Thinking about installing locking rear differential

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selectables are great, but when the front is locked, its locked, an auto locker disengages or ratchets when you arent on the throttle.... so you can turn... but you can turn off a selectable.....
its really 6 of one half a dozen of the other, you just to need to know how to drive what you built, and not have illusions about what it can or doesnt do...
I have detroits in both ends of my 70 and i love them, need to corner when the 4x4 is engaged, let of the gas for a second... back on the gas and you're fully locked again
and detroits dont pop and bang like lunchbox lockers, my old lockrite was brutal

i think a selectable in the rear (for winter manners vs a detroit) and a detroit in the front would be the best of all worlds, lunchboxes can piss off
 
If you didn't have power steering you would really struggle to turn the wheel with a locker in the front. A locker wants to go straight when power is applied.
A locker in the front or rear will cause the vehicle to push in turns, but in the front it's really amplified.
 
It should be apparent by this thread (as many before this one) that opinions/bias runs the full gambit, based on factors like what you do with the rig, what your willing to tolerate, driving style, other mechanical factors (HP, power steering); there quite literally no “best” for all people and conditions.
My current 69 project has Detroit rear, ARB front, and will by 50% trails/rock crawling, probably rarely need ARB locked but when you need it your probably already in a bad spot. I have tolerated a lunch box locker; they tend to be inconsistent how well they play on road.
 
I’ve run lunchbox lockers in my 40 front and rear with 37 and 38,5 size tires for years. I wore out the rear one. Tossed a new one in. Easy to install yourself. After messing with them for a while now I have come to learn to set them up on the tighter side of things way less popping and jumping or jerking when turning or trying to park in a parking space. No big bang anymore at all . Just nice smooth ratcheting. I do also run my tires softer than normal. Would rather the tires scrub ,chirp or squeal than have the locker banging or jerking.
Daily drove for at least 10-15 years no issues. I put the thickest thrust washers I can in that just allows me to slide the Center pin in I found gave me the nicest street friendly manners.
 
Mopdog said:
This is contrary to what I was told to do for the front but the concept makes sense to me. I think I will try thicker thrust washers in my rear locker and see if it smoothes the operation out.
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Oh I will say when I did my front one i hadn’t messed with them much and I just used the thrust washers that where in the diff. So who knows how my front one is setup. Most likely on the loose side of specs and works fine. Front one not fun to mess with. lol. Have to pull the whole front end apart. . I just dialed in the rear one.
 
I’ll add a pic for the fun of it.

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IMG_6731.webp
 
This is my front Aussie locker installed. I used feeler gauges to measure the tolerance and was on the loose side but inside of the acceptable range. I almost couldn’t be happier with it but I don’t drive on dry pavement or in parking lots in 4WD. The rear one I just used the thrust washers that were in it, slapped it in, and let it ride. I attributed its traits to just being what it was. If tightening it down calms down the banging and jerking in tight turns I will be much happier with it. It is quite a spectacle in a parking lot. Applying throttle while coasting through a turn can be quite an experience as well. 🤣

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If you do mess with it. I bought all the different shim thicknesses from Toyota and played around with them. But in the end I went a touch too tight with the shims and I tapped the Center pin in with a light hammer. Big mistake when within a month or two my outer axle seals started to leak and when I opened up the diff I could not get the center pin out. It was a freaking nightmare , Locker worked fine. But could not get pin out to pull locker to get to the c clips. To pull axles to replace seals. So if you do play with it if you can’t slide pin in with your fingers. Do not tap it in with a hammer. It will not come out. I had to hammer it in rotate diff cut part of the Center pin off rotate diff back and hammer the rest of the pin into the diff no way I could pull it out. May have had other option to get it out but at the time I just didn’t think about it and just beat it out. Haha. Cheers.
 
knuckle47 said:
@Slammer61 you’ve got me thinking and re-thinking…did a bit of reading but which of these is the model you used in your FJ40? Might you have the part #?

View attachment 4076944Knuckle 47: Sorry for the slow response as I don't get on MUD regularly. Powertrax part number "for my year fj40" is 9220883001
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Mopdog said:
My wife probably says it best when it comes to lunchbox lockers. “As much time and money as you have spent on that stupid truck, it should not be making noises like that.” It’s really hard to argue with her on that point.
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does she have a sister....;)
 
Mopdog said:
My wife probably says it best when it comes to lunchbox lockers. “As much time and money as you have spent on that stupid truck, it should not be making noises like that.” It’s really hard to argue with her on that point.
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Spendy, butt the selectable lockers are transparent.
 
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