[Padgett]

Found this forum as i was learning about detroit lockers for my xj. I bought my dads xj from him 3 years ago and have been upgrading slowly.

 

[Padgett]

We went on some trails in southern missouri this sunday off of glade top trail.

 

[wjlizard]

Welcome from Pittsburgh PA😎 nice lookin' XJ!

 

[Padgett]

Here are the things i have done so far. It is still my daily driver and basically stock.

1. Rough country 1.5 inch lift
2. 15 in steel rims with 31 in maxxis buckshot mudders
3. Cut out the fenders and put on the black skinny trim in place of fender flares.
4. Led headlights.
5. Hockey puck bump stop up front and some custom made bump stops on rear end
6.Cut out bigger holes in airbox and put in high flow air cleaner
7. Been running chevron fuel injector cleaner in the gas and it has improved the engine.
8. 30 dollar magnaflow knock off muffler

 

[Padgett]

Thanks, my dad bought it new in 96 and it was their primary vehicle for a while. It then was just sitting and basically a spare when somebody had a breakdown. I asked him for years and finally he let me buy it from him.

 

[Padgett]

I am planning on going out to either colorado or moab this summer to spend a couple weeks doing trails.

I know that i will be limited to the more moderate stuff but that is fine for our first time.

 

[Padgett]

Before going on the trip i am wanting to do jcr diy bumpers and get a winch up front.

I was researching lockers, i like doing things myself but lockers may be a little out of my ability. Gotta do more looking into it.

 

[4.3L XJ]

So you can weld?

 

[Padgett]

Yeah, I have a mig welder. Actually it isn't hooked up right now because we have moved and I don't have a barn work shop anymore. But my brother is a principal in a high school and I can go use their big shop with mig welders and good welding tables so I am planning on getting the front and rear jcr diy bumpers and spending a couple weekends bending them and welding them up.

I have a feeling getting the old bolts out before the weekend we do the welding and bending may be the hard part of the job.

 

[XJSuperman]

Howdy from central Iowa. You mentioned Missouri, where are you located? There are several parks in Missouri and Iowa.
Lockers don't have to be hard to install. Lunchbox lockers are easy to diy. Pull the diff apart, insert locker, and slap it back together. Sounds crude like that, but a Spartan for example, comes with pretty good instructions. Full carrier style lockers are a bit more tricky.

 

[Padgett]

I live in marshfield, mo which is down here one hour from branson, mo. I have not been to the trail park in seymour mo but I hear it is nice. With my setup right now I am just doing the trails off of the glade top trail which are doable with 31 inch tires.

 

[Padgett]

I am going to look into the lunch box type, they seem like they work but I am not overly excited about the clicking as you turn tight corners on pavement and the videos are saying they can get squirly when you are driving on wet roads etc.

 

[Gluckmysock]

Hello, and welcome!

Nice XJ. Lots of help and info here. I have been running Spartan lockers for years. I love them. The noise is a bit unsettling at first but you get used to it and actually learn how to help prevent it. The install is pretty straight forward and doesn't really require special tools. Just some feeler gauges. You got this.

 

[Padgett]

Cool, i have been watching videos all day and in the end have more questions than when i began.

I am gonna check out the spartans and see more about them for sure.

 

[4.3L XJ]

I am going to look into the lunch box type, they seem like they work but I am not overly excited about the clicking as you turn tight corners on pavement and the videos are saying they can get squirly when you are driving on wet roads etc.

If it is an auto locker, it clicks. Just the nature of the beast

 

[quicksilver]

Welcome from Allegany, NY

I just slapped some lunchbox lockers in my heep, they were an easy install, and since they are a locker, they made a huge difference offroad. Eing that I have a 5 speed, its a little more difficult to manage them on road in sharp turns, I have to coast in neutral in order to get them to not act up. Just the nature of the beast, other than that, the clicking is almost silent.

 

[Padgett]

I can totally see how there is gonna be a learning curve to whatever lockerd i choose.

 

[Padgett]

For entry level my gut is telling me to get bumpers and a winch on my xj first over just a locker so i can get myself.out of spots.

 

[XJSuperman]

Honestly 50/50. It depends on whether you wheel with others or not. I went with lockers first because I have friends that will winch me out. If you are alone, or with people with no trail etiquette, then you might want a winch first.

If you are really concerned about the clicking and locking, you should look at selectable lockers. Be prepared for a shock in terms of price though. Off the top of my head, your options are:
-Eaton TruTrac (I have one in my front axle and its awesome) (wormgear drive, smooth, automatic)
-Yukon Zip locker (unsure if they are made for dana 30 or chry8.25) (air locker from Yukon)
-Ox Locker (mechanical cable or electric solenoid activation)
-ARB air locker

 

[Padgett]

Of all the lockers that I researched I really liked the eaton tru track, I know that I am not going to do extreme off road rock crawling and this is my daily driver but I am going to go out in the woods on trails and on vacations where I am out and will run into spots where I will need some help. Between the winch and some form of lockers should really help me.

After all the research I did yesterday on the eaton tru tracks the only issue I found was getting one tire completely off the ground and it was worthless as a locker unless you could apply the brake and activate it.

Do you guys have experience with the tru tracks? xjsuperman mentioned having one on the front and loving it.