Aluma :
Trust me, you don't want to deal with the diff outdrives
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...=++&search3=Go
of the gear diff. They are as soft as butter. Even the suppose-to-be-option hardened ones are softer. The problem is that the slot become wider and wider to the point where the dogbone interfere the diff action by wanting to get stock inside it. Don't know how to explain it better.
Now, what's wrong with plastic outdrives ? I wanted to get rid of my steel outdrives in favor of plastic ones and you want to replace your plastic one for steel ones.