Diff Cover With Skid

Actually after @mrblaine chimed in with his holding tool I think using studs to drop the cover, skid and tubes over, tighten with thumbscrew nuts and it could be a simple and effective holding tool.
That won't work. 2 reasons, the lower holes are in tubes, if they weld even slightly off a bit, that will make the cover a bitch to remove. Second reason is the holes in the cover are smaller than the inside of the tubes. That is so you can get a socket head screw in the tube. It also means the inside diameter of the tube has to be larger than the hole in the cover so you need a way to center the tube on the hole. If you use a stud, it has to be custom made with a 5/16" threaded section that enlarges to the ID of the tube to center the tube on the hole.

I also think that you may find that a thumbscrew won't pull some of the less that perfectly flat covers down to the jig.
 
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That’s what I was going to offer next, I have two and figured maybe building those out then using cores to build more when selling the one I built.
Make sure you have folks send you a pic first before they send you a core cover. I've done some core stuff and fully 25% of the stuff I got was unusable.
Not efficient but I’m not in it for a business just helping fill a void of people wanted them.
That works until it doesn't. At some point it either gets popular and you find yourself spending a lot of time for little return and you have to justify that time with a monetary return, or it is small enough that the time spent is okay to give away. Knowing how folks are, if they can save a few bucks, you'll be far busier than you would like. Then the problems start and they are mind boggling.
At $159 for a new one with the skid welded onto it they aren’t making much either.
Yeah, it won't take long to figure that one out. Add up a new cover, sealant, new socket head cap screws, box for packaging, pieces of tube, laser cut parts for the skid, welding time and consumables, and enough profit to continue to do it, and it is a low margin product.

I'm more than able to make them, I want nothing to do with it since there is not enough profit in them to justify standing at the welding table for 3-4 hours and tying up the storage space for all the parts needed to make them. I will however be sending you some covers when you get this up and going.
 
That won't work. 2 reasons, the lower holes are in tubes, if they weld even slightly off a bit, that will make the cover a bitch to remove. Second reason is the holes in the cover are smaller than the inside of the tubes. That is so you can get a socket head screw in the tube. It also means the inside diameter of the tube has to be larger than the hole in the cover so you need a way to center the tube on the hole. If you use a stud, it has to be custom made with a 5/16" threaded section that enlarges to the ID of the tube to center the tube on the hole.

I also think that you may find that a thumbscrew won't pull some of the less that perfectly flat covers down to the jig.
Agreed on these thoughts but was thinking for the lower tubed holes I would build a tapered slug drilled to stop over the stud then when you tighten the holding nut it would auto center the tube. I’m sure it will be trial and error to make it efficient or if not I’ll just use the specified bolts to hold it. If I even do it as it seems these may end up available and I won’t have the need.
 
Make sure you have folks send you a pic first before they send you a core cover. I've done some core stuff and fully 25% of the stuff I got was unusable.

That works until it doesn't. At some point it either gets popular and you find yourself spending a lot of time for little return and you have to justify that time with a monetary return, or it is small enough that the time spent is okay to give away. Knowing how folks are, if they can save a few bucks, you'll be far busier than you would like. Then the problems start and they are mind boggling.

Yeah, it won't take long to figure that one out. Add up a new cover, sealant, new socket head cap screws, box for packaging, pieces of tube, laser cut parts for the skid, welding time and consumables, and enough profit to continue to do it, and it is a low margin product.

I'm more than able to make them, I want nothing to do with it since there is not enough profit in them to justify standing at the welding table for 3-4 hours and tying up the storage space for all the parts needed to make them. I will however be sending you some covers when you get this up and going.
Yeah, I’m envisioning all of the above and asking myself why already. 😂
 
As I was studying one to see how easy the front face would be to get bent up, it dawned on me that I forgot to mention powder coating in the price they sell them for.
I’m slightly baffled at how they can do it for $159. For some reason I thought they were more than that.
 
You should see how much we bitch about that price since we bought dozens of them for 80 bucks.
Dozens of JUST the cover itself? That’s what I’m seeing the cover themselves for, obviously not at dealer cost but still.
 
Dozens of JUST the cover itself? That’s what I’m seeing the cover themselves for, obviously not at dealer cost but still.
No, dozens of the Barnett cover over the years. These have been in production for a very long time. IIRC, the Dana 30 cover from Dana in volume was about 11 bucks and the 44 was 14-15. We were snivelly about paying that much.
 
This is from when I built Kat's rig for her about 8-9 years ago.

1637868836927.png
 
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After realizing the cost incurred to produce these covers, the bolt-on skid is looking pretty good.

Dana 30
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0013RIOI4/?tag=wranglerorg-20
Dana 44
Rugged Ridge 16597.44 Skid Plate, Differential, for Dana 44 , Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001FAGL84/?tag=wranglerorg-20
I'm beyond sad that Alloy USA threw in the towel on the 5/16" thick exact factory replacements for the Dana 44. That was the perfect diff cover and never should have gone away.
 
I'm beyond sad that Alloy USA threw in the towel on the 5/16" thick exact factory replacements for the Dana 44. That was the perfect diff cover and never should have gone away.
Never knew such a beast existed. Yes, that would've suited the bill nicely.
 
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As I was studying one to see how easy the front face would be to get bent up, it dawned on me that I forgot to mention powder coating in the price they sell them for.
I got mine many years ago from T&J and they were not powder coated
 
I'm beyond sad that Alloy USA threw in the towel on the 5/16" thick exact factory replacements for the Dana 44. That was the perfect diff cover and never should have gone away.
This cover is 3/16 thick alot heavier than my stock one,was thinking about using it with the rugged ridge or warn 3/16 guard.any info on this one?

44C61A6C-4FE8-460F-A1F2-4EC5BB5DCA11.png
 
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