Do as you may, but I would not recommend welding of any sort of a forging. A U-joint is
one of the most highly stressed parts on any vehicle. The yokes gain their high strength
from the forging process, which compresses the inner grain structure to follow the
shape of the part. A weld introduces a stress riser breaking up the smooth flow of the
grain.
This is a slip joint from a 3600 which is similar to the one being discussed. The grease
retainer plug sits in its bore and is swaged during manufacture in a number of places
around the rim. This also disturbs the grain but it can be looked at as bending the grain
structure like a rubber band rather than cutting it. Any machining on a forging is
designed to follow parallel lines of grain, and avoid cutting thru them.
http://www.pbase.com/dennygraham/image/158972318/large http://www.pbase.com/dennygraham/image/158972319/large Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL
