Diff question

[anorakish TJ]

okay, i'm a high school student, looking to build an extra credit project for my physics class [need all the extra credit i can get! heh. .] a group of us have already built a hovercraft capable of lifting over 500# with leaf blowers as e.c. in a weekend morning, so we, as a team, work well together and are quite creative. the next project is what is called a 'whirl and hurl' -- it basically looks like a see-saw on top of a large box, but instead of acting as a lever and going up and down, the 'lever,' which will support two high school students on each end, is more like a helicopter blade. the spinning mechanism is facilitated by using the differential of an axle [i have a scrapped Dana 30 for one of those rainy-day projects]. . i've never done any type of diff work, not even changing the diff fluid, so i have a question: will we have to seal the diff where we cut off the axle tubes? i'm thinking yes, but i just want to know before-hand.

sorry if this is a really stupid question!

TIA
judson

[satan]

Well...

Depending on the D30's year (really depending on its disconect style).

If the axle is a non-disconnect style - the "tube seals" should be right at the carrier area (at the inboard end of the tubes) so you could be OK --

I'm assuming tha you'll be cutting-off the steering knuckles and chopping the axleshafts themselves to meet whatever length needs you have?

Just a thought here - you may have issues getting the axles to support themselves on the outter end of your choepped tubes without planning to add a bearing of some sort out there...

[anorakish TJ]

okay. .

the plan i was given to build upon originally had the pumpkin alone with no shafts whatsoever [so i can scrap for spares!], with the diff facing up [where the driveshaft would go] and the 'lever' being put on where the driveshaft went, only perpindicular to what the driveshaft would look like. the diff was then set in reinforced concrete. . so there wouldn't actually be any shafts coming from the diff. . just the diff to facilitate the weight of the people. .

TIA
judson

[satan]

So "a lazy susan" using the front pinion bearing as the center bearing?

how big of a table are you gonna turn on it?