Welding on a Dana 60 diff.

[nothingbutdarts]

Has anybody welded on the actual differential section (center section, cast iron area) of a Dana 60. There is a small crack in one I have in the pinion area and was wondering if anyone would weld it.

Thank You for the input!

 

[Budnicks]

Cast/Nodular Iron can be welded, but best left to a professional welder thou, you need to have a groove cut where it needs to be welded, at the crack, for proper penetration, they use NI-Rod/preheated & preheat the casting to cherry red, probably will need machining/grinding afterwards... There are other ways too, I think also, it's been a real long time...

 

[nothingbutdarts]

Thank You!

 

[snakeoil24]

Pay a professional to do it. Cast iron welding is only for experienced welders.

 

[RustyRatRod]

No doubt. Leave it to a professional. Not only does it have to be grooved, but if both ends of the crack are not found and stopped be drilling small holes at either end of the crack, it will continue to crack, no matter how good it's welded. Also, there is a new breed of rod out I've never tried. Check it out here.

http://muggyweld.com/?view=rod7xclip1

Muggyweld.com

They talk a good game. Whether it works like they say, I don't know. If it does, they're on to somethin.

 

[snakeoil24]

i don't think it works you can't get around the pre heat or temprature required.

 

[sleepar]

Has anybody welded on the actual differential section (center section, cast iron area) of a Dana 60. There is a small crack in one I have in the pinion area and was wondering if anyone would weld it.

Thank You for the input![/QUOTE
To weld cast iron you need a furnace to raise the whole piece to a specific temp the weld with a specific rod and then over time step down the temp gradually over time
For stress relief then reheated to a specific temp and quenched in oil.... braising cast is a little less in involved but isn't as strong

 

[bm02tj]

Try to find replacement it may be cost less in the long run

 

[Meep-Meep]

The Dana center section may not be cast iron but rather cast steel. I can't confirm this, but the axle tubes are welded in to the center, and if I was setting up to mass produce something, I'd want to have my materials match up in the metallurgical sense to minimize potential welding issues. Do some research. Or, just get another housing. Any time something is welded the part tends to distort a little or a lot and that may cause problems. If not majorly stressed area then try brazing. Brazing, when done properly, is as strong as the base metal. I used to run a vacuum furnace brazing lab and can tell you that process is as good as anything used to join metals. The hardest challenge will be to clean the area.

 

[Funship32]

For what it is worth Powerblock TV did a segment not too long ago about how to weld cast iron. Might be worth a gander so here is the link: http://www.spike.com/episodes/lv7j7j/powerblock-build-by-request-part-1-season-4-ep-166

My understanding is the key to it is to not let it get too hot or let it cool down too quickly.