GM 10.5" 14 bolt FF rear axle with 4 link installed

[The Roadie]

Design question: Are your lower links parallel to each other when viewed from above? I was reading this article: http://www.therangerstation.com/Magazin ... k_tech.htm and it implies better stability when the lower links have a convergence point.

[v7guy]

That's a nice article Bill. I've spent the majority of the last month reading the countless threads on pirate4x4 about 4 links for the rear (and three links for the front). Wish I'd ran across the article back then. lol

I'm not anything close to a good welder. But I've read a lot over the years to attempt to avoid something that could hurt me or someone else. What Mike and James brought up was my biggest concern when I saw the tabs welded to the center section. I've seen plenty of welds to cast items fail.
With that said, I've seen some welds to cast material work out well. These were mostly to repair old machine tools or old heavy (150lbs or more) bench vises. So it can be done. But everything I've seen and read about has had to be preheated, welded, and then usually buried in sand to cool down over a day or so.
I'm not saying "oh no, the sky is falling and you're going to kill puppies and baby wombats". But it's something the original poster should know about if he doesn't.


Ray- have you got a chance to flex it out to see if anything binds? How'd you go about shortening the drive shaft? I've never tried doing that at home.

edit for baby wombat

[bartonmd]

That's a nice article Bill. I've spent the majority of the last month reading the countless threads on pirate4x4 about 4 links for the rear (and three links for the front). Wish I'd ran across the article back then. lol

I'm not anything close to a good welder. But I've read a lot over the years to attempt to avoid something that could hurt me or someone else. What Mike and James brought up was my biggest concern when I saw the tabs welded to the center section. I've seen plenty of welds to cast items fail.
With that said, I've seen some welds to cast material work out well. These were mostly to repair old machine tools or old heavy (150lbs or more) bench vises. So it can be done. But everything I've seen and read about has had to be preheated, welded, and then usually buried in sand to cool down over a day or so.
I'm not saying "oh no, the sky is falling and you're going to kill puppies and baby wombats". But it's something the original poster should know about if he doesn't.


Ray- have you got a chance to flex it out to see if anything binds? How'd you go about shortening the drive shaft? I've never tried doing that at home.

FWIW, the welds you speak of working well, which they do, are cast to cast. The issue is welding something cast to something that's going to flex. Even if he had welded a truss to the hog head, it would still be a lot more bearing area for the weld, and a stronger plate that flexes less than the (4) tabs.

Mike

[v7guy]

Just out of curiosity and totally off topic, but where does the term "hog head" come from? This is the first time I've ever heard it.

[Trail X]

Kinda looks like the pumkin, no?

[chevycrew]

I have always referred to it as the pumpkin... I haven't heard hogs head either...

[bartonmd]

I have always referred to it as the pumpkin... I haven't heard hogs head either...

Interestingly enough, I'd never heard it called a pumpkin until I went wheeling at the High Desert Roundup in SOCAL with my sister, several years ago... I suspect it's a Coke/Pop/Soda thing...

Mike

[v7guy]

Kinda looks like the pumkin, no?

I guess that's the undesireable low pinion hogs head?


I suspect you're right Mike. Maybe a southeast term.

[bartonmd]

I suspect it's most of the entire middle of the country, where there are a lot of hog farms...

Mike

[v7guy]

Wierd, I grew up in IA, MO, & OK and never ran across the term.


When is Ray coming back here? This thread is never getting back on track otherwise lol

[navigator]

We call them hog heads and pumpkins here.
Took me a while to realize they were differentials, I thought those were equations!

[RimoniManu]

LMAO you guys are too much. I used the term hog head because the guy previous referred to it as a hog head. I always thought it was called the axle housing and the differential is the part inside the housing the ring gear bolts to. Oh well, tomato tamato.

[v7guy]

I don't reckon any of y'all saved these pics did ya?