lock-right lockers

[NetBSD]

ive been looking around for a possie but i cant seem to find one the same gear ratio as my front axel, so im stuck buying something and ive been looking at Powertrax lock-right, they want $212 for the 9" ford. im kinda new to 4x4 and im working with an open axel right now with detroit lockers in the front, would yous buy a lock-right or something else like an air-locker? :confused: any more advise would be great, im converting my 78 f150 to a rock/mud machine but i still need it street legal. thanks

[n9emz]

All the poor dudes like me swear by the lockrite, and I see a lot of them in action on the trails with little to no problems. That's the way I'm going.

[grasshopper77]

I'm assuming right now both frt and rear axles have the same ratios. The gear ratios and possi units or lockers don't have anything to do with each other. If you already have the gear ratio that you want just find the possi or locker, swap the gears and your good to go... you can bolt a full spool or any locker on you rig and be street legal (in my area anyway) but you'll kill your tires and break things if runnin' around the street all the time. Selectable lockers (like ARB air locker) are awesome but hit the wallet.

[santa]

I am running a lockright in the rear of the E.B. No problems yet, I will however be upgrading to a detroit and 31 spline axles. It works great for a cheap locker, I just wanna make it stronger, I'm down to 1 spare rear and am doing gears soon anyway.

If you got the coin selectable is always better on the tires.

[grasshopper77]

Also you can get a mini spool, which takes out your side and spider gears, but if you have to much hp and torque you'll snap your crosspin into 3 pieces. 80$ cdn. Or a full spool, which will never break, but will go outside the center section and snap axles. totally depends how hard or heavy your foot is.

[NetBSD]

i was just talking to a buddie of mine and he claims he can weld my current gears into a possie, but even if i do this what kinda damage am i looking at for a daily driver on the streets? he said his weld would probly break before anything else, would yous trust this or just spend the $200 some for lock-rights

[grasshopper77]

The WELD will break before anything else? You need to find another welder. I personally have welded the side and spider gears together and 5-600hp and boggers the center section didn't even flinch. your basically making it a solid unit, But what will happen is every thing outside will snap, axles, u-joints etc. Same idea as runnin' a full spool. Locks everthing together. full spool though costs 200$ cdn.

[NetBSD]

yeah i just found some mini spools for $22 USD but what kinda damage am i looking at? the same as welding it? i dont feel like replacing shit thats gunna cost more then an air locker in time

[mj]

welded sucks for street driving
get detroits front n rear

[grasshopper77]

A mini spool will cause more damage when it breaks than welding it. When my mini spool broke, it broke so hard it was in 3 pieces, broke the center section and put a 3 inch crack in my housing. I don't recommend a mini. It totally depends how much money you want to sink into it. You have the exact same truck I started out with. Mine's a 77, now (5 years later) I have done many upgrades. If you go cheap now thats fine but it will only last so long. Then you'll find yourself upgrading.(everthing) That's just my thoughts though. Don't get me wrong, Mid 70's fords were built tough, Awesome drivetrains.....

[NetBSD]

http://forums.justcommodores.com.au/archive2/topic.php/12573-1.html

i was just reading this and its saying spools are illegal??? wtf why are they illegal? and does that make all possie illegal on the street? im am starting to really get pissed off at all this, i dont have cash for an air-locker right now so a mini spool is what i was thinking of getting, and this guy on the above link claims he drove his for 3 years with only one axel breaking, i have a heavy foot, always gunning it for the hill climbs and such and to show off at the lots every now and again with burning rubber, now i ask you this. would you go with a spool/weld or just leave it limited slip

[Jrod-13]

I had a mini in my rear 9"

the cromoly corsspin snapped, gernading the carrier.
I now run a full spool..

I also run a lockright in my front end, I love it.

[grasshopper77]

There is no way a police officer can tell if you have a limited slip or a full spool, doesn't matter what the above link says did you actually verify his comments. You say you want to know what is the best and whats not .... period. Doesn't work that way. You say you want to gun it up the hill and show off. Get whatever you want then.I'm not into showing off, I just want to rock though the mud pit.(and make it). I think from your last comment just find a 9"limited slip and leave it. That way there is still some give in the axle.If you really want to go cheap, weld it together, but things will break. You can't have both either play half ass nice with your foot or you have to upgrade with stronger shit!

[Groundhawg]

Here's the deal man...

The cheapest is welding it up, then comes the mini spool, next is most likely the full case spool, then the lunchbox lockers(Lockright), then the upgraded limited slips, then you hit the Detriot, finally you get to the ARB.

At the begining...welding the spiders...it's not going to be like a "possi" (properly called Positrac) Positrac, limited slip, track loks, ect are basically worthless. Welding one up, also known as a Lincoln locker, is the same concept as a spool...both axle shafts are connected, and both turn at the same speed ALL of the times. You are limited to the strength of the stock case and the skills of the person who did it. If done right, they WILL hold up fine for most people. This is what I have in the rear of mine, but it's not driven on pavement unless absolutely nessecary either.

Mini spools are similar to welding the spiders, except you don't have to weld it. You replace the spider gears with the mini spool and re-install the cross shaft. The axles are locked together all the times. Just as with the welded case, you're still running a stock case and it will be weaker than most replacement cases.

Full spool...for the most part, they are the same deal as the first two, with a few exceptions. First, more expensive...buying them is usually slight more than the mini, but you also have to reset the ring and pinion gears. On the good side, it is usually very strong, and there are no parts to wear out. Once again, the axles are constantly locked together.

Lunchbox lockers are the cheapest of the more street friendly crowd. They will still give you some quarks from time to time, but they are streetable and won't scuff tires in the corners (as long as you let it coast) They work well for the most part and there are quite a few out there on the trail. The bad part is that once again you are still only as strong as the stock case is, and you can only install one in an open case. The good thing is that it soes ratchet, so you can turn slightly better. I run a Lockright in the front of mine.

Limited slips...not sure why you'd want one, although a few guys in my club run them in the front of their rigs. His reasoning is that it is easier on the front axle shafts letting them slip some. It's annoying if you ask me, but that's my opinion. I figure if you are going to go to the trouble of spending the money on buying the LS and having the gears set up, you might as well run a Detroit

Which brings me to the Detroit...been around a LONG time, were in some of the muscle cars back in the day. One of the strongest and most reliable things out there. A bit more to buy one new, plus the gears also have to be set up again.

ARB...VERY street friendly, but kick ass on the trail...best of both worlds, but also the most expensive. Also, the air line required is a definite trash magnet, just waiting to be hit/ripped/snagged and thus leaving you open.

Here's another option for you though...you've got a 9' Ford rear...think ebay. You can pick up used third members on there, some are used Detriot NASCAR units. It could save you a few bucks. Not as cheap as welding it or even a spool, but definitly stronger. Also, all you have to do is pull the old one out and slap the new one in...provided you can find one with the proper gear ratio to match the front.

All of them are street legal, but they are not all street friendly. The ARB is the best for pavement, as it acts just like nothing is there when turned off. On the other side, the spool/welded rear can be annoying. It also gets looks when cruising the mall parking lot because of the tires barking/chirping as they skip on the pavement while turning. The only negative about a Detroit or Lockright is that they can sometime kick the truck sideways...say you coast around a turn, then start giving it power...it could get ugly if it decides to lock up on you.

There are a few mre out there that I didn't mention, but those are the main ones at any rate.

[grasshopper77]

Thanx Groundhawg, couldn't of broken it down better then that.

[NetBSD]

yeah i was looking at air lockers, but then i seen the detroit electic lockers, around $900. i do have a spare ford 9" with crshed leaf pads thats im currently fixing, the rear i have in my truck now is also the 9" from a f250 (1979). i really wanna get a mini-spool cuz its cheap and i dont gotta worrie about slag getting all over my bearings and chewing it up, but i dont wanna see my axels snap when i go around a turn, i have driven a truck with a spool in it and didnt have a probelm with it kicking out around turns but as you said it does cherp the tires whitch i could care less, my trucks useually only off-road but i do have to drive it from my house to the paths. most of the time the turns arent to bad, so i think id be alright, its the u-turn parts im worried about, my truck has a 4 speed tranny, with low (if that helps any) i do appreciate all the replies im getting. thanks

[Groundhawg]

9" from a f250 (1979).

If it was from a stock F250, it is a Dana 60...the 9"s were used in the F100 and F150s and Broncos

i really wanna get a mini-spool cuz its cheap and i dont gotta worrie about slag getting all over my bearings and chewing it up

For a 9", you've got to pull the 3rd to do either, so it's really not as bad to weld one of them as a rear that you pull a cover off of. For what it's worth, I didn't pull the carrier out of my D60 when I welded it up. It's still working fine. Just clean everything up good.

but i dont wanna see my axels snap when i go around a turn

Most likely, it's going to happen off the pavement if you get to hammering on it...not so much on the street. But a mini spool is going to do the same thing for you as welding it.

IMHO, properly done, welding the spiders is stronger than a mini spool. The mini spool is only as good as the cross shaft. When I welded mine, the gears are welded together with the shaft in them, plus the gears are all welded to the case.

I'm really not worried about strength, plus it cost less than $20 to do.(2 cans of brake cleaner @ $2.50 each, rags=free, wire and gas in the welder--paid for, but maybe $2 if that???, RTV--had it, otherwise $3, and new gear oil-$8, but it needed changed anyway)

[NetBSD]

am i reading your post wrong or are you telling me if i weld it ill be fine on the street, but offroad id probly snap it? i have a hard time spelling and reading, but thanks for the post.

RTV??? you didnt use a new gasket? or does the d60 have the inspection cover on it? cuz in the 9" you have to pull the diff to do any work

[Groundhawg]

No, it's still going to be harder on the axle and the rest of the truck on the street with it being welded, spooled, or whatever, but as long as you are carefull, it would probably survive for a good while. Colud it break, yeah...will it, depends on how well the job was done, how strong the parts are, and how you drive it.

The real trick is if you get offroad, you start spining the tires and they hook up...WHAM. That's when stuff tends to break.

D60s have a cover, but I dodn't use a paper gasket...but I've used RTV only when installing a 9" third also. Just use it sparingly and let it set up a bit before putting it together.

[NetBSD]

sounds good to me, thanks for all your help, ill probly pull the 3rd today and take a look at it to see if i can get a weld on it, if not im just gunna buy a spool, cuz the guy ive been talkin to wants $50 to weld it but if his weld ever break he says hed reweld them for free. i dont see the point of that cuz if it breaks chances are im gunna chew up the bearings and shit and itll cost even more.

thanks