Jeep 8.25 Differential Cover

Jeep 8.25 Differential Cover by Blue Torch

A few years ago, I backed into a stump and dented my rear differential cover. I thought it was not a bad dent until I pulled the cover off for an oil change. That is when I saw the groove that the ring gear had cut in the cover. I hammered out the dent and reinstalled the cover for more wheeling. I began shopping for a stronger cover.

I found very few choices for a replacement cover for the 8.25.

I finally found the one I wanted at Blue Torch Fab Works. But I did not want to pay the $140 price. Later, they offered the same cover in a weld it your self kit. Jennifer also has an 8.25 and when she found she could buy two covers for less than the price of one, she got two under the condition that I weld up both of them.

I was not sure my welding skills were up to the task so I asked my Dad for advice. He suggested that I simply have him weld them. That sounded like an excellent plan; so I took him up on the offer.

While I mostly use a wire feed MIG, he prefers his stick welder. Our welder is an old Hobart with a four cylinder Continental flat head engine just like used in the Willys Jeeps. It had not been run in years. So, my first task was to get the old welder running.

Some cleaning on the distributor cap and a bit of ether in the carb and the old motor roared to life. This welder is really loud when it runs; but it welds really nice. Dad showed up with a hand full of rods and after we figured out how to assemble the pieces, he started welding. I did the finish grinding and touched up some spots with the wire feed. I used a flap disk on the grinder to make a very smooth finish on the welds.

Next, I filled them both with water and let them set to test for leaks. Finding none, I sanded them again and painted them with Rustoleum Red paint.

Several of the bolt holes have very little clearance between the weld fillet and the hole so I elected to use hex bit Allen head screws instated of the normal hex head. I got these at Fastenal.

I removed the old dented cover and drained the fluid. It looked a bit contaminated with water, so I discarded it. I cleaned the mounting surface. I applied an even coat of black RTV on the cover and installed it using the Allen head bolts. I tightened them in a crisscross fashion.

After letting it set a bit, I added fresh gear oil. The Blue Torch Cover uses a nice big screw in plug for the filler. The cover also holds quite a bit more fluid than the stock one. I think I put in almost three quarts. I then coated the threads of the plug with pipe sealant and screwed it in place. Since I did not have the right sized hex bit, I made a tool using a 3/8 bolt and a couple of nuts jammed together.

The Blue torch cover looks really nice and is very strong. I think the axle would break before this cover dents. I think it will add strength to the axle housing as well.