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.
