Originally Posted by BillBraskey

Thanks very much for the detailed reply. I will probably PM you with further questions soon.


I am a big fan of rebuildable balljoints. I know Moog is known for making good stuff, but over the past few years there has been a drop in their overall quality because they have accepted substandard materials/subcomponents from less reputable suppliers in Asia and Eastern Europe. I do not know if this has affected the specific Ford parts we are talking about, but it has been an issue for Volvo and other European marques.

I have manual locking hubs and wouldn't have it any other way. They are stock Ford hubs. Since I will be refurbishing everything from the axle housing outboard, I will look into the Warn options; I have good experience with Warn products and their tech support. Before you mentioned this, I was planning to use a couple of small modifications to the stock hubs that I found while going down interweb rabbit holes.

I am wary of correcting this particular "weakness". Something must be the weak link in a driveline. It is best that the weak link be the easiest and/or cheapest to repair. I would prefer that a halfshaft--especially the outer end--break rather than the diff or something else upstream. What are your thoughts on this philosophy as it relates to this specific axle/truck?

The steering linkage is quite worn and will be replaced soon. I will probably post a new question later regarding my options there.

I was already going to replace it. I find it atrocious that any differential cover doesn't have a drain plug. It seriously should be illegal. Instead of our nanny government requiring back-up cameras and lane departure warning, why not start with requiring zerk fittings and drain plugs? The absence of a drain plug is to me the most obvious sign that the manufacturer has cut corners in at least one other area as well, hence the whole reason for my thread in the first place.

This is also atrocious. I discovered this when removing years of grease and red clay from the undercarriage. I found several vendors of retrofit seals. Are there any to avoid?

Lockers are a component I have no first-hand experience with. A close friend, whose technical expertise I trust, is a big fan of air lockers (i.e., ARB), but his vehicle was already equipped with an air system from the factory. I prefer a more manual and robust system, if possible. It sounds like the Detroit is similar to the Quaife-style LSD. I don't want an LSD, per se. I want to be able to isolate a single wheel on my command. For example, If I snapped one of those 19-spline halfshafts....