TRAILREADYXJ
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Raleigh NC
I just had to try! Here is a writeup I did on my local forum...
Here it goes… This all started when I did some work for a kid, and he threw in his old D35 Lock Right with his payment. I figured I could do one of two things with it.
I had a D30 Lock Right, but it was missing the spacers that keep the couplers aligned. Before I saw it, I was going to see if these spacers were interchangeable, they are not! This ruled out the idea of piecing together the D30 Locker.
Then I went on to plan “B”. I was just going to throw it in the rear for temporary, light throttle use. I have spare shafts, and full D35 internals, so I figured, why not? I got into tearing down the axle, and noticed I have a non c-clip D35. I didn’t think much of it, other than my spare shafts wouldn’t work. Since if it did break a shaft, it would not keep me from limping off the trail, I continued. Well, it turns out the non-c clip version has a larger carrier, and the locker won’t fit. With ideas brewing in my head, I continued to reassemble the axle. At least I have new gear oil!
Now is where it gets interesting. Looking at the two lockers, they appeared VERY similar in overall size, and are the same spline count and cut. I noticed the D35 Locker was slightly wider than the 30, but only .020” or so. I had a spare D30 Carrier lying around, so I figured what the hell… To my surprise, it fit great! The side couplers fit perfectly in the carrier, even the pin is the same diameter!
I want to mention, I only tried this because it seemed to fit (and did!), andI have a couple extra D30s laying around if something goes BOOM!
With this test fitting done, I decided to try the real thing. I tore down the front end, and installed the locker normally. Once again it fit great, and I was feeling even more confident in the results. Below is a pic of the locker installed in the D30 carrier. The only real “disadvantage” I see is that it has the cutouts for the D35 c-clips, and overall the body of the locker is slightly smaller.
I reassembled the front end, and did the standard spin tests to make sure it would unlock. This was the thing I was most concerned with since this locker was a little wider. Worse case, this would cause it to either not unlock, or be rough in operation. I was pleased to find it unlocked very smoothly! I put it all back together and went for a drive. Like my previous Aussie (I sold it thinking I was going a different direction), I couldn’t even tell it was there in 2wd! It just has slight clicking on slow, sharp turns, just like it is supposed to have! As I pulled back in my driveway (gravel), I engaged 4wd, and made a sharp turn. It was very apparent the locker was working, and my experiment appeared to be a success!!!
I still have to actually try it out off road (Read update below), but with everything in spec and functioning as it should, it should be just fine. I will report back once I get a chance, but with D35 lockers floating around for CHEAP, this could be a great option for those on a tight budget!
Update: Well, I had a chance to test the locker out by climbing a hill/wall at work. It's a ~2ft retaning wall with a pretty steep, muddy little hill afterwards. It worked great! I climbed up without even spinning a tire I also played around a bit at my neighbours land, and it worked perfectly the whole time! We will see how it holds up in the long run, but so far, so good!
I will eventually be swapping in a non-disco D30 I will be building, and will go a different route at that time. I will be running 4.88+ gearing and 35s, and I wouldn't want to risk it, the 30 alone is enough. But until then I will keep you all updated as to any problems I run into.
Here it goes… This all started when I did some work for a kid, and he threw in his old D35 Lock Right with his payment. I figured I could do one of two things with it.
I had a D30 Lock Right, but it was missing the spacers that keep the couplers aligned. Before I saw it, I was going to see if these spacers were interchangeable, they are not! This ruled out the idea of piecing together the D30 Locker.
Then I went on to plan “B”. I was just going to throw it in the rear for temporary, light throttle use. I have spare shafts, and full D35 internals, so I figured, why not? I got into tearing down the axle, and noticed I have a non c-clip D35. I didn’t think much of it, other than my spare shafts wouldn’t work. Since if it did break a shaft, it would not keep me from limping off the trail, I continued. Well, it turns out the non-c clip version has a larger carrier, and the locker won’t fit. With ideas brewing in my head, I continued to reassemble the axle. At least I have new gear oil!
Now is where it gets interesting. Looking at the two lockers, they appeared VERY similar in overall size, and are the same spline count and cut. I noticed the D35 Locker was slightly wider than the 30, but only .020” or so. I had a spare D30 Carrier lying around, so I figured what the hell… To my surprise, it fit great! The side couplers fit perfectly in the carrier, even the pin is the same diameter!
I want to mention, I only tried this because it seemed to fit (and did!), andI have a couple extra D30s laying around if something goes BOOM!
With this test fitting done, I decided to try the real thing. I tore down the front end, and installed the locker normally. Once again it fit great, and I was feeling even more confident in the results. Below is a pic of the locker installed in the D30 carrier. The only real “disadvantage” I see is that it has the cutouts for the D35 c-clips, and overall the body of the locker is slightly smaller.
I reassembled the front end, and did the standard spin tests to make sure it would unlock. This was the thing I was most concerned with since this locker was a little wider. Worse case, this would cause it to either not unlock, or be rough in operation. I was pleased to find it unlocked very smoothly! I put it all back together and went for a drive. Like my previous Aussie (I sold it thinking I was going a different direction), I couldn’t even tell it was there in 2wd! It just has slight clicking on slow, sharp turns, just like it is supposed to have! As I pulled back in my driveway (gravel), I engaged 4wd, and made a sharp turn. It was very apparent the locker was working, and my experiment appeared to be a success!!!
I still have to actually try it out off road (Read update below), but with everything in spec and functioning as it should, it should be just fine. I will report back once I get a chance, but with D35 lockers floating around for CHEAP, this could be a great option for those on a tight budget!
Update: Well, I had a chance to test the locker out by climbing a hill/wall at work. It's a ~2ft retaning wall with a pretty steep, muddy little hill afterwards. It worked great! I climbed up without even spinning a tire I also played around a bit at my neighbours land, and it worked perfectly the whole time! We will see how it holds up in the long run, but so far, so good!
I will eventually be swapping in a non-disco D30 I will be building, and will go a different route at that time. I will be running 4.88+ gearing and 35s, and I wouldn't want to risk it, the 30 alone is enough. But until then I will keep you all updated as to any problems I run into.