i have a 4 cyl. 88 4runner and i'd really love to weld the rear diff to lock it. does anyone have like a step through of how to do this or anything that would be extremely helpful?

thanks

 

i would suggest getting a professional do it...
or spend the 200 on a lock right so you can undo it..
if you ruin your diff its more to fix that and any spatter or weak welds wont be good.. i have a picture.. i had a pro do mine.


the surface rust is because it was raining.

 

i am just planning on welding it until i regear it later. how long will this weld hold up? once i regear it to what i want, i'll buy a real locker instead of welding it. i just thought this would be a cheap and good substitute until i get the new gears in a year or so

 

It depends on how good the welder is. I have welded one of my old ones before, but now I buy lockers. I have seen many welds break, and it never ends well

 

the welder we have here at the shop is a lincoln 10,000. its trailered. so it can't be too weak right? its huge!

 

The weld is important but whats far more important is the method you use. Gear to gear sucks. Gear to housing is a little better but your still welding that brittle metal to itself which is never terribly strong.
Here's my diff, we welded in a 1/4" piece of flat bar. My buddy said he has seen lots and lots of welds break, mostly on road, but never one of these.


So you asked for a step by step here it is:
-Pull the third member
-Remove the differential from the carrier
-Soak the diff in a bucket of gas and make sure the spiders are sparkly creen!
-Stick axle shafts in both sides (keeps them from spreading apart during welding)
-Weld your plate of mild steel in
-Clean up the slag and spatter
-Reassemble and have a 3wd runner!

 

Thats the way to do it, old dirt track style!

 

Are you going to drive this on the streets?

 

rarely. its not a DD, its only driven to and from trails. thanks for all the input

 

if you have a way to do it, then do it.. but be aware that if it does come apart on ya.. it will only end in a catastrophic failure (at least the 2 times iv seen welded rears come apart). be ready for lousy handling on the street.. me my buddy welded his rear out of his old runner. we soaked some shop rags in watter and stuffed them in areas where we didnt want any spatter or slag to get in.. like bearings for instance.

 

is welding it really that big of a hassle?

 

no its not a hassle. its tolerable on the streets you just have to be cautious. you can do it in a few hours or less if you know how to disassemble and reassemble the 3rd

 

It's not that it's that big of a hassle really, you just don't want any "oops", because then the cheap way just got real expensive! And that welder is big enough.

 

right, so would the best way to go about it is get my buddy who runs a fab shop to do it for real cheap? and if he gets too expensive, what is the next best (cheapest, hey i'm in college ok) way to lock it?

 

no not a hassel at all, realy easy infact. i think all said and done it took us about 2 hours from start to finish, thats pullin the third, cleanin, weldin, cleanin again, instalin, fillin wit oil and bleedin the brakes

 

If you trust his welds, and he has done it before, then have him do it. If not, spool it.

 

i trust his welds fully, i don't know if he has done it before, i guess its time to ask. how much is a spool?

 

i believe theyre in the 200 range could be wrong. you could always search thats an idea!

 

Not sure, I won mine in a poker game, on a bluff none the less! Should be no more than $200 I would think.

 

good win then. if its 200 or more, wouldn't i be just as good to buy a lockright? isn't that really cheap for a locker?