Anyone have any tips on how to weld brackets onto a rear end housing without warping it beyond use? I have a rear end out of an early Impala (1958 - 1964). The brackets I am attaching are made of 3/8 steel. I know I need to go slow and not put too much weld on at once as to not let it get too hot. Anyone got any good tricks or tips???
first tip, use thinner steel for the brackets! 1/8" would be appropriate. second tip, make the brackets go all the way around the tube if you can. third tip, take your time, don't weld it all at once.
I haven't specifically done this, but generally when trying to weld something without distortig it - you need to keep it from getting hot. So take your time and weld it one spot at a time.
Im just guessing here, but if your using 3/8" plate brackets they are for clevice ends on a ladder bar setup. this makes it hard to weld one spot at a time because the housing thickness is close to 1/8" or so. With the bracket so much thicker than the housing it will be hard to penetrate, and get a nice weld without running a continous bead. Ive never had a problem warping housings by welding brackets on. Id say tack it up solid and weld both sides.
limit your heat spreading over the axle tube. i like to use heat paste but its kinda on the spendy side. wet rags SOAKED in water work so i'm told but i prefer to avoid the fire hazzard and use the paste. if you have to use the heavier plate for your brackets, aim your weld pool more towards the bracket to be welded, keeping the majority of the weld puddle ON the plate. say about 2/3 plate - 1/3 axle tube. use a higher heat and a slower feed for the wire and drag your wire back away from the puddle... you dont want a shitload of filler getting in the way and stopping full penetration of the plate. keep the heat concentrated on the plate/bracket . . . let the weld puddle be your guide always
Squirrel, what kind of brackets would you be attaching to a rearend housing that 1/8" would be adequate. Certainly not traction/ladder bar brackets. Maybe brakeline brackets. Even shock brackets would be more tnan 1/8" if you expect them to last. As stated, without removing the outer bearing flange, welding on the brackets , then reattaching the ends with a line-up fixture, the ONLY way to assure that your not warping the housing is to make 360 degree brackets and using a full circumference weld. This can be done by making your brackets, splitting them and attacking them in two pieces (welding up the split cuts after aligning and tacking). Anyone who says they haven't had any trouble weldng brackets on a rearend housing without using 360 degree welds has not checked before and after what the straightness of the housing is/was. Wheel bearing and differential wear is greatly accelerated with a warped housing. Over 25 years ago Pete and Jakes realized this and always furnished their housing brackets with 360 degree weld surfaces. Frank
I've seen a lot of OEM rearends with 1/8" thick brackets that are still there after all these years.... but that's because car makers know how to design parts
The brackets on my rear axle are 3/8" (P&J)....I welded it continuously around....all one pass....no jumping around. It shouldn't distort if ya do it correctly, since the heat is even all around it. But it only works if the brackets are full circle. If using partial brackets, after welding them on, you can either run a bead on the opposite side to "pull" it back or put the axle housing in a press to straighten it (remove axles)....use your axle shaft as a guide.....it ain't rocket science.......
I have a friend who straightens the housings for me. He's cheap so i weld em' up good and then bring the housing in for him to bend straight.
I have posted this before but here it is again: How to tell if a rear end is warped and how to fix it. Put the tires on the assembled rear. Put chocks on both sides of both wheels. Put two greased pieces of sheet metal under one wheel. Put a dial indicator high up on the sidewall of that tire that does not have the greased plates under it. Roll the rear end over and check for wheel wobble with the dial indicator. Put heat on the opposite side you welded on if it you find movement. Cotinue till that side shows no movement. Do other side. This is the most accurate thing you can do to check a rear. Try it! The way this works is that the axle and wheel act like a giant probe to see if the housing has any run out. It absolutely shows if the housing is true or not. I hope someone takes the time to try this. I had done all the tricks of welding as mentioned in this thread. I was getting strange wear on the tires. I did this and found I had warped the rear. I straightened it using this method and tire promlems went away.
Well Its all welded up. I had my buddy who is a race car fabricator do it up for me. I tacked the brackets in place and he finished them off. I figured it was a pretty critical weld as far as the warping problem goes, so I gave it to an expert. Its nice to have friends like that. All the advice has been awesome. I will be welding the rest of the brackets myself and I think I will go with full circumference brackets/welds. I will let you guys know how it goes. Thanks again for all the help.
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