i have a 1976 gmc 1/2 ton short bed and i want lockers my dream set up would be an arb set up for bolth front and rear and a compressor of course but i dont have that kind of dough. so im on a budget and i want front and rear lockers i do drive the truck alot on the street but i do off road alot to so i was just wundrin what would be the best choice. for a locker set up on a budget but still has great traction and driveability. by the way i have a dana 44 front and a corp 12 bolt rear.
CK5
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a locker dispute for my 76 k10 help me out
- Thread starter wyo76k10
- Start date
beater_k20
Banned
what size tires? locking the Dana 44 might not be such a good idea.
I would put a detroit in the 12 bolt and a lunch box locker up front. The detroit in the 12 bolt will help considerably with strength.
It's a locker that goes inside your existing carrier. I would advise against locking the front D44 as then other things are going to break.
Slapperbar
Retired Navy NDT Examiner
Put a posi or a tru-trak in the 44.
You could do Powertrax lock rights (lunchbox lockers) fore and aft. Cheap, and should work good. DO NOT buy an EZ locker (also lunchbox), they are junk. Kevin
If you get a luncbox locker for the front, get one of these: http://aussielocker.com/
If you have a NP203 (full time 4WD) any mechanical locker is absolutely out of the question in the front unless you have a part time kit or selectable hubs.
If you have a NP203 (full time 4WD) any mechanical locker is absolutely out of the question in the front unless you have a part time kit or selectable hubs.
cool thanks guys i think ill go with the power tracks lock rights front and rear still not sure but as soon as i start my project ill make a project thread. im planning on lockers and a bunch of ORD stuff then maybe some tube doors not to sure but i am going to be doing alot of wheelin this summer. thanks.
pauly383
Daddy383
FWIW , I run Powertrax Lockrights in both my axles , my rear being a 12 bolt . I tore my housing welds , drove home with the hosuing rubbing the drum , got home swapped it into another 12 bolt , and it still goes strong , been driving on it ever since 
I like the Aussie locker for the D44, that's what I had. But in your case I would use the Lock Right front and rear since the Aussie isn't available for the 12bolt. To me using the same locker front and rear just makes things simplier. 
If you're going to keep the D44 for a long time - especially if you plan to go 3/4-ton and not 1-ton - go ahead and lock it. Otherwise if you don't think you'll have the D44 more than a year, keep it open.
When you install the front locker you gotta pull the shafts. Replace the joints while you're at and modify them for full circle retaining clips.
If you plan to swap in a 14b, just get a Lock Right for the rear. I loved my Detriot for the 12bolt, but don't waste the money if you're swapping in the next couple of years. A Detroit will require you set up the gears again, which is costly if you can't do it yourself on top of the cost of the unit itself.
The Detroit True-Track limited slip in the D44 would also require you to set up gears again.
I ran a D44/12b combo, rear locked with Detroit for 2years and both locked for a good year of wheelin'. Didn't break anything in the D44. I had fully rebuilt both axles, and ran 37s. If you keep in mind what you're running, you can do it. You just can't use the hammer-down 1-ton philosophy.
Before I had the front locker, I did strip several teeth off a ring and pinion in the rear with the Detroit. The Detroit and alloy shafts held up to get me 10-miles back to town. Found out the ring and pinion were older than the axle by 7years and they weren't setup properly with the Detroit install.
Personally I would argue that a front locker would help reduce some strain on parts if the vehicle is driven properly. I felt with a front locker I could "crawl" a lot of obstacles I would have had to use momentum and bad 1/2-ton juju hopping to clear otherwise. Plus with the open diff you are putting all the torque on one axle shaft, whereas with the locker you're splitting the torque between two shafts.
And I still carriered spare axle shafts for the front and rear. If you have them you'll never need 'em, if you don't you will. Well that's Murphy's Law anyways.
If you're going to keep the D44 for a long time - especially if you plan to go 3/4-ton and not 1-ton - go ahead and lock it. Otherwise if you don't think you'll have the D44 more than a year, keep it open.
When you install the front locker you gotta pull the shafts. Replace the joints while you're at and modify them for full circle retaining clips.
If you plan to swap in a 14b, just get a Lock Right for the rear. I loved my Detriot for the 12bolt, but don't waste the money if you're swapping in the next couple of years. A Detroit will require you set up the gears again, which is costly if you can't do it yourself on top of the cost of the unit itself.
The Detroit True-Track limited slip in the D44 would also require you to set up gears again.
I ran a D44/12b combo, rear locked with Detroit for 2years and both locked for a good year of wheelin'. Didn't break anything in the D44. I had fully rebuilt both axles, and ran 37s. If you keep in mind what you're running, you can do it. You just can't use the hammer-down 1-ton philosophy.
Before I had the front locker, I did strip several teeth off a ring and pinion in the rear with the Detroit. The Detroit and alloy shafts held up to get me 10-miles back to town. Found out the ring and pinion were older than the axle by 7years and they weren't setup properly with the Detroit install.
Personally I would argue that a front locker would help reduce some strain on parts if the vehicle is driven properly. I felt with a front locker I could "crawl" a lot of obstacles I would have had to use momentum and bad 1/2-ton juju hopping to clear otherwise. Plus with the open diff you are putting all the torque on one axle shaft, whereas with the locker you're splitting the torque between two shafts.
And I still carriered spare axle shafts for the front and rear. If you have them you'll never need 'em, if you don't you will. Well that's Murphy's Law anyways.
How often do you drive this on the road with your Lockrite? Any issues you've run into with the rear locked on pavement?pauly383 said:FWIW , I run Powertrax Lockrights in both my axles , my rear being a 12 bolt . I tore my housing welds , drove home with the hosuing rubbing the drum , got home swapped it into another 12 bolt , and it still goes strong , been driving on it ever since
I won't be going anything bigger than 33's for a couple of years AT LEAST!!
I read this thread already...Drivability Issues with a Locker
pauly383
Daddy383
Daily driver babyAZ79K5Project said:
We have 3 road worthy rigs now as of last month , and I still take the Blazer as much as I can 
Bought the first locker in 2004 , a Quic Loc ( same as Detroit EZ Locker ) that crapped out within 2004 . Bought the Powertrax before 2004 was up , and been driving on it ever since . Over 2 years to and from work , about 20 something miles each way ............and untold trail runs , a Parker trip and two road trips to Moab and back over mountains , once with a trailer in tow
bandit4369
Registered Member
wyo76k10 said:
If your going to be doing a lot of wheeling (especially in wyoming), you'd be money, time and labor ahead to swap a 14ff, then lock it up. You know your going to want to do it eventially, so do it now 14ff are cheap. That way you'll only have to buy one locker for the rear, instead of one for a 12 bolt and another when you switch over to a 14 ff. Just my 2 cents.
loafer
1/2 ton status
I DD my blazer with front and rear Powertrax No-slips (expensive version of the lock-rite). You will notice a little more backlash in the rear end and you will chirp a tire now and then when taking sharp corners. I have a shift kit in mine, so if I accelerate moderately hard on a corner, I chirp the inside tire on the 1-2 shift.
I remove the front locker and replace it with the spider gears for winter driving, but I don't mind the manners of the locked rear in the snow at all. The rear end will break free and fish-tail easily in the snow, but it's no worse than the limited slip rear ends I've run.
I have never experienced this "lane changing" issue mentioned in the thread you posted and I have never noticed any problems with on/off ramps with large sweeping corners either.
I remove the front locker and replace it with the spider gears for winter driving, but I don't mind the manners of the locked rear in the snow at all. The rear end will break free and fish-tail easily in the snow, but it's no worse than the limited slip rear ends I've run.
I have never experienced this "lane changing" issue mentioned in the thread you posted and I have never noticed any problems with on/off ramps with large sweeping corners either.
AZ79K5Project said:
pauly383
Daddy383
loafer said:I have never experienced this "lane changing" issue mentioned in the thread you posted and I have never noticed any problems with on/off ramps with large sweeping corners either.
I have noticed it is mostly a gross throttle lift and lean back into it thing , and it happens mostly with Detroits . The lockright is really more forgiving . I even had a tire go down on the freeway and was a non issue .
jasonkh2tg
1/2 ton status
My Blazer has a Detroit in the rear it is well behaved no problems. Ive also intalled powertrax's lunch box style locker in my all stock 4x2 ranger and it does not unlock there is no weight in the rear I had to put about 400 lbs in the back before I was able to get my powertrax's to unlock in my ranger. Also if you are running with larger tires and install a lucnh box locker you are putting all kinds of stress on the cast iron carrier witch is fine for open diff application. but it is possible the carrier will break under demanding conditions because it was never desigined for that purpose.
pauly383
Daddy383
I could see needing wieght if you are turning a corner with the gas pedal still down . But the way it works is the driveshaft spins the gears and the center pin forces the couplers into the side gears , the actual road does the rest as far as unlocking around corners . So if you want it to unlock , let off the gas around corners if your not weighted down .jasonkh2tg said:
