axle tube welding question

[pauley]

ok guys i blew the rear end in the 93 explorer that i wheel quite regularly. so i bought one from a 96 with the rear disk and so on and now im about to weld my spring perches on top to match the ones that are on the truck and i hear rumors from my friend that if i do it improperly ill bend the tubes and tear up axles is that true or am i being filled full of bs i also plan on welding the tubes to the diff. and welding new shock mounts. if any one knows if these are true or not please let me know. and how to avoid problems.

 

[IZwack]

You are "being filled full of bs" . Welding to the axle tube is totally fine.

As for welding the axle tube to the differential housing - the difficulty depends on who you ask because the axle tube is mild steel and the differential housing is cast. So some will say preheat preheat preheat before MIGi! While others will say Nickel rod with a stick welder (SMAW), and some will say a combination of the two or something else. Either way, when you weld it, as soon as you finish a run, listen to the weld as close as you can without getting burnt - if your hear tiny crackling noises after a few seconds or minutes, the weld is no good. Sometimes youi'll even see the hairline crack on the surface of the weld.

 

[Foxracin]

I just narrowed a 8.8 for my Ranger and Im getting ready to weld on the spring perches and weld the axle tubs to the center also. Going to try the preheating and mig. Should work ok.