By Eric N (Grnrvr) on Tuesday, October 02, 2001 - 03:58 am: Edit

I read an email today that some one may have figured out a way to take a normal Disco diff and add some linkage to it and turn it into a "Spool" locker of sorts. Is this right? Would this be for a Disco 1 or 2? Anybody know what I'm talking about or is the email I just read wrong? The person who's email I just read was told this by another friend of his at Roverfest in a tech session. Friend of a friend of a friend type thing going on here but, I'm currious to see if there is anything to this.

By Axel Haakonsen (Axel) on Tuesday, October 02, 2001 - 04:08 am: Edit

An ARB when engaged is really a spool. Spool just means that both axleshafts are locked together. A Detroit is not a spool, because it locks and unlocks as needed, automatically.

By Ron on Tuesday, October 02, 2001 - 04:11 am: Edit

The Disco II CDL kit basically does this to the center dif.

I can turn a regular dif into a spool. Just weld it shut. Unlocking will take more effort though

By Leslie N. Bright (Leslie) on Tuesday, October 02, 2001 - 04:16 am: Edit

LOL!

-L

By Eric N (Grnrvr) on Tuesday, October 02, 2001 - 04:30 am: Edit

They were basically saying that you could make some linkage and lock and unlock it whenever you want like any other manual locking diff. Maybe they were talking about the Disco 2 CDL and told me that it was the Diffs since it was passed around a few times before getting to me. Cool thing is that my fiance was looking for some thing to get me for xmass for the Disco That's when she sent me the email that the friend she enlisted for help sent her (since she found out the price of everything I'm looking at getting, which could be a bad thing). She won't go wheeling with me and doesn't even want to but, thinking about getting me toys for xmass. Now I remember why I'm marrying her.. Or is it she's marrying me.

By Kyle on Tuesday, October 02, 2001 - 04:37 am: Edit

Hmmmm , I have no doubt you could do it with enough thought and a good machinist. It aint gonna come easy though...


Kyle

By Ho Chung (Ho) on Tuesday, October 02, 2001 - 04:37 am: Edit

eric, seems like they are talking about the disco2. you can install a disco1 CDL linkage in a disco2 and be able to engage the center diff lock.
since the disco2 came from factory without the CDL lever.

By Eric N (Grnrvr) on Tuesday, October 02, 2001 - 04:49 am: Edit

I'm just happy she was looking at getting me something for the truck. I'm just going to buy a locker one day. I'm not even going to try and come up with a way to lock the stock diffs when I can get stronger diffs that already lock for less hassle. I edited some stuff into my post before while you guys were typing.

By Roverine on Tuesday, October 02, 2001 - 06:05 am: Edit

Oh sure, bring up CDL again, just rub it in - Just watched Moab 2001 last night ... (feeble voice, now) ... please no more CDL talk today, please?

Kim
May have to rob a convenience store. Bad. Bad, bad, bad.

By Eric N (Grnrvr) on Tuesday, October 02, 2001 - 06:18 am: Edit

Sorry to hear that Roverine.. I have a D1 so mine came with CDL but I thought that someone my have come up with an easy inexpensive way of turning the stock diff into a locker that you can turn on and off. So I had to ask.

By Roverine on Tuesday, October 02, 2001 - 06:35 am: Edit

It's okay, Eric, I'm just joshin'

Kim

By Rock Rover on Tuesday, October 02, 2001 - 06:48 am: Edit

Can You just weld the Differential on a D1? Instead of investing more money in your rig.....I mean damn Ive got my Kid's College Fund tied up in mine! There is always more to put on your rover! Back to business though.......If you were to weld the rear diff "Lock" ....Would it be reliable and as efficient as a conventional store bought Locker?

By Eric N (Grnrvr) on Tuesday, October 02, 2001 - 07:04 am: Edit

Wouldn't welding it together so that it is always locked and then driving it down the street every day really mess things up in there? I would rather have the locker since most of them either unlock or allow one wheel to spin faster on the street when turning. Lockers for me are a long way off. I have other things that I want first like a lift, bumper, and a winch.

By Leslie N. Bright (Leslie) on Tuesday, October 02, 2001 - 07:05 am: Edit

Uh....

Only if you NEVER take it onto pavement again...

You've got to have give on the pavement... the DL unlocks itself so you can get around corners... if it didn't, well, ouch! ARB, you hit the switch to lock & unlock it... again, don't run on pavement locked.

If you're going to build a trailerable competition vehicle, sure, weld away... no reason to have something that doesn't unlock if you're never on pavement.... but who really is off-road ALL the time?

Yeah, if I lived in Niger maybe, but not in the US... too much blacktop to use... gotta have some way to unlock some of the time....

-L

By peter matusov on Tuesday, October 02, 2001 - 07:07 am: Edit

i doubt it.... hehehe... the welded diff will be okay for a while, but the axleshafts will go.

besides, the disco's got fairly short wheelbase, and the handling with a welded rear will be very amusing.

my wife's been complaining about less steering feel in the turns after a "mild" truetrac -
"it ain't the worst habit to drop the gas in a turn, honey" ...

peter

By Leslie N. Bright (Leslie) on Tuesday, October 02, 2001 - 07:13 am: Edit

Doh! Eric slipped in there when I was replying to Rock Rover's query...

L8R,

-L

PS: Peter... that's why I let the wife drive her little Ford econo-car while *I* drive the big ol' Disco truck... And I don't even have a TT, either!

yep, axleshafts would go regularly, but that would help extrude some of the old Series Rover feelings onto the Disco, wouldn't it? LOL!!!

By peter matusov on Tuesday, October 02, 2001 - 07:21 am: Edit

interesting that a rather harsh EZ locker hasn't changed my big jeep's highway habits. But - in the parking lot, my... BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG
and on the slippery side-slope it tends to slip now, unlike what it was with open diffs.

i also found that a rear TT sort of masks the negative effect of lifting the disco (changed caster), under moderate throttle.

also, on my way back from Colo, there was a huge thunderstorm ~50mi after Eisenhower tunnel on I70. There was about an inch of water on the road; normally, i wouldn't care about it with stock michelins - but that time i had a feeling of my disco getting tail-happy. Was it the TT?

peter

By Ho Chung (Ho) on Tuesday, October 02, 2001 - 07:39 am: Edit

i dont' know what kind of college is that cheap..

but if that's the case, just leave the disco's diff alone. i don't think it'll be worth it.

peter, tail happy? i think it was due to the huge storm.

By peter matusov on Tuesday, October 02, 2001 - 08:27 am: Edit

maybe. but imagine going down a sweeping turn on I-70, down a 4% grade, on 1" of water? I've done that in a 4WD Aerostar van (with open diffs and Michelin XW4 tires), and it was okay. In the Disco, I got a feeling that I needed to lift my right foot a bit.

peter

By pk on Tuesday, October 02, 2001 - 10:18 am: Edit

Peter...

Wife don't like the TT too much in turns? Wait till she gets to try a front TT equipped Disco! LOL!

This is why it would have been better to put both front and rear TT in at the same time... reduce wife's leaning (complaining) curve by 50%.

pk

By peter matusov on Tuesday, October 02, 2001 - 02:37 pm: Edit

hehehe

it's no biggie, for most of her commute is on the highway

but, it looks like the minute my kid hits 16, he gets the rangie, i get the disco, and my wife gets... no, she don't want to drive a jeep... she wants a convertible, but a sunfire or le baron somehow don't fit the bill...

anyway, that day i'm putting another TT in the disco. not too far away, actually.

peter