welding on main shaft?

-
Hipo65

Hipo65

Yeah I'm "That Guy"
Joined
Aug 9, 2013
Messages
646
Reaction score
65
Location
Lincoln Nebraska
So ive got some extra parts and 2 bolt on yoke a-body main shafts (i run a trunion style yet in my dart) that are in good shape except for some small rust pits on the bearing surface for the roller bearings that ride inside the input shaft. Anyone think welding them up & turning them down to original dia. In a lathe would be a bad idea? Hate to toss em for some rust pits when all else is great. Thanks for thoughts.
 
Hipo65 said:
So ive got some extra parts and 2 bolt on yoke a-body main shafts (i run a trunion style yet in my dart) that are in good shape except for some small rust pits on the bearing surface for the roller bearings that ride inside the input shaft. Anyone think welding them up & turning them down to original dia. In a lathe would be a bad idea? Hate to toss em for some rust pits when all else is great. Thanks for thoughts.
Click to expand...
The heavy duty powertrain shops around here do it everyday. Differential carriers, axleshafts etc. good fix for spun bearing. Its a specialized process though, so let them do all of it.
 
.008" is not much, the simple solution is polish 1 and try it. if U weld 1 , like we weld steel all day long at work, the welding rod needs to match the material U are welding. we have around 15 different types of welding rods to match the type of steel we are welding. and then we do post weld heat treat and stress relief
 
You won't get the required finish by turning down on a lathe; you need a grinding attachment to a lathe to achieve the right finish.

Your best bet is to get another one if it is a bother.

Next would be to remove the rust in the pits and finely polish the edges to get rid of any burrs and try that.

Next would be to turn down the shaft snout, turn a 'ring' of proper hardness material for a strong interference fit on the turned down snout, press that on, and then final finish grind the new ring to new dimensions. This was an unoffical but effective service procedure used on early Saab 99 mainshaft snouts that tended to wear and fail prematurely.
 
The shaft is worth core money at the very least.

They need to be spray welded, and then ground with a tool post grinder. You may get a decent finish with a tool on a lathe, if you could turn it fast enough, had it rigid enough and had the correct tooling.

Again, you are making something from nothing. I used to turn them down and put a bushing in the input. Sometimes I even use the bushing in the input if the trans is going to get beat on.

.005-.008 isn't deep enough to make me bother. It will run like it is. If nothing else, sounds like you have a lathe. Make the bushing for the input. Lightly polish the shaft and go.

Just remember to drill the oil feed holes in to the bushing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top