Hope someone replies to this soon. I am also interested in doing this to the front of my '95 LWB. I just can't stomach the cost of an ARB on a med students budget. LOL!

Wait don't weld it just yet, I think since more people are doing this i should do a tech write up on the subject. I have welded many diffs and as a professional welder i have found there is a wrong and right way to do it if you want it to last. 7018 is not what you want to use by the way thats how i welded the first one and it failed after a few runs. I've got it down to a science and I'll grab another diff and weld it up as a tutorial for you guys.

I started the day off buy going to my local pick and pull to scrounge the front diff out of a Gen1 4cyl that Sparkem and I found. I got it out, and brought it home. I took out the carrier, and Unbolted the ring gear from it. The ring gear is set aside, and the carrier is put in the vice with easy acess to the spider gears.
I hosed the spider gears down with Prestone brake parts cleaner, and thats the BEST stuff I can find for cutting grease out of a spray can.

I used the Stumpy axle to stab into the Opposite gear I was welding so as not to spatter any weld into the splines.
The way I saw it, there was a strongest point to the "meshing" of the spider gears, and I posisitioned them to the deepest meshing point I could find. I just started here, and began welding the spider gears together. NOT to the case. I was able to make a few welds before I had to reposisition. I welded all the contact points up, and then got out the chipping hammer.

This is by far where I spent the most time. I chipped all the slag off of my welds, and then chipped off EVERY peice of spatter I could find. I got the wirebrush out, and went over the entire case looking for spatter.

I took 3 passes over the spider gears like this, covering more gear, and overlapping my welds a little. Every pass you have to stop, and chip the slag off, and clean up your spatter, and move your axle stump so as not to get any weld into the splines. (I actually did, but hammering the axle into the splines *pre truck assembly* knocked the spatter out)

I could actually see the spider gears melting into each other, and "becomming one" with one another.
After I welded the spider gears up, I had to let the carrier cool to ambient before the ring gear would go back into it's home due to thermal expansion. I just bolted the ring gear back on, locktighted, and correctly torqued the bolts, and then stuck the carrier back into the housing, and I think I had to hammer one of the shims back in, but it all went back together great.

I did not take any pictures just beacuse this whole project went together so fast, and so smoothly. If you look into my carrier, you can see a nice radiused weld at each contact point of the spider gears. No Huge redneck blobs, and No ultra porus welds. Just nice smooth, and relativly small welds.

The gears are not ever near any welding heat, so this is not a factor. I really feel confident that the welds are not going to break, and IF they do, the whole housing is comming apart with them. (this is why I tried this on a $40 spare diff) I really think the CV's will go first. We shall see. With my turbo, and my driving habits, I will seek and destroy weakness. I have already taken it on the trail, and it performed EXCELENT!!!. Turning was noticable different, BUT if you are rolling even the slightest ammount it is acceptable, and on soft dirt or mud, or sand it is un noticable. I locked the hubs in on the pavement just for grins, and it was impossible.

I used. 6011 rods, and 90 amp setting on my Lincoln stick welder.

You should not weld the gears to the case as they are a dissimilar metal.

Definantly a mod for off road use only. Any more specific questions?

AND of course with my hubs unlocked on the street, it drives like any other car on earth. Totally sane, and nice.