Odd Idea for Aluminum Diff Strength

[FLOffroad]

I'm wondering if anyone can help me with a bit of an odd idea I've had recently: Would coating an aluminum center section with Line-x actually make the diff more resistant to cracking, etc. ?

I know steel is basically always preferred to aluminum for strong housings, but I'm just trying to think of various ways to squeeze more strength into OE axle parts.

I know Line-x doesn't actually make the aluminum stronger, but I was thinking it could help the center section to resist cracking or catastrophic failure by acting as a buffer on the outside and by acting as a sort of glue coating to hold the diff together in case it tries to fail from the inside outwards.

Also, I know that normally the Line-x could just get scrapped off on rocks, etc., but I'm thinking about IFS & IRS applications, so other parts are more likely to bottom out first.

Thanks.

 

[Anime]

Line-X is nothing more than a rubberized coating that is sprayed on hot so it sticks better to a prepared surface. It won't work any miracles and isn't designed to be sprayed on thick enough that it would even soften any impacts. It may prevent pieces of a broken part from falling, but that's not the same as holding it together structurally.

The best way to protect an aluminum differential is with a steel skid plate, or even one made from hardened aircraft-grade aluminum. The skid plate absorbs direct hits, and also just slides over most obstacles.

 

[FLOffroad]

I agree about diff skids. I was mostly thinking about using it to help keep the center section together if the diff grenades, but, as you said, it's really not designed to hold stuff together structurally.