Samurai – DIY Diff Caps – iZook – Suzuki 4×4 Tech Information, Accessories, Travel & Adventure

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Differential Caps

Ive owned my Samurai for over 6 years now. I have been 4wheeling it from the day I bought it. Its amazing Ive gone this long without denting a differential cover. I guess my luck ran out.

After finding out just how thin the Differential cover was I decided I needed some protection. Like many other people, Im on a budget but I also cant weld. So to keep the project cost down I had to make sure I didnt spend too much money on the caps because I knew I had to pay someone to weld them on. I was looking around for Differential protection when someone mentioned to me to use a 8″ weld on pipe cap and cut it in half to make 2 Differential caps. I had no idea what this was but thought Id look into it. A call to a local plumbing supply company and $18 later I was a proud owner of an 8″ weld on pipe cap! Now I just had to figure out how to turn it into 2 Differential covers.

The first thing that needed to be done was to cut the cap in half. A friend’s Dewalt Reciprocating Saw made the job easy. (make sure you use a good metal cutting blade) Next I held each cap up to the Differential (1 front & 1 rear) and marked where the fill plug was. I made a “V” cut in each cap so once the cap is welded on I will have access to the Differentials fill plug. Then I cut a smaller “v” cut at the bottom of the caps so any water or mud will be able to drain out. Then I used a good metal file to round all of the cut edges. Now they were ready to weld on.

I went to a local welder and had him weld the 2 covers on for me. Theres no need to run a bead all the way around the covers. A 2″ weld at the top on both sides and a 2″ weld on each side of the cut for the drain should be fine. NOTE: stick welding is not recommended. Samurai differentials are not very thick and stick welding tends to be too hot. Use a Mig welder. A fresh coat of black spray paint and the project was done.