I have read all the threads on turbo bricks about locking rear dif's, but i hear that a number of guys in calgary have put them in. I was wondering how they like them and whether or not they could stand up to rally racing punishment? This is the tread with general info, but can anyone suggest what they would use:

http://www.turbobricks.com/mods.php?content=art0014

I have just put in new engine mounts that i got from Brad - and wow - such a difference - the response in the pendal is great. It will have a new paint job by the end of August, but I am just trying to to fall into the trap of really ugly rally paint jobs!

thanx

Houston

weld the diff!

weld the diff!

weld the diff!

weld the diff!

least expensive rear end mod!

ciao

As far as I know, only one of us has installed a locker into their Volvo in Calgary, and that was me. It might be okay for rallye, but it sucked on the street. A few of us now have True Trac differentials, but those are actual differentials and not lockers. These are wonderful on the street but I'm not sure how they'd hold up to a rallye. At all costs, stay away from the factory 900 Turbo locker if you plan on any type of motorsports.

The locker I used was the Powertrax Lock Rite, which replaces the spider and side gears in your differential and converts the unit to a locker. Installation was straightforward, but the only advantage it had over a welded unit was to decouple the faster moving wheel from the rest of the powertrain. The disadvantage (on pavement, anyway) is that the unit is far less stable than a welded differential (which I've also done and driven on the street).

If you're going to weld the diff (which is what I'd do, in your shoes), be sure you do it right. Weld the side gears to the spider gears, weld the side gears to the carrier, weld the spider gears to the carrier. Use lots of power, and it's best to use a stick welder as a MIG is too bulky and can't get into the tight spots we've got in this diff. When I did mine, I committed several sins: I left the diff in the car and tried to weld it in position; I welded it with a 100 amp MIG; I only welded the side gears to the spiders; I didn't clean the diff before welding... Mine failed after a few months, but I'll blame it on most of these errors before I blame the mod as "weak".

sweet matt...you did the testing so now when we do mine it should never break...YAY!

ciao

I agree... plus mine will be on loose surfaces, and not have a 302 in the rear on tarmac ...

^^^ that's what actually did mine in, as some of you know. I had my V8 block, heads, crank, rods, pistons, and other stuff in the back of my 245, doing a full-lock turn on dry pavement.