How to lock up your own Rockwell 2.5 ton by welding

[jeepsr4ever]

The rockwell 2.5 ton axle is known for its strength, clearance and low ratios but also comes only in an open different so adding extra traction is a absolute must when your talking crawling over hard terrain or tromping through the mud. Here is a 3rd member from a rockwell 2.5 ton axle....they are all the same either front or rear. Notice the size of the gear thats a quarter on the gear. You wil also notice the wire going through the bolt....this is very old technology before they had loc-tite and also keeps the bolts from loosening when the axle is under great stress...which these huge buggers are known to take.

http://bulltear.imgbay.com/ROCKWELL3RD.JPG

[jeepsr4ever]

The first thing you should do is mark where the retainers are ...notice the blue paint. Next cut the retaining wire ....

http://bulltear.imgbay.com/ROCKWELL2.JPG

[jeepsr4ever]

Although the housing is machined in a very close setup you will need to remember which cap fit on which boss and now with the caps off take your third member's large gear out...notice more tie-wire (the tie wire used is a simple mild steel wire...found mostly anywhere and referred to as bailing wire or tie wire)

http://bulltear.imgbay.com/ROCKWELL3.JPG

[jeepsr4ever]

Here is the final reduction of the rockwell axle. It resembles a GM 14 bolt differential on steroids. The gear is sandwiched between the two retainers that house the spider gears. Again cut the wire, pull it out and unloosen and tap out all the bolts..

http://bulltear.imgbay.com/ROCKWELL4.JPG

[jeepsr4ever]

Here we set the differential up on large shafts of bronze and tapped with a rod of aluminum on the cross between the gears to seperate the halves.

http://bulltear.imgbay.com/ROCKWELL%205.JPG

[jeepsr4ever]

There it is the inner workings and spider gears of the rockwell 2.5 ton axle. Notice the oil ring on top of the splined spider gear....You will want to keep these as you wel be reminded that everything will need to be cleaned. The spider gears were in poor shape and had rough rusted pitting from sitting for probly 20 years.

http://bulltear.imgbay.com/ROCKWELL6.JPG

[jeepsr4ever]

After cleaning and dissasembling the spider gears reinstall them with all the oil cups and the one oil ring for the side half. Tack the gears first so you dont warp the whole assembly and have difficulty reassembling it.

http://bulltear.imgbay.com/ROCKWELL7.JPG

[jeepsr4ever]

Tack the gears through the 4 holes on the side...

http://bulltear.imgbay.com/ROCKWELL8.JPG

[jeepsr4ever]

Take the gears out and this is what you should have...




http://bulltear.imgbay.com/ROCKWELL%209.JPG

[jeepsr4ever]

Install the oil ring on the other case half next before you install the gears for the final tacking

http://bulltear.imgbay.com/ROCKWELL10.JPG

[jeepsr4ever]

Next install the spiders this time using the second large gear on the bottom and make sure everything is sitting down and in and tack it through the small holes...

http://bulltear.imgbay.com/ROCKWELL11.JPG

[jeepsr4ever]

Almost finished welding here... You will want to weld the gears together using alot of penetrating heat...you will also want to weld down and in and weld the gears together. This is a good start and if you have spatter you WILL need to take care of it before you reassemble or it will not come together. You must weld along the length of the gears and just not the ends or you may have weldments falling off and being thrown around eventually eating your gears and bearings

http://bulltear.imgbay.com/ROCKWELL12.JPG

[jeepsr4ever]

BEFORE you fill the holes and do the final welding to the carrier you will want to amke sure it all goes together correctly and all your spatter or dings have been filed down. With the halfs bolted together to the large gear fill up your holes using a rotating plug style weld. We used a miller 251 with a 20.8V and 242 wire setting.

http://bulltear.imgbay.com/ROCKWELL13.JPG

[jeepsr4ever]

We also have a new breed of rockwell wheel spacers coming soon from military 6 lug to one ton eight lug..

[Lifted79CJ7]

Did you think about going the detroit route? I remember reading somewhere they are only like $300 for a rockwell. I guess you just wanted to have 100% tracktion to all tires.

So what project are these going in? The Postal Jeep? The Grand Cherokee? My CJ7? :wink:

[jeepsr4ever]

I believe I saw them for $375....but I am putting some real torque numbers down with this 360 we are running in the postal jeep and I have seen the bits and pieces of a broken detroit for a rockwell

[Rock_Climber]

I hate to bring up a thread this old, but is there any way to get the pictures back? Getting ready to weld my 2.5's.

Thanks, James

[jeepsr4ever]

Man I dont know where they went..I will look around when I get back