This block of steel is about to become the first ever CTS-V Billet Diff housing!!

[2004ctsv]

Originally Posted by darkman

Meanwhile back at the ranch

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Granny's beating off the Indians but they still keep comin'

[Flyboy]

Isn't 27 Rockwell C pretty hard?

Actually, I'm pretty hard right now

[Silver Dollar]

Originally Posted by 2004ctsv

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Granny's beating off the Indians but they still keep comin'

Say what?

[dkozloski]

Originally Posted by Custom Gear

Gentleman... Gentleman... My goodness!!! Do I sense a little negativity here??? Albertan seems to be the only one who knows what he’s talking about. This case is nothing compared to the stuff I machine. Of corse the steel is going to move all over when it’s machined!!! I’m going to cut out 300 lbs. Of material on this block, I’ve cut 3000 lbs of material out of blocks of steel and held + or - .002 over 80 inches of 3D form.


It’s all in how you process the job.

OOH Yeah. Hey Dill, were not going to heat treat this material, this block of AISI 4140 is already pre hardened to, 27 RC. That’s the way I bought it. The only property change I’m going to do a stress relieve after ruffing operations are completed. And if it took me 100 Hrs. To machine this thing, I’d fire myself and get a job at K-mart. "30 Hrs. TOPS!!!" This is what I do for A living.

Hey ozloski, I think you should do some more homework. 4140 has .480% carbon content,4130 has .330%. 4140 has A Tensile Strength (ultimate) of 95,000psi. 4130 has a (ultimate) of 81,200psi. 4140 has 24% Elongation before break. 4130... 21.5% Should I keep going?????


I can’t believe you guys want to do nothing but criticize what I’m trying to do... TO IMPROVE YOUR DIFF’S!!! And I don’t even own a F’n V!!!

Try and have a little FAITH!!!

4130 can be normalized by heating to a cherry red heat and letting cool in still air, a simple heat treatment. 4140 is more prone to distort and crack with heat treatment. I was suggesting something better than mild steel that the average bear could handle easily. I was a journeyman machinst when I was 17 years old 50 years ago and I 've been in and out of the field ever since, grasshopper.

[CTSV_Rob]

Originally Posted by Custom Gear

Gentleman... Gentleman... My goodness!!! Do I sense a little negativity here??? Albertan seems to be the only one who knows what he’s talking about. This case is nothing compared to the stuff I machine. Of corse the steel is going to move all over when it’s machined!!! I’m going to cut out 300 lbs. Of material on this block, I’ve cut 3000 lbs of material out of blocks of steel and held + or - .002 over 80 inches of 3D form.


It’s all in how you process the job.

OOH Yeah. Hey Dill, were not going to heat treat this material, this block of AISI 4140 is already pre hardened to, 27 RC. That’s the way I bought it. The only property change I’m going to do a stress relieve after ruffing operations are completed. And if it took me 100 Hrs. To machine this thing, I’d fire myself and get a job at K-mart. "30 Hrs. TOPS!!!" This is what I do for A living.

Hey ozloski, I think you should do some more homework. 4140 has .480% carbon content,4130 has .330%. 4140 has A Tensile Strength (ultimate) of 95,000psi. 4130 has a (ultimate) of 81,200psi. 4140 has 24% Elongation before break. 4130... 21.5% Should I keep going?????


I can’t believe you guys want to do nothing but criticize what I’m trying to do... TO IMPROVE YOUR DIFF’S!!! And I don’t even own a F’n V!!!

Try and have a little FAITH!!!

I thought mine was close but the difference is I spelt rough correctly, maybe that's what threw you.

I am behind you 100%, These guys are harmless and this forum may be good for you in that it may thicken up your skin a bit.

relax and I am looking forward to the final piece, Please post pictures for us to over.

[dkozloski]

I think this is a great project. It's well thought out and ought to produce interesting results. Has anybody thought about approaching the problem from another angle and weld some reinforcing onto the original aluminum housing. Fifty years ago we used to weld a lug on the inside of Ford differential housings so we could screw in an adjustable bolt with a big lump of brass on it that was set for a few thousanths clearance on the back side of the ring gear. When the ring and pinion loaded up and started to separate the ring gear would hit the bolt and it would support it.

It seems to me that if there is a basic weakness in the aluminum housing that reinforcing can be TIG welded onto the outside to beef it up. Careful preheat would reduce warpage. Bearing bores could be welded up and remachined for the correct alignment. Since the housing is cast it has to be a weldable alloy. The very best facility I know of that does this kind of work is Nickson's Machine Shop in Santa Maria, California. These guys have been doing unbelievable work for over 60 years. This place oozes extreme craftsmanship. It would be well worth somebodies time to take a cracked housing to these guys and see if they think they can improve /reinforce it. It would be well worth anybodies time to just take a shop tour and see how it's done by the old school masters.

Another absolutely first class operation is Precision Engineering in Seattle, Washington. These guys also perform machining miracles.

My brother-in-law works for John Deere in Waterloo, Iowa. He makes obsolete parts from billet stock using CNC tooling that were originally made from castings that are no longer available. They bring him a print of a part that hasn't been made for 30 years and he turns it out. He also machines prototypes and makes "impossible parts". Every manufacturer from time to time designs an impossible part that it seems like it just cannot be made by humans and he figures out how to untie these Gordian knots. In my estimation he has the best machine shop job in the world and he makes really good money.

[urbanski]

Originally Posted by Silver Dollar

And "nawss". You gotta have "nawss". A 3 stage 400 hp shot.

.

[rand49er]

Originally Posted by Flyboy

Actually, I'm pretty hard right now

Jimmy, you need a date ... ... or, get married (again).

[Flyboy]

Randy, I actually have a date Sunday evening....with a female for a change....LOL.

I love the weather here. Can drive the "V" 365 days a year.

[trukk]

Originally Posted by Silver Dollar

About 3 lbs less than TheBigJimSho's head.

However, they are both almost identical in size and shape.

Coincidentely, they both have the same personality too.

Originally Posted by darkman

Meanwhile back at the ranch - there is simply no telling how many cynical posts this group will create for you to ignore.

LOL, yup, yup.

-Chris

[thebigjimsho]

Originally Posted by trukk

Coincidentely, they both have the same personality too.


-Chris

C'mon...How would you be if you spent all day in NY/NJ traffic, rolling into Southern VA at around 3AM, only to get up at 6AM to spend a day changing tires and brakes and baking my ass all day while driving around a 4 mile track I've never seen before??

I'd say I was Prattin' brilliant considering...

[thebigjimsho]

Originally Posted by darkman

Meanwhile back at the ranch - there is simply no telling how many cynical posts this group will create for you to ignore.

How should we be? For 4 years, we've heard about supposed fixes that either don't work or never get going. Even from "reputable" outfits.

We all WANT this to happen. We just know better that for some reason or another, it probably won't...

[rand49er]

Originally Posted by thebigjimsho

How should we be? For 4 years, we've heard about supposed fixes that either don't work or never get going. Even from "reputable" outfits.

We all WANT this to happen. We just know better that for some reason or another, it probably won't...

Yeah, this'll make close to a half dozen or thereabouts. Not easy, apparently. Plan G might be getting the '09 to adapt.

Hey, Jimmy! Still got that ... er-r ... woody? Today's the day for your date! You gotta stop eating those little blue pills ... they're not M&M's you know.

[darkman]

Originally Posted by thebigjimsho

How should we be?

Ignored.

[thebigjimsho]

Originally Posted by darkman

Ignored.

Good point. p00f, no more darkman...