I asked the rep at MC twice about using these for my manual hub conversion and he was adamant that they would not work. I ended up installing these:
Front Axle AISIN Hub/Drive Flange Stud Kit - Fits 1958-1/1998 40/55/6062/80 Front & Full-Float Rear Axles
We own a 03 4x4 V8 which the wife took from me. It currently has 176k miles on it. I found a 96 4x4 V6 with only 91k miles. We ended up never using the 3rd gen. My wife didn't care for it because of the ride, smaller size, less power and increased noise while driving. I sold it and found...
Are you positive it's leaking from the weld?
Try spraying it down completely with brakleen so it's dry and oil free then monitor where it's leaking from.