locker in 12bolt. best bang for buck

[coreys87]

been doing some reading but im just confused as to what a spooling locker is and how it works. its going in my 1/2 ton 12 bolt chevy with a 304 (soon to be 350) and i just dont know what to get. from what i hear lockrite isnt a good idea because its only 350horse/35 inch tires and i plan on going 37tires and about 350 horse. whats your guys opinions?

 

[crazy4offroad]

I'm not fond of Lock-Right slip-in lockers either, I've seen too many with sheared pins and they sound horrible the way they kick in and out, makes you think something broke or is going wrong. As for "spooling locker" only thing I can associate that with is a full spool. It's just a chunk of metal you bolt your ring gear to and there is no differential between the wheels, both pull all the time all the time. A mini-spool is like a Lock-Right in that it will fit inside an open carrier once you remove the spiders and sides but without the pins and springs, and locks both wheels with no slip. If you want something that will differentiate you should go for a Detroit locker. More expensive but more able to handle higher horsepower.

 

[coreys87]

Well i only plan on going 350hp tops. if i ever did more id put 3/4ton axles in it. so would a full spool work well for mostly road driving and occasional donuts and mud driving?

 

[crazy4offroad]

LOL no a spool will eat tires on something used as a daily driver. As you go around a corner both tires are doing the same amount of revolutions, so the outside tire will chirp or squall, wearing them out quicker. Might wanna check out this place and see what they got...
http://completeoffroad.com/c-69358-...t-corporate-12-bolt-lockers-and-carriers.html
Also HotrodPC had a link to a vendor I've never seen before, wish I woulda bookmarked it, hopefully he will chime in because it looked like they had good prices.
EDIT: found HRPC's link and all they sell is Lock-Rights.

 

[coreys87]

So you think I'd be better off with a Detroit locker?

 

[crazy4offroad]

For the rear yeah, Detroit or Eaton. I may go with a Lock-right type unit for the front of mine, maybe the Spartan but the rear of mine is welded since it's not a daily driver. Seems like more of the torque goes to the rear so I may get by with the Spartan on the front.

 

[coreys87]

Ok Thanks I'm gonna look into the eaton positraction

 

[bucket]

37's and 350HP? Sounds like a bad idea to me. I wouldn't want to spend any money on a 12 bolt that is going to die, but rather spend the money on stronger 3/4 ton axles. Maybe you can even find a 14 bolt FF with a detroit already stuck in it.

 

[crazy4offroad]

I wouldn't worry so much about the rear, when I was running 38s on a 12 bolt I didnt really break so much, but I junked a bunch of 1310 u-joints. However I agree with Andy, if you're going to have a lot of horsepower you may as well go 14b ff and skip building up the 12 bolt.

 

[coreys87]

350hp max, the truck is hardly ever offroad, mostly for playing in the snow. i dont want to buy a 14bolt simply because i dont want to buy wheels and tires. my wheels are only 15's and wont fit over a 3/4ton drum

 

[coreys87]

also, whats fullfloater mean? what are the benefits of a 14ff over a 14 sf?

 

[crazy4offroad]

Semi float (SF) has wheel bearings like a 12 bolt which mount in the axle housing and the axleshaft passes through it. Since the wheel hub is attached to the axleshaft essentially the weight of the truck rides on the axleshaft, a bad thing. Full floater (FF) has a wheel hub with 2 sets of bearings, similar to your front wheel hubs. The axleshafts pass through the hubs so no weight is resting directly on them which can also improve transfer of horsepower to the ground, hauling heavier loads, running bigger tires, etc. Another difference is ring gear size, 9.5" in the SF and 10.5" in the FF. Also the pinion in the FF has it's own removable housing, allowing easier pinion depth adjustment, eliminating the need to remove the carrier to access the pinion, and when installed the nose of the pinion has a pilot shaft which makes it stronger than the SF, kind of like the Ford 9".

I run 15" wheels on mine but it has to be converted to rear disk brakes (you lose your park brake too) and you have to get 15" 8 lug conversion wheels. I think the aftermarket makes 6 lug hubs for the FF but it is really cost-prohibitive. conversion wheels are $70 a piece, and one hub is likely 2-3 times that much.

 

[coreys87]

wel i have 14bolt sf axles in my feild. but its too much work to take them out of the truck but wheels and tires with money i dont have.. id rather just use this 12bolt

 

[gtotomm]

coreys87 12 bolts are good rear ends. I set mine up 10 years ago in my 78 k5 w/ a 450hp 388 sbc. I used a eaton posi w/ steel clutches. solid pinion spacer(no crush sleeve)set all my specs properly, back lash-pinion preload-carrier perload and a near perfect tooth contact pattern. Added a 1350 yoke and a very stout rear cover(not stamped steel).And you have a bullet proof rear end. Ran it for 7 years, burning rubber every chance i got. I could not kill it, no matter what i did. Now i have a 650 hp 502ci BBC, and after 2 years it still wont quit. 12 bolt truck axels good when set up right.

 

[bucket]

coreys87 12 bolts are good rear ends. I set mine up 10 years ago in my 78 k5 w/ a 450hp 388 sbc. I used a eaton posi w/ steel clutches. solid pinion spacer(no crush sleeve)set all my specs properly, back lash-pinion preload-carrier perload and a near perfect tooth contact pattern. Added a 1350 yoke and a very stout rear cover(not stamped steel).And you have a bullet proof rear end. Ran it for 7 years, burning rubber every chance i got. I could not kill it, no matter what i did. Now i have a 650 hp 502ci BBC, and after 2 years it still wont quit. 12 bolt truck axels good when set up right.

I want a ride in that thing!