VW Differential

[Boomer-61]

I've done a search here and can't seem to find a post where someone used a VW differential, housing and all, for a minibuggy rear differential.  He welded up all the openings in the housing and put a grease fitting in one of the openings and kept it topped off with grease.  He had mounted his final drive sprocket to the housing and ran his axles off the output hubs of the differential per normal.  I believe he was using an industrial engine with a snow machine torque converter.  This was two or three years ago. Does anyone rember this post or know of a similar set up and can direct me there?
Thank you.

[fabr]

I remember it. It seems like it works OK. Other than that I have no info on which diff it was. Sorry.

[Carlriddle]

Glad to see ya back Boomer!!   Seems like the biggest issue was bearings, oddball size. 

Heres some reading http://www.minibuggy.net/forum/driveline/14894-drive-flange-splines.html

[Boomer-61]

Thank you Carl,
That looks good but the one I remember was much more raw, meaning they just yanked it out of the transfer case, welded the holes shut, put bearings on the outside and mounted it.  I've been away for a bit and am sure there is a better way to put a low cost differential in this buggy.  The straight axle makes it too hard to make tight turns and move it around in the garage etc.  A good differential would make my life much happier!!
For those who don't know my buggy power plant, it's a 27hp industrial engine so this differential has to be sizeable.
Thanks.

[fabr]

Use a larger garden tractor diff.

[Boomer-61]

I could but then I may have trouble going from my early 80's VW axles and CV joints.  I'm trying to stay with the VW system. 

[fabr]

Be simple to fab 2 flanges.

[Boomer-61]

I know you've been around this forum a long time.  Do you recall any good photo's of a conversion like the one you're suggesting?

[fabr]

Never seen it done. I see no reason something like it would be hard to do tho. Most Lawn tractor diffs are basically a sealed diff filled with grease with long axle tubes that run dry and could be easily shortened to a pretty narrow package.  Add a couple of flanged hubs and you got it.

[fabr]

just a quick search and example. Enlarge it and study the actual diff unit.

[Carlriddle]

I almost put a lawnmower tranny on kido's cart.  Torque convertor, selectable gear and reverse?  Still might??

One of the offroad site shows the VW thing, think I had it linked on the fried computer.

[Boomer-61]

Bummer on you computer.  I visited two other sites and couldn't dig it up.  Maybe too old.  I rember is was sort of stuck in a thread, out of place so a direct search is useless.  It was simple and cheap.  Don't know how effective it truly is but the poster was proud of it.

[Boomer-61]

Holy CATS, I found it:
 Re: type 2 spool pics

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A keyway is not the strongest so if its low power with small tires and low wieght you may get away with it. If you do a lil looking and homework you can have splines for the cost of keyways pretty easy.

Heres a couple pics. Ones a short shaft I had Gear one make me. Its just a reallllly short axle. Its got the same splines as the VW diff so common flanges fit right on. (You would have to call them to see what the price would be as it fluctuates.)

I did not have four flanges handy so in the first pic it show the flanges outward where they would conenct to CV's. Then the second shot shows them spun around so where they would clamp on a sprocket mount in the center (This is for feeding power to it off the jackshaft of a sled tranny. Right in the middle instead of offset. (I like having two flanges holding the sprocket so it #1 runs straight and #2 gives more drivetrain strength (its just me...) I have seen others do something JUST like this and make a sprocket mount that simply hooked to one of the flanges and it worked fine. You could mount bearings on this in several different ways. (on the shaft. On the flanges. On a larger shaft riding ON the flanges. etc.

The other "thing" in the pics is a old Beetle VW diff out of an IRS tranny. If you shop around you can pick these up pretty cheap. (I got fvie at 25 bucks apiece) I have seen these in mini buggies with a sprocket where the ring gear goes. They are quite light when they loose the ring gear.

You simple weld up little plates over the holes in the diff and put a greasee zerk on one and give it some grease before a day of riding.

The bearing surfaces on the diff right out of the tranny are 41mm and some have turned it down to 40mm (MUCH easier to get 40mm bearings than 41!) If you decide to use this type of diff I can get the part number for the 40mm bearing. I had aldo entertained machining a 41 mm collar and then machining it to fit a common larger bearing as well.

Cool thing about these is the cost. Get two. Try one with the holes welded over and a grease zerk and open diff. Then try another diff thats got the gears welded up inside. If you do not like the locked you can pop the open diff back in.
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