I like it!
Cable locker conversion, my way. (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Grandlooser
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surfpig
The Anti-Tech
Genius.Hey all, just want to share my progress with my recently designed cable locker conversion. There's been a few people asking me about this so I figure I would just start a thread now despite not being 100% complete yet.
So this all started after acquiring my 97 fzj from my father a couple months ago. One of the first things on my list was getting the e-lockers working as I knew that they did not. This kind of thing is not a huge surprise to anyone who lives in New England. Upon inspection they were both completely corroded and seized, also by observing the internals, I could tell by the factory placement of grease inside that the units had never actually actuated at all in the entire 20+ years on the vehicle. So, faced with hundreds of dollars for replacements and being a fabricator / machinist I decided it would be much more productive to spend considerably more time than replacing the parts and spend more money than the parts cost in coming up with an analog solution of my own.
I had a few expectations for myself as follows:
1 . No more that a single hole needing to be drilled and all parts otherwise mounting to factory available points.
2 . It needs to look pretty cool obviously.
3 . Easy to remove to service and for servicing nearby parts.
4. Something repeatable so that I can make many of and make it available to others. ( Ive done much of this in the past for other vehicles)
5. Make both the front and rear axle units.
6 . Make it work good.
7. Have something that doesn't interfere in the passenger compartment with other controls.
So far I have completed and tested the front setup ( IMO the hardest one to get out of the way) as well as the control system which resides in the cabin.
The front locker assembly looks like this at the differential............Please excuse my crusty, greasy test bed of an fj. Its not the cleanest but is my fav:
View attachment 2052306
As you can see, there is a flanged assembly which replaces the factory unit. It allows the installation of the original gear and uses existing mount points. The cable holder is solid bar stock which is threaded and replaces the factory 3rd member nut in that location and acts as a standoff for the cable. The first draft of this had the cable mounting point welded to the end, this didn't work out because it required shimming the bottom with washers until the end was facing the right way once proper torque was hit...no bueno. The end of the standoff is now threaded and the cable holder can be fitted after the fact in any orientation. (see inset socket bolt)
View attachment 2052315
In this photo you see the unit in the fully LOCKED position. The actuator rod requires exactly 3" of swing to operate and the cable has exactly 3" of travel. This setup doesnt move the internal parts "good enough" into lock and "good enough" out of engagement, it uses ALL of the factory travel for FULL-in and FULL-out. You will also notice that the standoff rod is machined for a 13mm hex to aid in tightening it to the 3rd. It may also be hard to see but the setup is designed to run within 1/8" of the 3rd, it hugs nice and close.
Some may ask why the bottom mount. I chose it because it worked better to be honest. The cable is out of the way and has a much more graceful slack for allowing suspension movement than what i was able to get on the top, and despite first impressions, it is actually pretty well protected by the bottom of the axle and the tie rod. If you are like me and avoid dragging your pinion and tie rod over obstacles, it should be no issue.
View attachment 2052324
Fully unlocked. Not much else to see here. I neglected to take pics of the actuator off the vehicle but I will also add that the unit is o-ring sealed like the factory unit and also features an o-ring seal on the shaft itself for no leakage. I will get pics of the actuator on the bench and also pics of the cable routing.
Here is the cabin control assembly:
View attachment 2052332
I forgot to mention - please forgive a few things that may stand out, this is purely a working prototype and finish units will be a tad better and different, however all these parts pictured will be staying on my truck
So I decided to go with an extruded aluminum rail with sliding levers. Not only is it easier than my other plan but it allows for 3 sliders to operate 3 cables all in one compact linear arrangement. Shown pictured is with just 2, and either cable can be run to either hole depending on which locker you prefer in which position. I also have made the sliders adjustable for wear but well see if that particular feature gets done for produced units. Also this assembly as well as the actuator contain a lot of stainless parts (because i have it laying around) these will probably be mostly replaced with aluminum.
Here it is in the truck:
View attachment 2052337
If you can pry your eyes from the filthy floor you can see that it not only mounts to factory points for the console it also does not interfere with any other controls and also is well away from the legs of any passengers ( tested true ). Quite a few things need minor refinement but as I said this is still a working prototype. At this point all of the major development has been sorted. I know where things need to go and what dimensions it all needs to be.
The following post will show the cable hole as I cant attach more photos in this post.
- Thread starter
- #24
Rear actuator done, working, and tested. Paint drying on parts tonight so I'll put up installed pics tomorrow or the next day. Came out as planned and works slick.
It's a beefy unit, double sealed inner and outer on the shaft and works with very little effort. This is a second draft and is going to be my personal unit. I'm soon going to be moving back to the front to address the comments made earlier in the thread. All in all, I'm pumped. My rig is finally triple locked again!
It's a beefy unit, double sealed inner and outer on the shaft and works with very little effort. This is a second draft and is going to be my personal unit. I'm soon going to be moving back to the front to address the comments made earlier in the thread. All in all, I'm pumped. My rig is finally triple locked again!
Looks stout! Anxious to see the reworked front. Great work.
This looks pretty awesome!
You can count me in a set as well. I’m tired of cycling the switch “hoping” it will unlock and lock.
- Thread starter
- #28
Rear all set.
Again, don't mind the crust in the background.
I also had time to move back up front today. Discovered to my amazement that it almost required nothing to make top mount fitment possible with existing parts. The only thing required was this difference in cable mount adapter shown below. Small adapter for bottom, slightly longer adapter for top mount. I will be making another small adjustment in the morning to perfect the angle of the dangle.
Here it is both engaged and disengaged.
Please note that I'm not terribly picky about my own stuff but any items I do ship will be more polished than these. Softened corners and edges, unnecessary material removal ect.
Im also doing something different for knobs for the controls, going to be knurled and a bit taller rather than the ones shown earlier. I'm also incorporating twist locks to the controls to keep the on or off position locked so things don't jam in or out while driving and bouncing around. Should just be one or more turns to lock or loosen the slider. Then the one last thing which is making some mirror image mounting brackets so that it can be mounted on the driver side if preferred. ( Thanks @jcardona1 for that). I'll try to get some additional and less crappy photos tomorrow.
Thanks for watching.
Again, don't mind the crust in the background.
I also had time to move back up front today. Discovered to my amazement that it almost required nothing to make top mount fitment possible with existing parts. The only thing required was this difference in cable mount adapter shown below. Small adapter for bottom, slightly longer adapter for top mount. I will be making another small adjustment in the morning to perfect the angle of the dangle.
Here it is both engaged and disengaged.
Please note that I'm not terribly picky about my own stuff but any items I do ship will be more polished than these. Softened corners and edges, unnecessary material removal ect.
Im also doing something different for knobs for the controls, going to be knurled and a bit taller rather than the ones shown earlier. I'm also incorporating twist locks to the controls to keep the on or off position locked so things don't jam in or out while driving and bouncing around. Should just be one or more turns to lock or loosen the slider. Then the one last thing which is making some mirror image mounting brackets so that it can be mounted on the driver side if preferred. ( Thanks @jcardona1 for that). I'll try to get some additional and less crappy photos tomorrow.
Thanks for watching.
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I gotta say, I'm about to rebuild some 93' axles and I almost hope the elockers don't work so I can justify these. They look sweet and I love things with mechanical linkage.
That is so cool, but I don't think it's complicated enough....
- Thread starter
- #32
^^ agreed, I'm working on that as well.
I would mount a rubber boot over the exposed shaft so grit doesnt kill the seal. Looks cool though. A boot over the cable where it slides into its sheathe would also help keep the cable from getting stuck due to grit similar to how toyota does their ebrake cables.
- Thread starter
- #34
The cables have boots for that area already. I just have them off because I'm taking it apart so much working on this. I'm using silver jacket cables which are very nice.
The front is o ring sealed and should be fine. In the rear it uses inner and outer seal and the seals are pretty cheap money.
The front is o ring sealed and should be fine. In the rear it uses inner and outer seal and the seals are pretty cheap money.
If it keeps the price down on this comment, I am not picky and some are not either. I have my own tools to soften edges, so I'd be interested in a set of "unfinished or rough ones"
Please note that I'm not terribly picky about my own stuff but any items I do ship will be more polished than these. Softened corners and edges, unnecessary material removal ect.
Please note that I'm not terribly picky about my own stuff but any items I do ship will be more polished than these. Softened corners and edges, unnecessary material removal ect.
- Thread starter
- #36
Noted. I'm working up pricing now. This all started with the intent of making "affordable" options haha. I'm going to take a hit on R&D time with this thing but whatever. I think I may initiate a group buy for a first run of things and offer a "mud price" for all involved. No getting rich on this stuff but I enjoy doing it Soo..
Of course I realize not everyone will want full kits and some may even want to fashion their own controls. I think I'll come up with numbers on:
Rear actuator W/ cable
Rear actuator W/ cable and control
Front actuator W/cable
Front actuator W/ cable and control
Front and rear W/cables and control
Tomorrow I'm going to start pumping out mounting flanges and a few other parts that I know are not going to be altered. This will give time for any further suggestions from you guys that I value enough to make changes. Also need to make driver side options for controls.
Of course I realize not everyone will want full kits and some may even want to fashion their own controls. I think I'll come up with numbers on:
Rear actuator W/ cable
Rear actuator W/ cable and control
Front actuator W/cable
Front actuator W/ cable and control
Front and rear W/cables and control
Tomorrow I'm going to start pumping out mounting flanges and a few other parts that I know are not going to be altered. This will give time for any further suggestions from you guys that I value enough to make changes. Also need to make driver side options for controls.
Wonder if could use these, or not enough throw?
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- Thread starter
- #38
I'm only getting a link to main site, at least via mobile. Not sure what you are referring to, but as far as throw is concerned, the front takes all 3" of the cable throw and the rear only about half that.
Edit: Ah the shifter thing. No idea, there is no specs on the throw of it. I will say however that using a t handle could potentially work as well. It's tricky with these cables due to the long length between support and cable end due to the deflection sheath. Doable but not a road I'm personally going down. I think there is a variety of ways people could make these work being creative, the rear much more so than the front.
Edit: Ah the shifter thing. No idea, there is no specs on the throw of it. I will say however that using a t handle could potentially work as well. It's tricky with these cables due to the long length between support and cable end due to the deflection sheath. Doable but not a road I'm personally going down. I think there is a variety of ways people could make these work being creative, the rear much more so than the front.
dirtyboots
Atrocious Driving
Cable locker mount picture request
I need a little help from my fellow Cruiser heads. I have a pair of cable locked 70 axles going into my 78' FJ45. I need some pictures of what the original lever mount looks like so I can make one for my truck. Thank you in advance for your help! Michael
forum.ih8mud.com
