Conversation Between 95e150CW and 95CWChateau

No, my van had an open diff. Almost all of them did. It's a suprisngly tight 'open' diff, as I could sometimes do 2 wheel burnouts even though it was open.

The door sticker will show your axle code to verify the presence or lack of a LSD.

Thanks for the recommendation regarding tires. Did your van have Ford traction-lok before you installed the Eaton E-locker? Wanted to confirm it is a worthy upgrade, but sounds like tires might offer a better return.

For trekking/offroading I have found tires to be far more important a locker. I am running 30x9.5xR15. At first i was running Falken WildPeaks, which are a damn good tire. Very highway centric, but with the ability to handle unimproved roads and debris quite well.

The van is now used only for ARES/rescue work, so I recently slapped some Procomp Xtreme MT2's on it. Huge improvment in offroad, huge noise boost onroad. Just gotta find a nice middle ground.

I have an Eaton E-Locker which works great. It chatters a bit when engaged, but other than that its good stuff. There is an Auburn Ected diff available if you want LS/almost lockup, but they do wear out after a few years and are kidna spendy to rebuild. The one in my F150 is getting pretty weak.

If you dont mind requiring onboard air, the ARB locker is good stuff. The vans use a 31 spline ford 8.8, which was used on LOTS of vehicles and is a popular offroader swap. Lots of good aftermarket support available! The van axles are VERY wide, and a full set of upgraded axle shafts are not available premade on the aftermarket. One side is VERY long, the other side is the same as a bronco. A good shop can order a long shaft, cut, spline, and heat treat it if you want. Completely not worth it.

Read your post regarding the selectable locker rear. I have a '95 Clubwagon 5.8L, 8.8 factory limited slip. I can get stuck even if it thinks about raining. Are you still a fan of the locker and can you advise which brand you ended up with. I tow a 7x16 cargo trailer and occasionally hit the forest service roads etc.

Thanks

David