Dana 30, Spartan Locker with 32” M/T Tires

bgarcia11

bgarcia11

New Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2020
Messages
6
Location
Oxford, GA
I know this has been discussed a lot but I can't find what I am looking for. I have a Dana 30 upfront and I am about to add a Spartan lunchbox locker. I don't plan on wheeling to crazy and I just put 32's on. What I cannot decide is if it is worth adding the 4340 Chromoly axels, has anyone run this combo before without them?? Just looking for a little real-world feedback, if I had a money tree it would be a no brainer, but does the end justifies the means for the new shafts? Or is it a waste for the smaller tires. I have an open Dana 35 in the back so I will not be upgrading to a larger tire for a while until I can do an axel swap or a super 35 down the road.
 
I just added a no-slip lunch box locker to my Dana 30 and I did not upgrade axles based on feedback I got on this site. I did upgrade to new spicer 5-760x u-joints. I think you will be fine using the factory axles for your intended use. I used a lubelocker diff cover gasket and I would recommend that if you haven't already considered it.
 
I have a lunchbox locker in my Dana 30 and 33’s. I broke a stock shaft a few months ago and upgraded to 4340’s. 32’s should be fine, but you never know 100%
 
Thumper4fun said:
I just added a no-slip lunch box locker to my Dana 30 and I did not upgrade axles based on feedback I got on this site. I did upgrade to new spicer 5-760x u-joints. I think you will be fine using the factory axles for your intended use. I used a lubelocker diff cover gasket and I would recommend that if you haven't already considered it.
Click to expand...
I actually purchased that with the locker, I might look into upgrading the U-joints since that's a lot more reasonable. How hard was it to change those out? I have had to replace all the front ball joint's so I'm not too worried about the locker install but have not had to mess with any u-joints.
 
In my humble opinion replacing the u-joints was the hardest part of my project along with geting the diff out of the housing. There are a bunch of youtube videos on u-joint replacement and I recommend watching them all. I used the big hammer process.
 
bgarcia11 said:
Thanks, how long did the stock last and how did it break?
Click to expand...
The stock lasted 2 years 3 months with that setup.

I gave it a little gas prior to hitting a steep embankment. It broke the outer ear on the passenger side.

Not the best pictures, but you get the point!

C3864309-E27F-47C2-BC62-A55F89BDAEF7.jpeg
035BC087-8C68-433C-9056-8D2F19993C53.jpeg
 
JMT said:
The stock lasted 2 years 3 months with that setup.

I gave it a little gas prior to hitting a steep embankment. It broke the outer ear on the passenger side.

Not the best pictures, but you get the point!

View attachment 154355View attachment 154356
Click to expand...
Thank you, that is the feedback I was looking for, I will forgo the upgrade for another time then!!! Glad to know it will work for the time being at least.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JMT
Top Bottom
Back