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Dana 44 Lunchbox Locker prices?!?

okie4570

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Jul 16, 2012
Messages
9,394
Loc.
NW OK
I'm shocked you have one in the front and it steers. Maybe it's the weight difference between the Bronco and my Samurai ?

Tim
Same here, I can definitely tell it's there but don't have issues steering. What kind of axle is in the front of a Samurai?
 

Timmy390

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Bronco Guru
Joined
Jan 1, 2011
Messages
5,726
Loc.
Conway, AR
Same here, I can definitely tell it's there but don't have issues steering. What kind of axle is in the front of a Samurai?
Suzuki's version of a Ford 9 front and rear only smaller. A baby 9 if ypu will :) flanged pinion vs. a yoke is about the only difference.

In parking lots doing a tight turn my rear Spartan snaps and pops very aggressive. Yes it's setup correctly. It was so bad at first, I took it out and double checked my setup. It's better now that I've put a couple thousand miles on it but I get torque steer with it in the rear so one in the front would be undriveable IMO.

Tim
 

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okie4570

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Jul 16, 2012
Messages
9,394
Loc.
NW OK
Suzuki's version of a Ford 9 front and rear only smaller. A baby 9 if ypu will :) flanged pinion vs. a yoke is about the only difference.

In parking lots doing a tight turn my rear Spartan snaps and pops very aggressive. Yes it's setup correctly. It was so bad at first, I took it out and double checked my setup. It's better now that I've put a couple thousand miles on it but I get torque steer with it in the rear so one in the front would be undriveable IMO.

Tim
I've never tried mine in a parking lot or hard surface so I'm sure mine would do the same if I did.
 

Broncobowsher

Total hack
Joined
Jun 4, 2002
Messages
35,524
Suzuki's version of a Ford 9 front and rear only smaller. A baby 9 if ypu will :) flanged pinion vs. a yoke is about the only difference.

In parking lots doing a tight turn my rear Spartan snaps and pops very aggressive. Yes it's setup correctly. It was so bad at first, I took it out and double checked my setup. It's better now that I've put a couple thousand miles on it but I get torque steer with it in the rear so one in the front would be undriveable IMO.

Tim
The Samuri torque steer is probably the vastly different shaft lengths.

I'll add that once I had a detroit in the back, the front really didn't need to be used to go most places. Crazy how well you can drive around in 2WD with a locker in back. If your plans are to redo the front later, I would just wait and do it once.
 

eb-nutt1

Sr. Member
Joined
Apr 17, 2006
Messages
624
Suzuki's version of a Ford 9 front and rear only smaller. A baby 9 if ypu will :) flanged pinion vs. a yoke is about the only difference.

In parking lots doing a tight turn my rear Spartan snaps and pops very aggressive. Yes it's setup correctly. It was so bad at first, I took it out and double checked my setup. It's better now that I've put a couple thousand miles on it but I get torque steer with it in the rear so one in the front would be undriveable IMO.

Tim
The engagement teeth on the couplers are getting worn down on the edges is the reason it doesn't engagement as aggressively as when new...the life span on a lunch box type locker in the rear is probably 20k miles give or take...installed several in dd type jeeps and they all lasted about that mileage before they got to where they wouldn't hold under power due to the teeth rounding off.
 

Broncobowsher

Total hack
Joined
Jun 4, 2002
Messages
35,524
Had a friend who ran a machine shop forever. Back in the late 80s they got the contract from Lock-rite to make the original lunchbox lockers. The guy who was having them made was trying to get a better price. Broke down the manufacturing costs. The heat treat was higher than the owner of Lock-rite wanted to pay. He found another shop that would heat treat for less. So they did the machine work, handed them back to the owner and they had there own heat treat done. When there were warranty issues the heat treat of the warranty parts was checked. It was either too hard and the teeth chipped, or too soft and the teeth rounded off. With proper heat treat, they were really good. The warranty claims back to my friends machine shop always got rejected due to the 3rd party heat treat being out of spec. Found out that the company doing the heat treat was just adding them to other batches. No quality control on the heat treat, that is how they got the good price on the heat treat. Just run them through with whatever random part that is going through.
 

eb-nutt1

Sr. Member
Joined
Apr 17, 2006
Messages
624
Had a friend who ran a machine shop forever. Back in the late 80s they got the contract from Lock-rite to make the original lunchbox lockers. The guy who was having them made was trying to get a better price. Broke down the manufacturing costs. The heat treat was higher than the owner of Lock-rite wanted to pay. He found another shop that would heat treat for less. So they did the machine work, handed them back to the owner and they had there own heat treat done. When there were warranty issues the heat treat of the warranty parts was checked. It was either too hard and the teeth chipped, or too soft and the teeth rounded off. With proper heat treat, they were really good. The warranty claims back to my friends machine shop always got rejected due to the 3rd party heat treat being out of spec. Found out that the company doing the heat treat was just adding them to other batches. No quality control on the heat treat, that is how they got the good price on the heat treat. Just run them through with whatever random part that is going through.

I went thru two ez lockers(Detroit's version) from about 96-01, broke the spring windows out of both units...apparently 35's was the tire size limit 🤣, as 36" sx's got the first one, 38.5" sx's got the 2nd one in less than a year...full Detroit faired no better at around a year life span🤦‍♂️
 
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