# A Fun Guide to Modified Nissan 350Zs: Welding the Differential

When it comes to modifying a car for fun and daily driving, many enthusiasts consider upgrading the differential to enhance performance and handling. In this article, we'll explore the process of welding the differential on a modified Nissan 350Z.

## The Benefits of Welding the Differential

Welding the differential is a popular option among drifters and enthusiasts who want to improve their car's handling and stability. One of the most significant advantages of welding the differential is that it provides predictable and quick engagement, making it ideal for drifting and other forms of driving that require precise control.

## What is a Two-Way LSD?

A two-way Limited Slip Differential (LSD) engages both rear wheels simultaneously during acceleration and deceleration, providing improved traction and stability. This type of differential is designed to work seamlessly with the rear axle, allowing for smooth power delivery and predictable handling.

## The Kaaz SuperQTWO Way Clutch Type LSD

The Kaaz SuperQtwo way clutch type LSD is a popular choice among enthusiasts due to its unique features. With two-way engagement, this LSD provides improved traction and stability during acceleration and deceleration. It's also designed to run cooler than similar LSDs, making it an excellent option for high-performance driving.

## A Comparative Analysis

When considering upgrading the differential on a modified Nissan 350Z, enthusiasts must weigh the pros and cons of different options. Welding the spider gears together permanently locks the wheels in place, providing straight-line stability but compromising traction during cornering. On the other hand, replacing the differential with an aftermarket option provides improved handling and stability but requires more time and effort.

## Installation Process

Welding the differential is a relatively simple process that can be completed in four steps:

1. Remove all obstructions and lower the axles to access the differential.

2. Drain the fluid from the differential and remove the cover.

3. Scrape off any remaining silicon and clean the area for welding.

4. Weld the spider gears together, using a plate to secure them.

## Comparison with Replacing the Differential

Removing and replacing the differential is a more extensive process that requires swapping out the ring gear over to an aftermarket LSD. While this option provides improved handling and stability, it adds a significant amount of time and effort to the installation process.

## James' Lube Corner: The Importance of Lubrication

Proper lubrication is essential for maintaining a smooth differential and preventing damage to the gears. In this article, we'll explore the importance of lubricating grooves on the differential using an oil-based paint.

## Testing the Welded Differential

After completing the welding process, enthusiasts can test the integrity of their modified Nissan 350Z. By spinning the differential and observing the ring and pinion interaction, they can confirm that the weld has been successful and provide improved traction and stability.

By following these steps and considering the benefits and drawbacks of different options, enthusiasts can upgrade their modified Nissan 350Z with a welded differential that provides improved performance and handling.

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- $1,200 limited slip differential.- Or free 99 welded diff?- Does more expensive mean more better?- Let's find out.Mine's in a bag.- Mine's in a box.(upbeat music)- Go.We bought two almostidentical Nissan 350Zsand we've been modifyingthem to be fun, daily driversthat you can take to the track.- But, we're not just buildingthese Zs to be race cars.We're building them to be fun cars, okay?And what's more fun than doingsome sweet, sweet driftieswith your friends?- So, to do that,we're gonna be swappingout our differentials.- Well, I will be.- I'll be doing the time honored optionof welding my differential.- Now, I bought a Kaaz SuperQtwo way clutch type LSD.- What does two way mean?- Well, I am so glad thatyou asked, my sweet boy.Two way means that the LSDengages the same amountduring acceleration and deceleration.Two way is generally thechoice of us drifters.- What are the pros of that?- Pretty much everything.This thing should engagereally quickly and predictablyand it's supposed to run coolerthan a lot of similar LSDs.- What did it cost you?- 1,200 bones.- Oof.(people laughing)So, another way to preventthat one tire fire slippageis to not spend 1,200 bucksand just weld the spider gears together,which permanently locks yourwheels together at all times.This is great forstraight land applicationslike drag racing and drifting,but when you go aroundcorners on the street,the wheels need to go different speedsand the diff can't do its job anymoreand the wheels end up constantlyscrubbing and breakingtraction in small little jumps.- Even when you're backingout of a parking spot.- It'll be great.There's no way this is gonna be bad.(upbeat music)- When it comes to installation,one of the biggest differencesbetween welding your diffand replacing it completelywith an aftermarket diff is time.Welding your diff is apretty simple process.It's like four steps.- All right, so Aaron andI are underneath our carand as you can see here,this is the driveshaft.This is where all thepower comes from the engineinto the differential back here.- So, pretty much what we're trying to dois take the mechanical disadvantagethat this open diff is giving us,which you can see byhaving one tire burn upand the other one perfectly fine,and lock those both wheelsso that we put all the controlinto the driver's seat.- All right, can we start wrenching?- The beginning steps for both teamsare basically the same.First, everything that's in the wayneeds to get out of the wayso you can unbolt the diffand drop it from the car.We've got to drop the axles down.We've gotta drop the driveshaft.- Yes, sir.- Drop the exhaust.- Probably, yeah.- Sway's gotta come out.- Probably, well, she'sgotta come down, I think.- Sway's gotta come down.- Yeah, then the diff mounts.So, you've got three of those,right, one, two, and three.- Yeah.- And that's it.I'm gonna go put an LSD in your thing.- Wow, buy me dinner first.We got it out withoutdropping the exhaust?- Yeah, aren't you supposedto be working on your car?- I already got it out, wedidn't have to drop our exhaust.- See, if we didn't take it out,how would we know that it's good?We wouldn't have known thatif we didn't take this out.- I got it.- Got it?- Yeah, I got it.- Once the diffis out, drain the fluid,remove the cover, and scrapeoff all that nasty silicon.Nice.Since low team is reusing their old diff,they can just leave it in the housing,but they need to clean it a lot.- All right, breathe, all right.(air hissing)- Welds will notstick to dirty metal.- So, it's pretty much a perfect example.This is the one tire fire.Load is being put on this,therefore the outside is being turned'cause that's a path of least resistance.Once we weld it up, both ofthem will turn at the same time,enabling us to do way better skids.- Since low teamwants this to be durable AF,they're gonna do somethinga little different.- So, our initial plan wasjust to weld each gear togetherto lock the diff up, butbuddy Alex came throughand had a much betteridea to make these platesweld the plate to the gearsitself, one on each side,which is gonna be waymore structurally soundand I do not see this diff ever breaking.- Once the plate iswelded inside the differential,they can reapply thesilicon, bolt on the cover,put the diff back in the car,and fill it up with fluid.- That's it.Oh yeah.- Meanwhile, us grown upson the high car team hada bit more work to do.(air wrench whirring)- So, we're gonna pull off these bolts.These are the bearings thatallow the diff to spin.We'll pull the whole unit out,then we're gonna needto swap the ring gearover to our Kaaz LSDand then we'll put the whole Kaaz back in.- Removing and replacing our diffas opposed to just giving it a weld jobadds a ton more steps.- We're getting ready tocheck the gear patternbetween the ring and the pinion.Basically, you usually use,like, an oil-based paintand you wipe it in there, rotate the diff,and you see the way that the ring gearis interacting with the pinion gear,which is a very, veryimportant part of the processand is not to be left to amateurs,so I'm bringing in apro on the grease tip.(light music)- Welcome to James' lube corner.Hi, I'm James.Today, we're gonna lube some grooves.These grooves are brand newand they're in dire need of some lube.What I'm doing is shoving some lubedeep into five of the grooves.That should do.Time for a nap.- Thanks, James.So, now that we're all lubed up,we're gonna spin the diffand see how the ring andpinion are working together.It's gonna be kind of tough to seesince this isn't bright blue paint,but we should be able to make do.We've got good contactpretty much across the faceof the tooth on the ring gear.Not too deep, looks perfect.(upbeat music)- All right.(car starts)Oh no.Here we go.- Ha ha, yeah, there it goes!I am surprised how littleI notice the welded diff.- That thing looks hardat night, for sure.I came out right when he wasthree wheeling into the streetand I was like "Oh,that's pretty convenient."It looks really good though.- Now that we havechecked our gear pattern,checked our backlash, we'reready to pull the diff out.One bearing cap, two bearing caps.So, now that we've got everythingchecked, everything lubed,everything ready to go,the bearing caps out,we've gotta yank the stub shafts outand then we can pull out the diff.- Once the old diffis out, all we have to dois pop on the new bearings,swap the ring gear.(ratchet whirls)- Watch your hands.(James screaming)- And drop that puppy back in.- All right, so we got theLSD all in the pumpkin,so we're gonna check some thingsbefore we put it in the car.We're gonna checkbacklash and gear pattern.The backlash spec from Nissanis 10 to 15 thousandths,so we're just gonna holdthe pinion gear steadyand rock the ring gearright at 15 thousandths.So, backlash is good.Now we're gonna check gear patterns.I'm a new hire at James' lube shop.Doesn't take too much,just enough to squeezethrough the gears as they spin.Basically, what we'relooking for is all the greaseto be displaced from basicallythe whole face of the tooth,and that means that the pinion gearis making good contactacross the face of the teeth,which is what you want.If you're out of whack,if your shims are off,you might just get a lot ofcontact on the toe or the heel,and then you have to shim the whole LSDleft or right to change that.So, our gear pattern looksgood, backlash looks good,I'm gonna clean up the gasket,put the cover back on this,put it back in the car.- Yeah, dude, buttoning it up.- No problem.- More fun putting it back together.- You're not gonna beable to drive it tonight'cause this is gonna have to sit and dry.- How long does it dry?- We can definitely putit in the car right awayand then I'm thinking end of day todaywe put fluid in it and then just leave itand let it keep gearing overnight.That's the diff betweena welded diff and a Kaaz,like seven hours.(upbeat music)- Ideally, alimited slip differentialis gonna improve your tractionby sending power to both wheels,making your car more predictableand improve your lap times.A couple other thingsthat LSDs are good foris burn burns and skiddyboys with your bro bros.- See if we can do a burnout.- Back when wewere rocking an open diff,those looked like this.(tires screeching)Only one tire would breakloose when we tried to burn outand once we were able to initiate a drift,the car was really hard to control.- Yep, that's a one tire fire.- But, after we putthese stiffy diffys in our cars,our burnouts looked like this.(tires screeching)Now, hold on.You guys might be wonderingwhy this footage is in black and white.Well, we did a colorchange in a later episodeand weren't able to testthe diffs beforehand.So, stay tuned for thatepisode, Nolan cries.- It's so bad.- But, for now, enjoy these burns.(tires screeching)(upbeat music)So, does more expensive mean more better?- Sort of.- Yeah.- Sort of.- The main thing thatI feel like we gainedfrom the more expensive, aftermarket LSDversus the welded diffhas been peace of mind.Full disclosure though,we have yet to drivethese cars on the track.So far, we've only donesome burnouts and donuts,and both cars felt a lot betterdoing both of those things.- Really good.One thing I will say though,is that it didn't take very long for meto get used to driving with a welded diff.Aside from really tight turns,it's really not that noticeable.- One thing I have noticednow that we're adding moreand more stuff onto the car,the more mods you doand the more weird noises your car makes,the more normies look at you,thinking that your car's broken,even though you're makingit cooler and better.They don't understand us!The squares, you guys,they don't understand what we're doing!Why's your car sound likeclick, click, click, clickwhen you go to the store?Because it's cooler, grandpa.You guys get it though, you guys get it.So, Nolan, which one would you do?Would you go with the aftermarketLSD that costs 1,200 bucksor would you go withthe free 99 welded diff?- You know, for once,I think I'm gonna take the high option.(people gasping)- Really?- Yeah, I think having that peace of mindis really important, especially in a carthat you're gonna drive every day.But, there's just that 5%feeling in the back of my headthat's like, is this gonnabreak if I do a 90-degree turnin an intersection, you know?- This is a bombshell episodebecause I would go with the welded diff.- No way!- Yeah, I would gowith the cheap option.- Oh, my God.- It's free.$1,200 is a lot of money- That's a lot.- Especially when you addall the other stuff thatwe're putting on these cars.High car is very expensiveat this point in the buildand I think I would be lookingfor any opportunity to save money.Also, I'm not LewisHamilton, I'm not Scoresburg,I'm not even Nolan.I'm not a good driver at all,so as long as both wheelsspin, I think I'm pretty happy.And if you break it,it's free and I have AAA,so I can get towed home, so Iwould go with the welded diff.And on that bombshell, followus on Instagram @DonutMedia.Follow me on Instagram @JamesPumphrey,follow Nolan on Instagram @NolanJSykes.- Yes.- The J stands for James.We have another greatepisode coming up next week.We're gonna put someracing seats in our cars.Maybe roll cages, yougotta tune in to find out.- Yeah, pretty exciting.Oh, you get a new wheel as well.- Yeah, I'm gonna get anew wheel from Ken Goosh.- It's gonna be fun.- Oh, also, we started a carclub if you guys wanna join.Hit us down in the comments, #BoostCreeps.Gonna have some merch ifit gets popular enough.- Be nice.- I love you.- See you next time.