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Who here has welded up their 14FF?

3K views 22 replies 14 participants last post by  limey 
#1 · (Edited)
I'm talking the "solid ball," "feed it 10 rods," "weld to the carrier" method to make a full spool, as described here on CK5 [pic links were dead, unfortunately]:

KidJethro said:
. . . If you're gonna weld it, I think the consenus is that welding the side gears, spiders, and cross shaft all into one piece is the best idea. I have done 10+ of these for club members and even sold a couple on another BB. So if you have any questions, I'm your man. Here's a few pictures and a bit of an explanation..

Remove the axle shafts first...Ask me how many times I've done this and forgot to remove the axle shafts, and then couldn't figure out why I couldn't get the carrier out..

After you get the cover off the housing and you're lookin at the carrier and ring gear, you'll see two small bolts, one on either side of the carrier. These two bolts hold the clips in place, which in turn lock the side bearing adjusting nuts in place. These are the large round pieces with many small holes around thier circumference, just outboard from the carrier bearing races. What I do is take a scribe and mark the two holes that the prongs on the clips sit in on the adjusting nut. I also scribe a third mark between the two holes on the adjusting nut and onto the housing. Remove the carrier bearing cap bolts, don't bother with removing the two small bolts and the clips. Set them aside in the same orientation that they came off. Leaving the clips and bolts in the bearing cap helps with making sure that you get them back on in the same orientation they came off. No it's time to loosen the adjusting nut's. One turns clockwise, the other turns counter clockwise. What I do is loosen each nut exactly 1 rotation. Lining up the scribe mark on the nut's and the scribe mark on housing after one rotation. Check to see if the carrier will come out now. If it won't, loosen each nut 1 more turn. Check again. Repeat till the carrier will come out. Remember how many rotations you loosened the nuts, so you'll know how many rotations to tighten them when you put it back together. If you loosen it 2 turns, tighten it two turns, and make sure the two prongs on the clip go back into the holes on the adjusting nut that you marked ealier. Pull carrier out, make sure that the carrier bearing races don't fall out and take off accross the shop floor and hide under the tool box... Set carrier on bench and remove all the ring gear bolts. Tap ring gear off of carrier with brass punch and hammer. Split carrier apart.

First thing you need to do is take the top side gear off, and tack the spider gears to the cross shaft where the welds are in this picture..Don't forget to flip it over and tack the other side as well. Make sure that the little cup shaped washers that sit betwee the spiders and the carrier remain there while you tack things. I have yet to pull a 14b carrier apart where all 4 of those washers were in good shape. Everyone has had atleast 1 cracked washer. Luckily I had spares. After you get it all tacked, put some welds appx. 1" long in the same places as the tacks.

Now put the side gear back on top of the spiders, making sure that it meshs correctly with the spiders and is seated all the way down. Tack every place where the side gears meet the spiders. Remove the gear cluster thingy from the carrier half, flip it over, and set the side you just tacked back into the carrier. There are also large flat washers behind the side gears, make sure those stay in place as well. Repeat the same process with the other side gear. When you have everything tacked together, pull the "gear ball" out of the carrier and weld every place the spiders meet the side gears..Like these pictures...(In the background of the first picture, you can see the cup shaped washers that go behind the spiders, and the large flat washers that fit behind the side gears.)

With 24 seperate welds holding it together, it won't come apart. Pretty much a mini spool for a 14b. I'm 99.9% sure that welded in this manner, It WILL NOT break. The entire carrier would have to explode for that to happen. If you don't like it after you weld it, you can either pull the gear ball out and replace it with a Detriot, or another set of spiders, side gears and cross shaft. No damage to the carrier at all. After you finish, be sure that you clean off all the boogers you can. They like to hang out on the splines in the side gears. A bladed screw driver and a small hammer work well to knock them off. Put everything back together. Don't freak out if the axle shafts dont slide in as loose as they pulled out. Almost everyone I've done I've had to tap thje axle shafts in with a hammer. Key word is tap. If you have to seriously hammer on it, something is wrong. Alot of heat went into welding things together, heat cause's expanding and contracting, thats why it could be a tight fit.
 
#2 ·
OK! I i'm sick and tired of all of these questions! What gives Xanthias? Are you working on a project? One more time, are you working on a project? Do not lie to us. You are asking questions like crazy, son. If you are hiding something from us.... well, I don't know what we do, but you will not like it! You have been warned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
#3 ·
As far as your question: When Old Goat did my all he did was weld the little gears front and back. He might have used 4 rods. Those gears are tight in there. If you fill in the "valleys" with the welder it will be fine.
 
#5 ·
mudgod said:
OK! I i'm sick and tired of all of these questions! What gives Xanthias? Are you working on a project? One more time, are you working on a project? Do not lie to us. You are asking questions like crazy, son. If you are hiding something from us.... well, I don't know what we do, but you will not like it! You have been warned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
popcornn 1funny1 :rofl:

At this moment, I remain a web-wheeler, but call it a "fact finding mission." screwey

That, and I'm completely fascinated with everything you do. Well, maybe not *everything*, but your K5 at least. :vamp: strpot
 
#6 ·
Eric is a web wheeler and has two nice rigs. If you say so, but can we get someone to drive X's house and double check what he is saying?
BTW, I seen a lot of K5's for sell up and down Hwy 59 on my last two trips down there. If you don't already have one setting in your yard.
 
#8 ·
mudgod said:
Eric is a web wheeler and has two nice rigs. If you say so, but can we get someone to drive X's house and double check what he is saying?
BTW, I seen a lot of K5's for sell up and down Hwy 59 on my last two trips down there. If you don't already have one setting in your yard.
Yes, but Eric is completely obsessive compulsive. :)

Tell you what, come by yourself when you are back in town, or let's meet up for a cold one . . . :cool:
 
#9 ·
How I did it:

1) Split the carrier, mark the two halves so you can get them back in the same position relative to each other (dont know if this matters, but I think I read somewhere that it does)
2) Remove the spider gears, cross shaft, and side gears
3) Clean thoroughly with brake cleaner or similar solvent
4) Set one half of carrier on its side, insert side gear and then spider/cross shaft assembly
5) Tack gears together
6) Repeat 4 and 5, but flipped over in the other half of the carrier, make sure everything is going to fit ok before you finish welding
7) Remove the gears and weld away till the electric meter spins a bearing, be careful not to get any splatter on the back of the gears or in the splines
8 ) Clean the new mini spool, remove as much welding slag as possible (depending on welder used)
9) Install into carrier
10) Bolt the two halves of the carrier back together in the same position they were before.
11) Learn how to make 50 point turns :)
 
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#10 ·
well I watched two welded rears give way this past weekend at the wheelin ranch. ONe I know for sure was welded good and propely. I wouldn't recommend it. Go with a spool or detroit.
 
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#11 ·
Chaparro Mike welds them. they look like a big shiny ball when he is done. ain't seen one break yet.

so what yr model is your jeep X ?
 
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#19 ·
So, when will you get it? You may think you are being sneaky, but we are on to you buddy! WE ARE ON TO YOU!!! :evilbat: Confess I say!!
 
#20 ·
I`m going to have mine welded in the very near future.There was once a wright-up on welding gears where you welded four spots and it worked like a door stop,or wheel chock.The weldsdidn`t hold them together,they just caused interferance from them turning.I think those are whats letting go on the trail.Mine were like that once,and when I took them out I could see where the gears had been banging on the welds.Not good.The ones Mike welds are a solid chunk of steel,and you ain`t gonna break that! jamminzz
 
#21 ·
I welded mine, but i welded the he!! out of it. Welded all the spider gears ( everything that touched got welded. Then I put it back in the carrier and welded the gears to the carrier. Have had any problems out of it. But it definitly made a big difference on the road going to the mud hole. I would not recommend it on anything that spend more than 10-15% of the time on the road. But it will perform in the holes. Just my $.02.
 
#23 ·
i welded mine and it make a huge diffrence. but couldent make all the turns i useto. just had to make 2 turnes. i would do it again but then i had a gove bomb.
 
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