• Hello Guest, we are proud to now have our Wiki online that is completely compiled and written by our members. Feel free to browse our Jeep-CJ Wiki or click on any orange keyword when looking at posts in the forum.

I'm not liking the lockers

I'm not liking the lockers
T

thistle3585

Senior Jeeper
Posts
722
Thanks
0
Location
IN
Vehicle(s)
1979 Jeep CJ5 with '72 304 V8, MC2100carb,T150 trans, AMC20 rear diff with locker, Dana 30 front diff, Dana 20 Tr Case, Procomp Springs, Gabriel Ultra shocks.
I bought a CJ5 back in November and am getting pretty frustrated with the setup. I have the original AMC20 rear axle but with a set of lockers in it. I bought it as a street vehicle but the lockers make it a difficult drive. I did have it listed on CL for a straight trade but couldn't find any takers. Its got a V8 and I wanted to go back to an I6 like my first CJ5 . Any thoughts on my options to make it a better street driver.
 
:agree:
first thing to do is identify the offending machine.:D
 
I don't know what kind they are. There are pictures at the bottom of the page HERE of it. There are not lockers on the front. Only the rear.
 
That's a drop in or "lunchbox" locker like a lockright, spartan, or aussie locker. You can remove it and replace it with spider gears, which can be ordered most anywhere. Once you rid yourself of the locker I think you'll like the v8 better

Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk 2
 
Is swapping that out pretty easy and straight forward? I've never done anything like that before. Is the locker I remove of any value? How do I determine which gears I will need?
 
you should contact a gear and axle shop for this fix. IMHO:cool:

the drop in should bring a couple hundred, on a good day. about enough to cover the parts for the fix.
get a pro to put it in for you.:cool:

putting the drop-in in is a easy job, putting the spiders and shims back, not so much.:cool:
 
You should be able to find a local jeep dude to swap those out for cheap..under $100. You could get away with just removing the offending parts and putting the spiders in but it may not be right.

The gears will remain untouched and there is no need to change anything with the ring & pinion . If you decide to swap the rear ratio make sure you swap the front to match (Nearly $1,000 for both ends with quality parts and paying labor) but that would be if you wanted to, not that you needed to... Please don't be offended but in reading these posts I strongly suggest that you get someone to do this for you are at least guide you through it if you do it. Although not rocket science screwing up these repairs can prove very expensive.

Adjusting your driving style, like trying not to accelerate rapidly in sharp curves or in 90 degree-ish turns, makes living with a locker (singular) easier.
 
Thanks. I think I'd prefer to have someone else do it, but the problem is finding a local Jeep guy. I've had trouble with finding anyone willing to work on it. I'm in a pretty small community, so I'll probably need to take it somewhere out of town.
 
If your care full you can do the swap your self. Is it your daily driver? the biggest worry about pulling your carrier is that you wont get your shims back in in correct and your gear mesh will be bad. AMC20 rears have their shimms on the out side of the bearings so if you carefully remove the caps, keep track of where the shims go all you have to do is remove the locker and install the spiders. Then set the shims and carrier back in place and properly torque them back down viola'.. your done.. If it is your daily driver and you put a few hundred miles on it every week I would say pay a pro to do it. if its a weekend beater then I would do it myself. IF you decided to change any thing else like bearings, or gears a pro should do it for you.

Best case is you do the swap and it works great and you've only paid got a set of spider gears. If you do it wrong the rear will eat the gears and you will be paying a pro to reinstall it any way.. its a 50/50. I may even have a AMC20 carrier with a set of spiders in it. you pay to ship you the carrier to you.. swap the locker for the spiders then Ill pay to send me back the locker. Let me know what you think. I can pull the spiders and ship them to you but figured you would like to see how they come out.
 
It is a daily driver. For the time being, I am going to learn to live with it. I have other projects that that are more pressing on it than this. Thanks to all.
 
I just double checked and I have 2 carriers. One with spider gears and one with a Limited slip. When I had my lunch box locker installed the guy said that the Limited slip needed to be rebuilt. the parts are about $100 and would be a happy medium between lockers and open.

Same deal if you want it just pay to ship it. And so I don't seem like a D-bag trying to score a locker off you if you want the carriers you can have them with out sending me back the locker. Oh and for a little reference I paid $80 for my last drop in locker (lock-rite) installed in the carrier already. and paid a local guy $250 for the install. Ended up trading him a set of 4:56 Dana 44 gears and an install kit instead of cash. You dont need a Jeep guy to do the install but do need to find a good axle guy.
 
Perhaps I don't know what I'm looking at but I thought by the pics posted that was a spool, rather than a locker (tomaAto, tomato) perhaps but I've always considered lockers as being those like Ected, ARB, Detroit, etc that go from free to locked. Or, am I barking up the wrong tree?
If the entire axle can be swapped out for a Dana 44 or something similar the sale of a true locker shouldn't be too difficult for those that build non compromising trail rigs. In other forums I see this mentioned from time to time.
 
A lunchbox mechanical locker or automatic locker will in theory unlock when turning.. You can feel them do it every now and then. I'm not 100% what elfin magic they use to do this but it works. A spool is a solid peice of steel that connects the axle shafts together.. Big difference. Google image spool and they look nothing alike.
 
Lunchbox locker + Elfin magic? isn't it done by clutches therin?
 
There are no clutches in a locker. Most brands of Limited Slip Differentials employ clutch discs but their is also a "friction cone" type and what I consider to be the best, a geared Torsen/Gleason like the Detroit TruTrac. But Limited slips are not locker.

How do lockers work - Off-Road Forums & Discussion Groups

How do lockers work

The 'Lunch Box' lockers are true full time lockers. Noting wrong with them, especially in differentials like the Dana 30 & 35 or an AMC20 .
Some people :dung: on them, but they are probably stronger than the factory carrier that they go in, and the axles they turn.
I've had very good luck with them in the front.

These 'Lunch Box' (I always hated that term...(I prefer the term drop-in)) are true mechanical lockers, and are full time lockers, IE: they don't come with some sort of 'On/Off' mechanism.
-----------------

The next class of 'Locker' is the 'Switched' or 'Slectable' locker.
It has an electric, air or vacuum solenoid to engage the locker.
This is a good idea for the front end if you don't want to get out and engage lockout hubs.

You will get varying opinions on these depending on who you ask. Some people love them, while others hate them.
Personally, I believe it's something else to go wrong at the worst possible time, but I'm also a fat lazy guy, so the idea of not having to get out to engage the hubs appeals to me.
-------------------

The next class of differential is the full time true ratcheting locker. ( Also known as a full case locker as it replaces the whole carrier )
These are VERY heavy duty, nearly indestructible, allow full movement of the faster wheel, but lock up instantly when any wheel tries to slip.

This is the ticket for a rear diff if you have a Dana 44 or better.
These things can be tricky on gravel roads, on snow, and nearly deadly on ice when used in the front.

For hard core off roading, this is the best way to go.
--------------------

The forth class of limiting differential slip is the 'Spool'.
This particular differential carrier is solid, connects both axles together full time, and doesn't allow the outside wheel to turn faster.

These should ONLY be used on vehicles that are off road only, and only used on loose or slippery surfaces, like sand, gravel or mud.

You WILL NOT be able to steer with a spool in the rear on snow or ice, and the rear end will try to 'Fish Tail' in every turn on pavement.

The damage a spool will do on pavement to your tires, bearings axles, ect. isn't worth the trouble.
 
Thanks for your kind response Incommando and thanks for straightening me out.
 
Turbogus said:
Thanks for your kind response Incommando and thanks for straightening me out.
Click to expand...

Not so much "straightening out" as passing on decades worth of mostly uselss-to-the-average-person info and tons of long-archived tech links... :eek:

And people think I am goofing off on the net! This is serious bidness, I say!!! :D
 
Moderator, please remove my posts in this thread ASAP
Thanks and a lift of the lynch lid.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Jeep-CJ Donation Drive

Help support Jeep-CJ.com by making a contribution.

Help support Jeep-CJ.com by making a contribution.
Goal
$200.00
Earned
$0.00
This donation drive ends in
0 hours, 0 minutes, 0 seconds
  0.0%
Contribute
Back
Top Bottom