Morris Minor Owners Club

ello chaps,

Just laid me hands on a replacement rear axle for the van (don't ask).

It's off a saloon (insert own comment here) and looks to be in good shape... but has these weld lines on the back, behind and on either side of the diff bulge.





The pics show one side but the same welds are on the other side too.

Is this normal for a saloon axle? I've only ever seen van ones before.

Grateful for any advice/experience!

wibble

they are all the same from cars , vans, pick ups etc

cheers, au ; so you've seen these lines before, then? on many axles?

had some on my low milegae grey van, but will take a look on friday, but not that bad, mine were in a straight line, yours look like a V hmm not sure, will take a look

Yes, now and again they used to round up all the offcuts of scrap metal and weld them up into axle casings!--------no only joking!

oh dear

I'd always assumed, since they seem to be factory welds, that that were there to fix faults, but I've not pondered it that deeply
a

If the welds look pretty neat I would accept it as factory stuff, it figures at that point a triangular piece would be appropriate if the flaring of the axle halves to join to the centre was thought to be too much stretching of the metal. Also it would constitute a major clean-up of the casing to effect such a repair weld; and how would it get damaged at that point anyway to need sorting. Well I think I've convinced myself, how about you? You could always remove the diff and look at the casing from the inside to see the finish, you can usually tell if someone has messed about!

All the ones I've seen (given the difficulty of home welding cast) look like factory - though I must confess I've never seen those triangles before

Are you sure the axle is cast? I thought it was fabricated from a number of pressings. The triangles might have been added to work around a production problem.

If they look like they have been welded to a professional standard I wouldn't worry about it...

well the welds are fairly continuous but quite lumpy and rather irregular, like a long blob of chewing gum. I don't know enough about welding to know whether they are factory standard, only that they look solid.

I've realised that dopily I linked to the thumbnail of the pic, on photobucket, instead of the full-size photo . Here's the larger version:



wibble xx

That's a non factory weld, looks like stick welding to me. If you have a warranty with the axle then keep it but make the seller aware of your concerns now.
The problem with a re welded axle ,if not welded correctly is that it will easily warp with the heat generated.
If it were me I'd take it back and swap for one that you are 100% happy with.

Any theories as to why it might have been rewelded Jonathon?

I've seen many cases with this weld pattern but with factory welds, as to why it could be re welded, well the casing looks a bit irregular on its surface which could indicate that thick rust has been removed with a grinder and the weld re instated, or that the weld could have split (unlikely ,but possible).
Without seeing the axle in the flesh, we are just guessing. Might be useful to jig the tube to see if its straight.
Easiest option though is to take it back and get one that your happy with.

I think I'm reaching my tolerance level with the rear suspension

Tell you what, I'll move the axle into natural light and take a few more snaps of it, give you a better idea of the texture of the casing etc.

I just don't know where I am going to get another axle.

I do have a warranty with this one, but there are no other axles available round here (that I know of).

wibble

Should there be a clonking noise when the end of the diff (universal joint flange) is wiggled from side to side? (if it makes a difference, there's no oil in it)

if its a good diff then should not be any clonking, may be a little play thats all

i advertised on here a very good 4.22 diff a while back but unfortunately now sold


i think i would get money back and try and source another

thanks for your advice au.

fancy coming over and sucking your teeth at it?

It's annoying knowing so very little about this stuff - not knowing what to look for, or how to spot indicators of problems.

here are four pics, between them showing the front and back of each arm of the axle. Break it to me gently.









wibble xx

thats a very clean axle- the ones on my cars are covered in oil/ dirt waxoyl and you cannot see any welds. Apart from"Dibble the project choptop resto" I've just had a look at the welds on the rear axle and it looks the same, a seam down the length of the axle on each side and a welded triangle next to the diff part of the casing.

Therefore, apart from a few blobs, it looks normal to me!

BMC quality control?