No more Spartan locker in my Dana 35

[ICDGary]

A special thank you to the likes of Jerry Bransford, Chris, and all the others who chimed in last month when I was asking about my then "new to me" 2000 TJ into which the PO had installed a Spartan Locker into the Dana 35. I took the TJ over to a good buddy/customers shop the other day (If you're in the Boise area, Jim's Drivetrain flippin' ROCKS!) to yard out the rear locker and just go back to open while I saved for upgrading to a Super35.

Long story short, the Spartan had already taken a toll on the OEM axles by way of spline damage and there were major sharp gear edges on the R&P as well so I'm now sporting some alloy 27 spline axles and breaking in a new rear gear set (the good buddy deal on parts and labor made it an easy choice to stay with the existing 3.73 for now while saving to do the more major upgrade and re-gear later as I have a house project that is the $$ priority at the moment {happy wife, happy life, right?}). The true Super35 will have to wait just a little bit longer, but in the meantime I am totally THRILLED with the difference in handling and improved road manners without having the rear locker. It's pretty bitchin' to be able to enjoy the tiny turn radius of of Jeep again, not to mention back out of my driveway without the neighbors looking to see what I broke when the locker clanks-

I've been blessed to have had tons of truck projects and hot rods over the years. Some had funny quirks and whatnot so I am used to dealing with silly oddball things, but I just didn't realize just how poorly the Spartan locked rear end was treating me. I have nothing against the Spartan locker per se, but I now 100% fully concur that it has NO PLACE in the rear on a daily road driven jeep. I look forward to getting the break in period behind me so I can get the us and our TJ (The wife is beginning to call her " The Other Woman") back onto the trails.

Sorry for the "book" but had to give a shout out to those who tell it "like it is" without sugarcoating anything.
Lessons learned?
Stay away from a rear non-selectable locker in a Dana 35, and stay away from one in a DD as well, regardless of the stoutness of the unit. It simply isn't worth the PITA that it is to deal with and be conscious of. The benefit offroad does NOT outweigh the negatives at all other times, not even close.
Thanks again guys!

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Glad you got that locker out before one of the axle shafts failed. But not all automatic lockers in a rear axle behave poorly like yours did. Lunchbox lockers are notoriously badly behaved when installed into the rear axle, though most lunchbox lockers behave well when in the front axles. But some non-lunchbox automatic lockers like the Detroit Locker are very well behaved in the rear axle. I had a Detroit Locker in my previous TJ's rear axle and it was very well behaved, I barely noticed its presence and then rarely.

 

[ICDGary]

Point well taken, Jerry- I should have been more clear, yes to No Lunchbox. I've had DL's in various roadrace cars in my past and had zero driveability issues with those as well, which is where my thoughts on the Spartan were while looking at the TJ prior to me purchasing it.
It wasn't "horrible", but the difference from it being there to not has been striking thus far! Thanks again!

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Point well taken, Jerry- I should have been more clear, yes to No Lunchbox. I've had DL's in various roadrace cars in my past and had zero driveability issues with those as well, which is where my thoughts on the Spartan were while looking at the TJ prior to me purchasing it.
It wasn't "horrible", but the difference from it being there to not has been striking thus far! Thanks again!

Keep in mind too that some Detroit Lockers like were used on race cars were still not well behaved on the street. The Detroit Locker was modified in the 90's to produce the "Detroit Softlocker" version that was significantly improved so far as its street handing was concerned. Now those Softlockers are just known as Detroit Lockers, but the Softlocker is the version of Detroit Locker you get if you buy one for a Wrangler.

 

[ICDGary]

Keep in mind too that some Detroit Lockers like were used on race cars were still not well behaved on the street. The Detroit Locker was modified in the 90's to produce the "Detroit Softlocker" version that was significantly improved so far as its street handing was concerned. Now those Softlockers are just known as Detroit Lockers, but the Softlocker is the version of Detroit Locker you get if you buy one for a Wrangler.

The last DL I used was in a Ford 9 inch back in the mid/late eighties, so I've not experienced the "softlocker". Good to know, though I rarely dabble in that arena anymore other than the occasional co-driver experience but never street driving in those instances. Interesting, and good to hear. Folks back then would complain but I never had an issue with the old, though they did let you know when they hooked up!