I need some help i have a 82 truck & don't have a whole lot of money so i was thinking of getting Detroit locker in the rear and welding the front.

Is that ok or is it a bad idea?

 

Thats how I would do it.

 

Do you wheel mostly in mud?

If so, that will likely be fine.

If you wheel on ANY high traction surface, rocks, even hard pack dirt, you'll need to get out and unlock one hub if you want to steer.

You'll be able to turn in mud and sand. Sort of.

 

i thought you could steer just fine on drit even but just not on pavement. am i wrong?

 

weld em both. then get hydraulic ram assisted steering...

 

Thats the other way to do it.

 

I think you can break the birfields if you weld the front and drive on pavement, I was planning on welding the rear end and putting an aussie locker in front on my truck.

 

you can break them in the dirt too, they aren't that strong.

If you want cheap lockers, or welding, you will have drawbacks. There is no way to avoid that.

Look at it this way:

Cheap Lockers or Welding

Pros: Cheap, great traction off road.
Cons: Hard to steer, on road manners can really suck.

ARB/Elocker

Pros: Goes from fully open to fully spooled with the flick of a button, zero on road and offroad drawbacks.

Cons: Expensive

Everything has its cost. I'd look at what breaking axles and not being able to steer is going to cost you in terms of your time.

 

I'd weld the rear and put locker up front so it can unlock when turning and won't be so much binding and stress on driveline. Seems more logical like that.

 

i put an arb in the rear and a true trac up front

 

Welding your diffs sure seems to be cheap route to go but people realize later that they are eating tires due to uneven wear.
If you weld the front, spend the money on a Twin stick so you will be able to turn....again that negates the Lincoln locker approach.

Personally I am doing Aussie lockers front and rear $240 per locker plus $200 for the Marlin Twin stick kit.....

 

lock the rear either spool or welded, leave the front open until u have enough $$ for a selectable locker, locking the front will cause more problems than its worth

 

With a welded the twin stick trick doesn't work. It works with auto and lunchbox lockers because you disengage power to the front, and the locker unlocks. With welded, you still can't turn. You have to unlock a hub.

 

Thanks for educating me again....I thought that it would free it up...appreciate you squaring me away...