It looks like I finally get to retire my Raider from duty as a daily driver. That means locking up. I don't want to do the Lincoln Locker thing. I also don't have much money to spend right now. I'm looking at the Molten Lead Idea. From what I understand, I can wrap the gears in aluminum foil and pour in molten lead to lock the spider gears.

So, my questions. Has anyone done this? Any tips from those who have done it? Where do I get the lead? What's the best way to melt and pour it?

BTW 1989 SWB V6 5sp.

Chris

I've never heard of this or seen it done, but maybe I can be of some help. Google bullet casting materials and tools for lead and a crucible and melting methods. A MAP torch may be hot enough, but I don't know. You shouldn't need a lot of lead.

Lead is a very soft metal, not durable for torque loads. I don't think that's an appropriate use to achieve your desired purpose.

Why not Starion LSD in front and Montero LSD or SR air locker in back?

An article on pouring lead on the cheap.

Russell, the only torque loads are the scrubbing load from differential torque, not the axle driving torque, so it may hold up. The above article says to use old wheel weights from the tire store, which have some antimony which makes the alloy harder...

This continued "use the Starion LSD". I have only seen two in a jy's in my 6ish years of messing with these. One was missing it's drivetrain, the other when I came back two days later, was missing it's engine and harness and rear axle. Doesn't make it a viable option if'n you can't find it.

That's why you want to get a StarQuest donor. You get the LSD for the front, and a turbo motor as a bonus.

Try StarQuestClub.com for someone parting out a carcass.

Yes, but bullets and trying to pour into a differential space are different matters.

I'll be curious to see how this works, having observed the durability of lead and lead alloys for stained-glass windows. I think the scrubbing load would far exceed the driving load, honestly. The driving load to make forward motion will be highest when in first gear / low range and largely in one direction (vector equations from physics), where the scrubbing load may shear the 'lead' because of the differential speed between inside/outside tires.

Someone could do the research for material strength, applied loads, etc. As I say, would be interesting to know.

Straight line accel/decel will put no strain on the spider gears/lead pour at all, since no differential action is required, and the diff acts like a spool. If you use 4wd on dry pavementor slab rock, you'll maximize the stress. If you are on dirt/mud, the stresses are minimal, and the lead may hold up.

I've read articles from guys who have done it. It holds up. It appears to have more integrity than an amateur Lincoln Locker. One big plus for me is that I can torch it out if I want to go back to OEM. Also, it's cheap. If the lead fails due to a major stress event, I can always torch it out and pour it back in. No damage! It's like the anodizing rod in your hot water heater. Designed to be the failure point.

I know that there are locked and lockable options in junk yards out there. The problem is that I'm in an area where there aren't many junkyards. When I find a junkyard it's full of fairly new Hondas, Toyotas, Nissans, etc. I ask the guy if he has any Mitsubishis and he points at a 2006 Galant.

Also, I don't have the budget to buy salvage axles. I need to ration my spending on this toy. I need to save the cash for things like manual hubs.

Speaking of manual hubs, I've seen a guy on here that occasionally goes overseas and buys a bunch and then sells them here in the forum. Does he have any right now?

Thanks for the input guys. The discussion is incredibly valuable to me!

Chris

fasteddy,

Thanks for the link. That's some valuable info. That told me a good source for lead and that I can melt it in an old garage sale pot. 2 major obstacles down.

Thank you!

Chris