Posted by Matt Wilson [173.74.0.32] on Wednesday, July 04, 2012 at 00:42:12 :
In Reply to: Re: Ring Gear Nuts: Retainers or Lock Washers? posted by Mike McClintock [69.19.14.28] on Sunday, July 01, 2012 at 14:46:08 :
You guys might be interested to know that the original bolts were close to being Grade 8.
I took my ring gear off the diff case and had one of the bolts hardness tested in the metallurgy lab at the company where I work. The Rockwell "C" hardness was 31, which is approximately equivalent to 141,000 psi ultimate strength. Grade 8 is 150,000 psi, while Grade 5 is only 120,000 psi, so the original ring gear bolt is only a touch lower than the Grade 8 bolt in terms of strength. Also, if I recall correctly, the torque specs for the original bolts are very close to those of Grade 8 bolts.