gearing question/lockers

C

c_herrman

New member
1073258

hi guys i'm currently running 31/10/50's , and i have 3:31 gears with the factory limited slip in the rear on my 86 cj....here's my question no 1. are the 3:31's adequate for 31's? 2. if not what gear should i get to? 3. i want to add lockers....front? rear? i've heard the most improvement off road will come from front lockers/ true? i've been toying with the idea of just adding 4:56's w/ lockers, and going with 33's.....but that would be quite a while before i could spring the cash....just got new 31's, so i'll have to stick with them for a while(wife).......so, in short where could i get the most offroad imrovement for my buck? or, should i just wait and go all out....(really want some lockers :-D )
anyway, thanks in advance for your replies.
Cory[addsig]
 

1073266

Just a little more info would be helpful.

What transmission?
What do you want to drive through (or over) offroad?
What do you want out of your Jeep on the road?

I'd say the 3:31's would handle the 31's fine. Go ahead and drop your locker in the front, especially since you already have a limited slip in back. When it comes time for 33's, put 'em on and see if you need to regear then. Just my .02 (50 more of these STILL won't buy a cup of coffee) :cool: [addsig]
 
1073269

thanks for the quick reply....
I have a t-5 transmission, dana 300 case, this jeep is strictly a weekend vehicle....i drive it around town, to trails etc.. i live in kansas, so i wheel over a wide variety of terrain, little bit of everything, thanks again for the reply
ps what kind of front lockers should i go for? i know the arb set up is awesome, but, if i can get the same performance for less.....how tough is steering on a locked front diff??
cory[addsig]
 

1073281

If you're only going to have one traction aiding device, it works best in the rear differential. Since you have the LS in the rear, put the locker in the front.

The gear ratio is tougher to answer. Search the net for 'gear calculator', there are a lot out there to help you figure a gear ratio for a given tire size. You'll plug in your current ratio and the factory tire size, then the tire size you wish to change to. It will give you the suggested gear ratio. Go with a little lower gear (numerically higher) for better offroad ability, a slower crawl ratio. Go with a little higher gear (numerically lower) for lower rpms on the highway if that's what is important to you. All depends on how you want to use the Jeep.

edited by: Bounty__Hunter, Jun 26, 2003 - 10:31 AM[addsig]
 
1073292

Thanks Bounty
I think i want to stick with the 31's for a while and just add a front locker.....so, give me some opinions on some different lockers.....lockright, detroit, arb, Lincoln :-D , pro's /cons of each of these in the front diff.....my main question being, if i dont go with the arb, how much steering power etc do i lose? is it enough to worry about? Cory[addsig]
 
1073301

Bounty, thanks for the link......i'd still like to get some other opinions on different locker options for the front diff....Cory[addsig]
 
1073307

How serious are you about traction, what type of wheelin do you do?

Good thing about having a CJ is having lockable front hubs, so you can run just about any locking differential and it is transparent on the street with the hubs unlocked. If it were me, I'd have the diff welded (Lincoln Locker), that's what I have in my YJ and I can only unlock one side of the axle. Check into the lunchbox lockers like the NoSlip, LockRight, etc. They replace the spider gears and are a fairly easy home-garage install.

If you need to repace the carrier to one that will fit lower gears, then you can look at lockers and limited slips that replace the entire carrier, like the Detroit Truetrac or Detroit Locker. Again, depends on your traction needs.

There are pros and cons of many lockers, lots of info out there.[addsig]
 

1073314

OK guys....I mean experts....I am cosidering the addition of some type of traction adding device. I have a 1983 CJ7 with the 300 transfer case the AMC 20 in the back and Dana 30 in the front. I have 32" BFG ATs. I might change to BFG MTs when these wear out. Most of my off road will be in the mud. A few slightly rocky hills, but mostly wet and muddy deer lease roads. What would you suggest for my needs?[addsig]
 
1073320

thanks again bounty, anyone else have any opinions on the lockrights? hey bounty, how much goes into welding up the spiders? my father in law welds for a living.....what are the disadvantages of this? how's the turning radius? how hard is it to steer??
Cory[addsig]
 
1073337

back to top (for the thread).

It's not hard to weld 'em up, best to use a 220 mig and weld all four spider gears together, filling in all the holes and making it solid. Some say to preheat the carrier with oxy/acet for better penetration. Don't weld to the carrier in case you need to remove the spiders.

I can do all but the tightest of trail turns with the front end locked, then I just disconnect the passenger side axle shaft. You may have to have a lucky passenger jump out and unlock one hub if really needed. It's not that bad, but it's not for everybody.[addsig]
 
1073342

Bounty, I dont spose you have some pictures showing the procedure for welding them??
dont you have to put some metal in to the gears to jam em up, and to hold a weld??
Cory[addsig]
 

1073347

Bounty, i'm seriously thinking about just welding them.....i've got someone to do it....if you had any pics, howto's, etc. i'd appreciate it.....anyone else have any good advice on welding diffs??[addsig]
 
1073430

some people will say that welding the rear is a no no... but to each his own.... but as for the front... go for it... if you can disengage the hubs, or the axle, then you have it all set... for us jeepers with the front axle disconnect... we have it made... we have a number of options to manually disconnect our axle[addsig]
 

1073443

thanks for the response snitty............I think i'm just gonna go ahead and weld it this weekend.......anyone have any pics instructions etc.? Bounty, can you give me any detailed advice??
thanks
Cory[addsig]
 
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