I have a '76 ford 4x4,3:50 gears ,390,c-6 ,ford 9" rear, dana-44 frnt.would it be a good idea if I put a auburn locker in both axles? I really can't afford a air locker!

 

Auburn are tight limited slips. Try one (or a Detroit Truetrac)in the front and a Detroit Locker in the back.

fordmando
70 F-100 Ranger XLT 400 C6
78 F-150 4x4 400 4 on floor
George

 

Well if you have money for 2 auburn lockers I would take it and buy an air locker for the rear and leave the front open diff

My .02 cents

 

Depends on what you are driving on..If this is mostly a daily driver that will see ice, open diffs. are the best..If this will see mostly off road, locker in the back and slip in the front..

 

A true locker in the rear can be a very dangerous thing to have if you drive on icy/snowy roads. If you hit a patch of slippery road while accelerating or decelerating a rear locker will want to spin you out before you even know what's going on. I personally prefer limited slip in the rear and full locker up front. If you live in a dry climate where snow isn't an issue then a rear locker is fine. Just my .02 worth. Good luck.

 

Crikey, the last thing you want is a locker in the front. In my opinion the best set up are selectable units front and rear. However, Detroits do just fine in the rear of fullsizes. If you put an ARB anywhere put it in the front.

http://www.cavernsofblood.com/41kf/skulls/ANIskullBluFire3.gif '72 F-250 "Hi-Boy" 4x4, Dana 60/HD44, FE428 @ 400+ ponies , NP435 4-speed, custom suspension w lift, mud on black.

 

On ice and very slippery surfaces, a locker and limited-slip are going to act the same, both easy to fishtail. Lockers rule over limited-slips in situations where one tire has good traction and the other tire has almost no traction (rock crawling). The problem with lockers is how they unlock while in a turn. Basically, the outside wheel unlocks and leaves 100% of the torque duties to the inside wheel until both wheels are again traveling at the same speed. When you consider all the torque going to the inside wheel rather than equally divided like a stock open differential, the chance of tire chirping on pavement (tire wear) and axle breakage are doubled. The Detroit Locker will also give you more drivetrain backlash.

Lockers should not be used up front unless you leave your hubs unlocked on all but the slowest of trails. Forget about leaving then locked while cruzing logging roads between trails or during snow days. Even if the transfer case in not engaged, steering will be difficult. Limited-slips are fine for the front however.

When you consider that an air locker gives you the best of both worlds, the price difference isn't really all that bad, plus you will have an air compressor that kicks donkey over any of those portable plastic units you see at WallMart.