General gear and locker questions

[newwagwheeler]

1988 gw... 360... 3.31 gears... 33x12.5x15 tires...
I am getting to the point where I am looking at gears and possibly a locker, maybe two. I am planning on going with 3.73 gears to maintain good highway-ability. Anybody have a set of these for a dana 44 sitting around?
Also, if I were to install just one locker, would I be better off putting it in the front or the rear?

[incommando]

Auuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh. That second question often ends up in pages of debate....

To be the first..

Put it in the rear and you may not need to even engage the front as often....

[Dirtball]

If you just run one put it in the rear... and putting one in the front depends, to some extent, on which transfer case you have. Fulltime, one in the front isn't really recommended. Part-time, then yes, put one in the front. Just understand that, if you are locked in, your turning radius offroad will be diminished.

[Damaged Goods]

Ok Not to hijack the thread but... What about a locker in back and Limited slip in front? I have my axles out and have been thinking about this combo for mine. But with 4.10s

[incommando]

That LSD/Locker combo works great & is plenty for most any application. Especially if you use a trutrac in the front. :fsj:

[J10Mike]

That LSD/Locker combo works great & is plenty for most any application. Especially if you use a trutrac in the front. :fsj:
Yep...That's what I did on my J10. Detroit Locker in the rear, Detroit Trutrac LSD up front. A nearly unbeatable combination...And, I didn't have to stop and unlock a hub to turn.
But, if you only have the budget for one locker, I would put it in the rear.

[newwagwheeler]

How does this combo work on the street?

[Stuka]

Since you have an NP229, you cant put a LSD up front if you ever want to use your 4wd High mode on the street. The viscous coupler will not like it at all, and you will notice it when turning. It will also make driving in snow (if you do that) hard. Detroits do have some quickyness on the street. If its a daily driver, I probably would not go for the detroit unless you are ready for that quirkyness. Depending on the money that you want to spend, you may want to invest in a OX Locker or ARB for the back, leave the front open. The OX and ARB are selectable, so you can unlock them on the street.

[FSJeeper]

LOL, do a google search for posi/locker comparisons and you'll be reading for days.

First of all, very few FSJeepers actually NEED a full locker. Comparing a tight posi to a full locker comes down to if you are going to be spending a lot of time with one wheel off the ground, if so a full locker is mandantory. A nice tight posi like the tru trac, pre-loaded powerlock, auburn, and some of the others will work just fine for you. Heck, on my previous FSJ's (J-10's, J-20's and Cherokee's) that came with the mild acting trac lok, it worked just fine for me until the clutches wore out by around 60,000 to 70,000 miles but I didn't do any hard wheeling, just mud.

Selectable lockers are the number one choice. You have the best of both worlds but they are very expensive.

Full lockers are optimum for a rig that is mostly trail, doesn't do a lot of towing, and doesn;t see a lot of ice and snow. You MUST change your driving style on the road with lockers. I ran a CUCV truck with a full detroit in the back, powerlock in the front for years. I do not understand people when they say they had no effect with the locker when towing. There is no effect when you drive correctly with the locker but sometimes you can be in a position where you do have to accelerate in a turn or make an quick turn or lane change. And then you will see what happens when towing with a loaded trailer and a locker. I would not be able to licve with one if I lived in a region with ice and snow. Even on wet pavement they can have very bad manners if you do not follow the rules. One of our club members named Jode wrecked his FSJ on ice right after installing a full locker. It happens all the time.

For an off-road only FSJ, my preference for the rear would be a spool in the rear or linclon locked, and a detroit in the front. For a mostly street driven FSJ selectable lockers would be the number one choice. But at the end of the day, a posi front and rear will do just about everything most FSJeepers need them to do.

[newwagwheeler]

I do use my 4wd on the street in snow and ice. And money is very tight. Sounds like a locker is out of the question for now. On the subject of gears. I am running 33's and plan on sticking with that size for some time. Stick gearing is 3.31. What gearswould I have to run to get back to a stock ration with the tranny and speedo? I am hoping that a setup like that would optimize my mpg.

[j20brett]

Since i already have the factory trac lock in the rear, i will be putting an aussie in the front in the near future. Rear doesnt lock completely...but enough. i dont know how many times ive seen vehicles with one front tire in the air, spinning, and going nowhere with the other firmly planted on the ground, rock, etc.

[fulszjep]

I just bought a aussie locker today and I have 33 tires and 373 gears we will see what it does.

[Desert Beast]

i say locker in the rear. open in the front to save parts. (until you start needing a front locker, then it might be time for an axle upgrade).

i run a detriot in my daily driver (02 f250 crewcab long bed psd) and i love it. sure it makes nose and can chirp the tires, but it makes it fun as hell to drive.

[HorribleHarry]

My 2¢
Go with a Lunchbox in back (Aussie etc.) start slow & work your way up to Detroits, Selectable & front LSD's/lockers once you get some trail time in. base your decision on where you drive & how hard you intend to wheel.
(you will like the 3.73's with the 33's)
Always slow starting,
Harry

[Dr.E]

You're on the right track! Keep asking questions, but try to get specifics on
the type of wheeling you are attempting to equip your rig for.
I built my J-truck as a sort of "multi-tool". I didn't want to trailer it to a wheel'in location, I wanted to run 35in tires without cutting a lot of metal,
I wanted to run trails like the Rubicon,(no hard core rock gardens),
I wanted to travel to high altitudes without re-jetting, I wanted to be able to handle river crossings.
Just knowing a few things YOU want to be able to do with YOUR rig will help
the most with the final decision.
MY RIG MY WAY (with a lot valuable input from folks like IFSJA guys/gals)
73 J-2000
3/4 ton mid 80's GM diffs (HD dana44 with high steer,& ram assist 4.10 gears ARB )
Corp. 14BoltFF Detroit Locker Disc Brake conversion
Hydroboost by Hydratech (first FSJ Prototype)
6 in lift SOA (custom leaf spring pack from Deaver spring)
TH 400 Klune-V Goliath NP 205
HighAngle Drive shafts with driveline E-Brake
GM 383 stroker with First Fuel TPI fuel injection Custom Air Intake/Snorkel
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/ceedds/CElliott73JeepJ-Truck-2.jpg

[Casey]

1988 gw... 360... 3.31 gears... 33x12.5x15 tires...
I am getting to the point where I am looking at gears and possibly a locker, maybe two. I am planning on going with 3.73 gears to maintain good highway-ability. Anybody have a set of these for a dana 44 sitting around?
Also, if I were to install just one locker, would I be better off putting it in the front or the rear?
I've got some D44 3.73 stuff laying around.


PMd you.

[mudhunter241]

my friends has a detroit locker in the rear and a arb in the front. The arb is never on and he has went through some pretty bad stuff. He also has 4:56 gears though