8 3/4 back brace welding

[wedge5]

Getting ready to weld a brace on and was told by the dist. That after i disassemble the rearend I could just weld on the brace and don't have to worry about warping the tubes(with normal penatration). I then could just put it back together and eveything would be straight. Anyone have knowledge on this subject?

[Fugly]

not exactly true... you need to tack it every inch or two and then go back and weld it-try not to ge t too much heat in it

[Cranky]

It's still going to move....trust me. Too bad you we don't live close. I have a bar that I use for checking for straight (and for building them) and I've never found one that was straight after someone welded it. BUT....at least it'll bend in the right direction! I wonder how many are out there that are not straight but still work well. The correct way to build one is to weld the bearing housings on after all other weld modifications have all ready been done.

[DennisJokela]

Would it help keep it straight, if you left the rear end assembled?

Dennis Jokela

[Cranky]

Originally Posted by DennisJokela

Would it help keep it straight, if you left the rear end assembled?

Dennis Jokela

Nope. On an 8 3/4 where you can pull out the chunk and place an axle into it, you'll see just how much axial movement it has. They will take more than most think but the closer they are, the less horsepower it robs.

[wedge5]

What if I disassemble the rear, leave the housing in the car and stitch weld the brace on? Would this help?

You mentioned the bearing housings. I only plan on putting on a brace so why would I have to put on bearing housings. Won't the housings be fine after i weld on the brace?

I will have more questions about this mod but one step at a time.

[Cranky]

I was just saying the correct way to weld up a housing is to weld the bearing ends on last and even the weld process on those makes things move around some. Having the housing in the car won't help much if any and only makes the welding process harder unless you are good at laying on your back to weld the bottom side. On another note, I would think the brace itself would help keep it more in alignment. I would tack weld the ends first then tack in the center and then start doing 1/2 long stitches but I've never welded a back brace so I don't know the effects it'll have.

[littlejohn44]

I was always told that the 8.75 is warped anyway straight from the factory or mabey after years of use. If you can keep the heat out of the weld then the less it will warp. Even if you left it assembled with axles the weld would pull it off because there is nothing holding the front to back force. With the bar, it is tied one side to the other with a solid mount, so it would have to warp the bar too. With axles in it it would just pivot in the chunk where the axles meet. If housing is not going to be cut down (Mabey someone will chime in) you could pack it with ice or water? I know on thin welds you use ice to get the heat out fast to keep from warping.