.

[@UncleTonysGarage]

Great points

[@gatesj777]

@@UncleTonysGarage Agreed. I was wondering the whole time what uncle Kathy had over her face as protection… yeah I know, I’m no fun at parties…

[@repete2362]

even cotton gloves help might have to put them out once in a while . i believe fire is part of the reason for outside work. keep a spray woter bottle near by.

[@leesanders8824]

Daily drivers and inexperienced do not need any type of spool or welded diff. Rain,dusty dirty roads in a car with any type of power will turn you sideways right quick.

[@repete2362]

same with limited slip on ice and snow

[@Ecosse57]

i wish youtubers wood warn us when they are about to weld so i can look away. i don't wanna burn my retnas watchin somebody weld!! thank you!! joking.

[@frankc1430]

I would rather put a spool on it. Good luck cleaning up that mess.

[@waboom248]

I've welded many a spider gear in derby cars. Degrease it super good, jam a 10 penny nail in the teeth and weld it, but do not let it get hot.

[@Viktorrhansen]

i daily drove my 70 firebird an entire year with welded diff no problem and same comfort as before automatic no idea if that changes the hopping most people get!

[@camaro6810]

Uncle Tony, all I can say is THANK YOU, your videos are so informative, and helps us guys who dont have the old time car guys in the family or around anymore to learn all that stuff we missed out on. I love your videos, the delivery and the fact that its geared (pun intended) toward options that are budget friendly, old school car guy methods. These videos are so valuable and I appreciate you making them. Thank you!!

[@WillyG3234]

I do agree with most of this. Except the fuel mileage one. I get 13.5mpg with a 10.5:1 big block chevy with a mini spool. The fatigue on tires and axles suck tho

[@IOPOrt51]

I am a fan of the spartan locker. Excellent traction with good street manors and surprisingly affordable. Sometimes called a drop in or lunchbox locker.

[@fireballxl-5748]

UT talks about that in the previous video.

[@tonypace2009]

Got one in my XJ have one the front also but need to address pinion slop need to tighten it up first. The rear spartan works great just have to let off the gas and coast sharp turns for them to unlock. Any gas and the pinion shaft cams the gear halves out to lock. For off road I love them but a bit unsure for drag car?

[@davidlobaugh4490]

Can't help but sense a troll beneath the bridge. Must be those damn squirrels.

[@tabbott429]

Something Ill never do but could see it for specific purpose built cars like demo derbys or 4x4 off road. I had a 72 torino with a 4.56 and a spool. i took it out immediately since i didnt race the car as the previous owner did.

[@heavymetalmadness666]

If someone even thinks about welding the spiders the right way they are foolish. If you are running a demolition derby car, cheap ice racer, or a mud truck that is just driven into the ground after a couple events....Fine do this. Mini spool are dirt cheap and if you made it that far there is no reason you could have not got a mini spool in it. I did a quick searched eBay and there are options from as low as 20 dollars to under 100 depending on the differential. Full spools are in the 100-150 range, but odds are you're going to buy new bearings and have ring and pinion set up. Setting up a ring and pinion that will last isn't all that complicated, now if you want it noise free that becomes more of an art.

[@jacksonkersey9436]

Plan Z rockin’ that natural glow this time, nice camera.

[@michaelgarrow3239]

Watching you weld machined gears together just hurts my delicate sensibilities… 🙄

[@highaceoffroad2887]

They become predictable though, every single time it reacts the same way. My Totyota has been welded for 13 years now. Good video though

[@tallpaul9475]

I had a Nova SS with a Trans Am rear-end in it. When I bought it, I didn't know that, and had a very difficult time pushing into the side of the house, barely turning the steering wheel. After getting it in a spot to jack it up, I looked at the painted cover on the rear, it had a tag with info about additive for Posi traction differential. Went to the local Grand Auto, bought the really good type of oil it really needed, drained the old stuff out, put in this stuff. Worked so much better after a quick drive. Was amazed how that made such a big difference.

[@ssnerd583]

Yeah....the wrong lube in a GM POSI rear will make all sorts of bad JUJU

[@111000100101001]

Ah “The Tag”, used to be a super quick identifier in the yard when walking by a car to see if it had positrac or not ;)

[@bw3506]

​@@111000100101001 Yep!

[@shoominati23]

You know you can buy a proper spool on ebay for like $100 yeah?

[@UncleTonysGarage]

Sure, I have a couple of them...but, they're only available for certain popular rear. This is universal and why we're showing it.

[@ridestreet20]

You are a good uncle

[@NoNonsenseKnowHow]

Hitting it with some anti spatter spray before welding will help out with the dingle berry issue

[@RichieCat4223]

How about putting anti splatter paste on parts that you don't want to have effected by the flux ?

[@Rnfjaydee]

Me and friends daily welded diff hell i daily mine in the winter. It’s not that bad lol. Also little tip for the fellas always pre heat the gears and I mean like red hot!!

[@musicauthority7828]

Something else a person will notice, if they either weld up spider gears or run another type of locked differential. on a vehicle that is used often is increased rear tire wear. due to scuffing of the rear tires when going around corners. and a sort of rule of thumb when welding spider gears. is to think of it like welding cast iron. a person should try to keep the temperature of the work. up closer to the temperature that a person is welding at for best results.

[@sgranty02]

Right off to do this to one of my spare bmw 2002 diffs ! Cheers Tony!

[@fazawah2933]

I am trying to un imagine bb's coming loose in the oil.

[@fireballxl-5748]

Simple for you UT but fascinating to me even though I worked on cars for years. I never got into the racing and modding part so this is really interesting. Thank you.

[@BigMikesHooptyBarn]

I just paid $500 for a sure grip center section and felt like I got it CHEAP. I've been seeing them lately for up to $850. Crazy stuff!

[@Stevesbe]

7018 rod if you're stick welding

[@tarstarkusz]

great video

[@stephencrandellsr4915]

Like Jackie Gleason said dont do it you can think about it but dont do it lol

[@edc6333]

Uncle Tony the dentist filling in cavities, haha

[@superrodder2002]

It's the harbour freight, so you won't be late rear end.

[@rescuedandrestoredgarage]

Well done, brother. One big thing you forgot was that this will kill your tires. Have a great Sunday, everyone.

[@russupsidedowntopbottom955]

I have welded a bunch of them up back in the day. Also had to change out plenty of carriers and a couple housings. Good for a bomber only not for the street corners could snap a axel

[@waynebuzzell2483]

You need a gas grill Tony. Most people have those. Allen Millyard style. 😎💯

[@peterpease5495]

I have always welded the tooth before and after the side gears and not welded them together...it lets the axles move a small amount before it interferes and it keeps the tires from having center "wear" spots within a week :) I always run either Strange or Mosher axles so i'm not sure how a stock axle would stand up. With age i have gone to Mini Spools or Full Spools because the price is worth not spending hours fkn around lol... Good video though on how to do it :)

[@SinsBird]

I've seen guys remove one of the spider gears entirely and weld between a couple of teeth on each side gear. This way it has even more freedom. Not for performance though, just for mud, snow, ice.

[@agostinodibella9939]

One of my favorite old KZbin videos is “Around the Corner”, a 1937 Chevy video explaining how the differential works.

[@nashtubb]

It's a great video. Showed it to both my sons, they understood it well afterwards.

[@nicholasagnew2792]

You weren't even going to do this video and I still learned a lot.

[@Bill_N_ATX]

When a spool can be had for 60 bucks on line, you have to think that welding the spiders is a false economy on anything you plan on keeping more that the next demo derby. Once you weld those spiders you are pretty much committed to replacing the diff at some point. And that will cost more than 60 dollars.

[@RJ_Cormac]

It's more work in prep and clean up to weld an open differential!

[@kramnull8962]

And here we have the exact reason aliens are flying balloons over Nashville.

[@Adrianzx]

I've welded a spider gear or two in my day but when spools are $150-200 and literally bolt in I don't really weld any more

[@howabouthetruth2157]

I totally get your point.........but some young guys have kids and a stay at home mother/wife to feed & keep a roof over their head, while depending only on his income. $150 to $200 is a lot for those young cats. It's been decades now, but I've been there, raised 3 kids and 2 step kids, where every dollar counted. ( And I always worked in the Skilled Trades making a decent living........NOT "punching a time clock at Walmart".) Now that I'm a single grandfather, that kind of money is nothing, of course.

[@markmacdonald7623]

Stay tuned for our next installment of "Death by a Thousand BBs". Thanks for keeping it real!

[@80spodcastchannel]

you could just do the old mopar trick and have a fat tire on the slip side and a skinny tire on the non dominant side and let them play poor mans positraction

[@hell3493]

Another way I’ve done it before is to melt 6061 aluminium and pour it in it works quite well

[@3rdpig]

"Lincoln Locker", now there's a name I haven't heard in a long time. Another thing to consider is that you're destroying good parts, those welded gears are now junk. And what's worse, in many carriers the only way to get them out once they've been welded together is with a cutting torch and if you're not really good with the torch you might ruin the carrier in the process. So if you ever think you might want to put in a spool or a locker, don't do it. And if you are going to do it, at least hose it down first with anti spatter spray. UT could have avoided a nasty clean up if he'd have done that first.

[@Asswease1]

Thanks Uncle Tony. It looks like the process is every bit as primitive as I had pictured in my mind, but watching someone with experience doing it inspires more confidence than guessing and hoping. I have no problem doing the wrong thing, as long as I know I'm doing it the right way.

[@Engineersoldinterstingstuff]

Case is a higher carbon alloy forging. The gears are low carbon steel that is carburized to about 1 mm deeth (1/25 of an inch). The added flux weld material will even out the carbon content in thr case hardened zone - since its very thin. The case probably have about 0,40 carbon all through. Thats likely why it cracks.

[@gerhardbraatz6305]

Why not flip it over and do the other side?

[@aussiebloke609]

Tony, I would say there's _one_ other design of differential that doesn't have those spider gears, and it's becoming, if not commonplace, then at least semi-familiar to the average enthusiast these days...the Torsen differential. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gHmqeWiqiaakZ80

[@RJ_Cormac]

That's a better limited slip as it allows only a certain amount of low differential speed, and locks at a higher differential speed. Usually around 3:1, so it will allow different wheel speeds as long as they stay below that wheel speed differential speeds. But will force the slower wheel to spin at least once for every 3 the faster wheel turns. This ratio can be changed by the designer and vehicle use.

[@67L-88]

If you don't preheat the gears enough and or let them slowly cool you run the risk of the gears breaking under load. When they fail they fail bigly... I have seen this more than once...

[@Scott_Newmaster]

Have mismatched tires on the rear and your alignment guy will have a "pull" right or left he can't fix. Not a good way to be friends.........

[@oikkuoek]

If you shim those perpendicular spider gears in, you can essentially create an LSD gear out of an old open diff. Still not as strong as spool, but turns better.

[@howabouthetruth2157]

Tony did mention that in this video. He just didn't go into great detail about "how it's done".

[@kiphenricksen6029]

My first differential i welded was on my 98 xj Cherokee, and I had pulled the failed iimited slip out, and replaced it with a home brewed "Miller more Track" (welded 8 inch). I rolled it around and then welded it home. After the weld I went to push that bastard under the jeep and I played HEĹĹ getting that thing lined back up under my rear leafs. It was at that time I realized that yes, there will most likely be some crazy new driving feedback coming from this new mod. I can say, from a traction state of mind, I wouldn't change it for anything! I love it! BUT, I would not do it to all my beaters. I leave the homebrew lockers for the Toyota and my jeep, my full sizes NEVER get the buzz!

[@LeftyLucyRightyTyty]

Lol....why you shouldn't...but go ahead....WELCOME to racing!

[@FreedomInc]

There isnt an issue welding hardened steel or smocking " it. Preheat is a way to get deeper penetrarion with thicker materials using less voltage or amps. Due to lack or or ina ility to in cases where steels are an inch or 3 or 3 thick. No way id ever use a 110 fluxcore to weld spider gears. And for almost a lost of reasons. First being splatter. Second being lack of fusion even with preheat. At best that welder is for 11 guauge or smaller and that's in optimal conditions. But if you were going to attempt this. Knock the slsg off after each pass. Otherwise you'll habe slag inclusions making the weld even weaker in those places..110v fluxcore wouldn't even be an option.. just my two cents though.

[@broke_dongle]

Mini spool for 15 years til the cross shaft pin broke. This I'll never do. Just me.

[@timrayburn2461]

Great job Tony. Thank you

[@williamdohn3517]

What happened to Al? Does he come to the shop anymore.

[@AA-tb4ff]

if you just weld the side gears to the case and not over the teeth even if your weld breaks it will just be an open diff again

[@firebreathinggarage2117]

weld em up boys and girls.

[@kennethporst4359]

Hit of a button and you got Drift car🤟

[@mostlyoldparts]

If I might add..... If you're going to do this on a rear end that uses C-clip axles, INSTALL C-CLIP ELIMINATORS! Why? Tony hit the nail on the head. You're eventually going to fatigue the axle and break it. When you do, if the C-clip eliminators are not installed, you'll lose the tire, wheel, axle, brake drum, quarter panel and rear bumper. It ain't pretty.

[@WhiteTrashMotorsports]

I have put tens of thousands of miles on trucks was welded rear ends without issue.

[@oxyfee6486]

Do the tires drag or skip when turning corners?

[@AA-tb4ff]

@@oxyfee6486 i can answer this. yes but its not as bad as you imagine

[@oxyfee6486]

@@AA-tb4ff Thanks for the reply, I always heard from people that the tire drags.

[@rustybritches6747]

That's what's great about removable center sections or third members, you can get them fairly cheap, swap them out in less than an hour for whatever "mode" you want your car in then when you're done at the track or whatever you just swap back to street mode!

[@drippinglass]

I have Dana’s in two of my cars. The other 3 have the 8 3/4. Those center sections have gotten expensive. 😁

[@rustybritches6747]

@@drippinglass I have a whole shelf of Ford 8in, 9in and Chrysler 8.75 third members I pick them up all the time for $300 or less, guess it depends on where you're getting them from and what part of the country you're in

[@maineturbodiesel780]

Oh and last and FINAL COMMENT Detroit TrueTrac/truetrac. . . . and DONE

[@warren4259]

In my younger days myself and a couple of my buddy's ran "bomber" class dirt track cars. We would weld between 2 teeth of the side gears on both sides. We called it a 1/4 lock. As you pointed out welded spiders was against the rules but by doing a 1/4 lock you had 1 full turn of the wheel in case the tech inspector jacked up 1 side and spun the wheel, you "might" trick him. Also it let the inside wheel turn at the different speed to help the car turn.

[@Trikekid84]

I sure don't want to break loose half way down the track, maybe I do want to still have an open diff S10. 🤔