In my cruiser I want to use 4:88's with a ARB in the front and weled in the rear. I will be driving on the road so how will a welded rear handle? I am talking to dogwalker on his front 3rd member so that might be covered...just need help on the rear
Thanks

Joseph A.
:jeep3:

I sugget that you do not weld the rear spiders up for a daily driver, I would'nt even for a trail only rig. Buy a Detroit for the rear, or heck even a Lock Rite.

Jeff

I gotta disagree. I ran a EZ-lock in the rear of my FJ40 for a few years....first with 33x12.5 Swamper Radials and then with 38.5x14.5 SX's. If you apply power as you turn a corner, the lockers are designed to lock up anyways, so they effectively act the same as a spool/welded. As you drive down the freeway at 60-70 mph and that locker opts to "engage", you can change lanes quickly and unexpectedly.

IMO, after running welded for the past year, I won't not spend my $$ on a rear locker. I WOULD consider an ARB or electric since you can then choose, but IMO Detroits/EZ-Locks/LockRites are not that great on the road.

It will depend on your driving habits....if you are the type who can "coast" around corners, allowing the teeth to override and not lock up, then it may be fine for you. I tend to accellerate corners.... :D

What if he can't weld? Are you still gonna give him your thumbs up to go for it anyways? I've ran a welded rear diff on my cruiser before (when I was 17) it held up fine, but driving it every day was not fun, nor is a Lock rite or a Detroit, but you don't take the risk of the rear end blowing apart at 60mph and causing the pinion to lock up resulting in a bad situation.

I've had a Lock Rite in the back of my daily driver FJ60 for over 4 years, I don't like it much, but it's safer than a welded one. Also, that same Lock Rite has about 30k miles on it and still works fine, But I do really hate these type of lockers, I'm a Detroit/ARB fan myself.

Jeff

Originally posted by woody
If you apply power as you turn a corner, the lockers are designed to lock up anyways, so they effectively act the same as a spool/welded.
It will depend on your driving habits....if you are the type who can "coast" around corners, allowing the teeth to override and not lock up, then it may be fine for you. I tend to accellerate corners.... :D

Brian,
That's strange. :question: I have installed several EZs and Lockrights and I have never encountered one that did not ratchet or unlock the outer wheel during acceleration in a turn, as long as the inside wheel did not slip. They also ratchet or unlock the inside wheel during deceleration in a turn. Again, this is as long as the other wheel is not slipping. I just looked at the Lockright manual and this is what they are designed to do. If your EZ did not ratchet during acceleration in a turn, this would definitely explain why it was such an unpredictable PITA.

Charlie Glabe

i weld most all of my rears. but i am a tight bastard, but they do eat tires worse than a locker. by far a arb or electric would be best in a street rig. but if the bucks don't allow its out of the mix.
i find that the short wheel base rigs do show much more bad traits than longer wheel base rigs with lockers or spools. but i am willing to trade off the bad traits for a welded rear. i have driven a samurai for 25k on a welded rear on 33s. so it is doable but you sure get some looks on a hot day pulling in for gas. i have a fj62 with a welded rear and it is hardly noticable in a 107" wheel base rig on 38s. but its not the same as a open by no means. mike

I wouldn't weld it myself...dont even have a welder. I would either have Matt Hodges at WTOR or Elmer Chapman of Big Dog Cus. Fab. do it. Since a ARB is around $500-$600 and then I need to get gears for the front & rear but a ARB and another locker would get pricy...and I still need to find another SM420. Unless I do get Dog Walkers 3rd member I can't imagine having the $$$ right now for 2 lockers and I'd rather do them both at the same time for a discount for doing both at once, being the cheap guy I am...
Thanks

Joseph A.

I have to agree with Dog Walker, I have driven Landcruisers on the street that had LockWrongs in them. Sucks. Also know of a few people that had welded rears & they came apart!! Dangerous. I would stay open rather then weld. My 2 cents. Brad

i was planning on welding mine up ASAP once she's running, so if your are a capable welder and you know what your doing when you weld this, what are the drawbacks??? why would it blow apart at high speeds? shouldnt the wheels still be travveling at the same speed therefor not stressing it? were the sources of the failed carriers from weak welds? Matt:(

I ran a lock right and then a welded rear in my Cruiser axle and I highly recommend the welded rear.

Again, have a capable welder do this and then go for it!

I liked it so much I installed a full spool in my RC Dana 60.

IMHO, this is the way to weld it for strength. DO not weld the spider gears to the carrier.

Originally posted by dog walker
What if he can't weld? Are you still gonna give him your thumbs up to go for it anyways? I've ran a welded rear diff on my cruiser before (when I was 17) it held up fine, but driving it every day was not fun, nor is a Lock rite or a Detroit, but you don't take the risk of the rear end blowing apart at 60mph and causing the pinion to lock up resulting in a bad situation.

I've had a Lock Rite in the back of my daily driver FJ60 for over 4 years, I don't like it much, but it's safer than a welded one. Also, that same Lock Rite has about 30k miles on it and still works fine, But I do really hate these type of lockers, I'm a Detroit/ARB fan myself.

Jeff

Easy Jeff...We offer TONS of free advice on here every day, and never once have I asked one person if they know how to operate a torque wrench, much less a welder. If ya can't weld, then pay someone to do it. I CAN weld, but still took it to a friend who does it professionally.

IMO, having the truck kick out when the locker banged at 60mph down the highway was a bad situation...the nice lady in the next lane agreed. ;)

To each their own. IMO, given a perfect world, we can all drive another truck that's setup with the ideas we have and see if it works. Given that is rare, if not impossible, we experiment with what we think will work for us.

My old EZ-Lock is sitting on the shelf, going no-where fast.

Charlie, not sure why mine reacted that way. I also had a EZ-Lock installed in the rear of my pickup...for about 4 weeks. Hated it. The 10-15 degrees of lash in the crosspin that's built in to the EZ-Locks is IMO not streetable for a daily driver. I just wasn't willing to change my driving that much for on-road versus off. I now run a TruTrac in there, which is great for a daily driver, tho only adequate offroad.

I'd like to throw in my $0.02. My friend Carlos has been running a welded rear in an FJ40 for several years with no failure, he's put close to 30K kilometers on it. However, it does have a serious effect on the driving characteristics; he's used to it by now but I found it squirrelly and it felt *really* unsafe above 40 KPH, I can't even imagine driving it much faster.He only uses it for trips, and I don't think he would daily drive it like that.

I understand your dilemma, you want to keep the costs reasonable and do everything at the same time. So why not wait another three or four months, save up the money for a second ARB, then do them both at the same time? Six months, then?

I'm in a similar situation, I need to regear the differentials (to 4.88's) and could probably afford it now, but I'm saving up for a second ARB and do them both at the same time...

Originally posted by 60seriesguy
[B]My friend Carlos has been running a welded rear in an FJ40 for several years with no failure, he's put close to 30K kilometers on it. However, it does have a serious effect on the driving characteristics; he's used to it by now but I found it squirrelly and it felt *really* unsafe above 40 KPH, I can't even imagine driving it much faster.He only uses it for trips, and I don't think he would daily drive it like that.
[b]

I have never heard of a welded rear causing unsafe driving characteristics.

I agree with Woody in the fact that my spool/welded rear handles MUCH better on the road, in turns and on the trail than any locker I have ever had.

The only place I do not like the spool is in tight situations on the road (pulling into my garage, parking lots, etc).

Here, I get lots of tire noise...this I will trade for the loss of those HORRIBLE bangs and pings when the locker releases.

I have to agree with the "locker-haters" out there... My 60 (which doesn't have a rear sway-bar) was downright dangerous to drive at any speed above 40mph with the Sleazy-Locker in the rear... And this was on 31x10.5s. I can't imagine if I had bigger tires with less inflation!

From what I can gather from other folks experiences is that if you have a slushbox, which provides continuous tension on the pinion gears, a locker can be pretty uneventful. Its just us shift-it-yourself folks who get problems in highway driving. As soon as you barely lift that throttle... WHAMMO! Swerve city! :(

Most people I have talked to who LIKE their locker and don't have any drivebility issues also have big domestic trucks with centered rear diffs. Any engineer types care to comment on torque bias in unequal length axle shafts?

Needless to say, the EZ is now in the front diff where it stays outta the way until I need it!