Stronger Dana 30 differential cover?

So, I went to the machinists we have here on campus to get their opinion. All have 30+ years of experience. They said it has a lot of characteristics of being stamped but that stamping something this thick in this shape would be very difficult. At the end, they said they think it is stamped but it was difficult to tell.
 
jodomcfrodo said:
So, I went to the machinists we have here on campus to get their opinion. All have 30+ years of experience. They said it has a lot of characteristics of being stamped but that stamping something this thick in this shape would be very difficult. At the end, they said they think it is stamped but it was difficult to tell.
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Regardless of how it was made, is it a good cover? If so, is their Dana 44 cover like this one? :)
 
jjvw said:
Regardless of how it was made, is it a good cover? If so, is their Dana 44 cover like this one? :)
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Seems pretty good to me. Came with a gasket and two different drain plugs (I assume one is magnetic). Definitely seems like it would be hard to dent the thing.

I’ll see if it fits right when I bolt it up at some point. I leave for Kentucky on Thursday and then school starts so that might be a while.
 
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https://eastcoastgearsupply.com/i-135306-dana-30-bent-steel-diff-cover.html
I got this one and painted it with Steel-It paint. I don’t know that it’s better than stamped, but seems very sturdy. Haven’t tried a .44 caliber test yet. I’d probably shoot my eye out.

78616060-BE9B-4823-9DB7-71BD4BDDCAD9.jpeg
 
jodomcfrodo said:
So, I went to the machinists we have here on campus to get their opinion. All have 30+ years of experience. They said it has a lot of characteristics of being stamped but that stamping something this thick in this shape would be very difficult. At the end, they said they think it is stamped but it was difficult to tell.
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It looks like it may be stamped, but the pitting looks trademark casting. I'd still vote that it was cast from a mold made off the original stamped version.
 
Ordered the Alloy 30 cover yesterday. Anyone know if there are any sealing issues with these? I tend to run Lube Lockers front and rear and was wondering if the 5/16 thickness of the stamped cover requires RTV.
 
Used to run a solid which was decent but I always damaged the bolts and even took some chunks out of the ribs. I have a yukon one now that I'm much happier with. The bolts are protected and it even has a drain plug

angler-jk-tj-yj-cj-xj-zj-wj-cj-cherokee-grand-main.jpg
 
EzPeezy said:
Is it flat? What are you worried about?
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I read a couple reviews that mentioned the surface wasn't flat and they required RTV. Not sure if this is a real problem or not?
 
Irun said:
I read a couple reviews that mentioned the surface wasn't flat and they required RTV. Not sure if this is a real problem or not?
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Nothing some wet sandpaper on a glass plate can't fix.
 
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Mark K said:
I just installed Spicer diff covers on my Dana 30 (Spicer 10023534) and 44 (Spicer 10023536), from Amazon. Nodular cast iron, powder coated, dual fill plugs, magnetic drain plug, tough as hell. The front Dana 30 cover clears all suspension and steering components, as my high dollar aluminum one did not. I figure my rig picked up a good 25 pounds.

My new favorite Jeep mechanic runs similar ones on his basher Ford pickup and reports them to be rockproof.
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Are you at stock ride height or lifted? Any trouble since installing it a couple years ago?
 
I'm higher than stock by about 1.5 inches, H&R springs. No worries from the diff covers. Rear one clears the GenRight 24.5 gallon fuel tank, too.

Just saw the TJ's underside this afternoon at a visit to the transmission shop, where he will pull the grenaded 3550 and install the new AX-15, with rebuilt 231 that incorporates a slip yoke eliminator. Rear diff cover was in fine shape.
 
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