new member with intro and question about lockers for the d30

[Frankensteinsmj]

Hello everyone, First I'd like to introduce myself and tell ya'll alittle about my mj. My name is Frank and I live in the mountains of Western North Carolina on the Cherohala Skyway (not far from Tellico off-road area). I've been into Trucks for about 30 years but mostly restoring them and such. I've been spending alot of time at the yahoo comanche group forum but like this site too! My handle is Frank C at the yahoo forum.

 

Well about 3 years ago I decided to get a comanche and found one badly beaten with about 250k miles. I've done alot of body work and just had the original motor rebuilt with a new clutch kit. I've worked out a lot of the gremlins and finally have this truck running about as good as one could expect.

 

I have the vacuum actuated d30 up front and not real pleased with the limited slip. I've been almost stuck several times finding my wheels on one side spinning and the ones that are on hard ground not spinning. I read something about all this being good on the highway so what can I do to get the traction i am looking for without sacraficing the street design? I hardly ever use the 4wd on the road anyway except if its snowing hard but then I'd be going slow anyways. Well if anyone can advise me that would be great. A friend of mine was telling me about his quadratrac system he used to have and says that would be the ticket.

Let me know, Thanks in advance Frank C

BTW, what is the disco and non-disco stuff I've been reading while doing a search on this forum anyways?

[hackedmj]

Disco and non- disco is referring to the front axle disconnect on the axle. Older xjs and mJs have the disconnect axle or disco and the newer 91 up I think has the nondisconnect axle or non disco.

If your limited slip has that many miles on it it probably needs rebuilt to work better. Might try changing the fluid with the right fluid for limited slip differentials, sometime people change the fluid and don't put in the right fluid.

I see your from the Cherohala Skyway, That's beautiful country. I'm originally from Tellico, now live in Sweetwater about 20 minutes away. You ever go to Tellico ORV area? Nice to see some locals here, welcome aboard!

[DirtyComanche]

What type of LSD?

 

 

Anyways, with a locker as long as your driveshaft is balanced it'll be nicely streetable in 2wd. I'd recommend spending the dough and getting a Detroit. Or on a side note, perhaps a trutrac would work for you? I have one, not sure how it works, still in its box :D

[Frankensteinsmj]

I guess since I don't know everyones names i'll just use your handle.

hackedmj, no, I haven't been to tellico ORA yet. I've been blazin around here for the most part. I'll be checkin it out soon though. I see everyone trailering 4x4 there all the time. We have an area here called squaly, not sure if thats how its spelled but I hear it is a real axle buster. I don't intend to do any extreme off roading with this vehicle since I'm restoring it. I just changed my 5 speed trans fluid (don't know what model trans it is) but would like to know for future reference but it made a big difference on the driveability of the truck. I plan to do the transfer case next with dextron and the diffs with castrol cause the bottle says for limited slip. I don't think this will make me have a posi like front diff. I checked out some locking diffs and I like the price and tech of the richmond lock right since it states that it transfers the power to the wheel with the traction. thanks for the welcome and if you got some time someday let me know and we can get a plan together.

 

dirtycomanche, I guess its a disco from what hackedmj has discribed. I know detroits are the best. I haven't seen the trutrack yet and I don't want a air locker cause the compressor is a pain to keep up.

[Frankensteinsmj]

Everyone, I have this link to a comanche group that everyone at the yahoo group is posting their rides to. feel free to post yours and check out mine, its under Frank C I just put a leer camper topper on it that I picked up for $50 bucks at a local pawn shop so it looks a little different. plus my rottie "scooby" likes it much better now too! L8r Frank

 

http://www.frappr.com/comanche

[DirtyComanche]

Trutracs have been around since the 80's. Supposedly they provide about a 60/40 split for power, while a true locker would be 50/50. But they don't have any noticeable lash or engagement. I sold myself on getting one because I felt it would be more streetable. Also, I like to think it'll help my front axle live longer, as there's less shock loading with it.

 

Looking back, that's a really stupid concept. It'll never be streetable at the rate I'm going. :roll:

 

 

 

I'm not a fan of lock-wrongs, but meh, they offer a lot of bang for the buck. I'm not convinced they'd be really nice in snow/ice or being used in a true DD.

[Frankensteinsmj]

Dirtycomanche, 60/40 don't seem too bad. I guess I have to do the homework on this and about a million other issues. :shock: I think I've seen your project somewhere but not sure but I know the beyond feeling. Your just past the point of no return :D I did it with a cj7 and I never got stuck with it but you would get real tired driving it for a short ride. Someone just posted on yahoo that their manche came with factory posi's on both diffs. can that be?

[DirtyComanche]

I've never heard of the factory Dana/Spicer trac-loc (or w/e the heck they call it) being put in the D30 front.

 

 

However, there's certain cars that can be had in the junkyard quite easily, which came with D30 rears, and just happen to have a Dana/Spicer (factory) LSD. With a little effort it can be popped out and thrown in the front D30.

 

 

These LSDs suck though. Something like a 85/15 power split, if even that. Also, they need to be rebuilt fairly often to really work at all. Although, that's better than the old one tire on each end spinning madly, while the other two just sit there.

[Frankensteinsmj]

Dirtycomanche, I just read your post from nov. Are you making any progress with your truck? Is the 37" tires still holding you up?

[DirtyComanche]

No progress! Okay, I've done some things. Nothing worth reporting really. A lot of thinking and reading though. I went out and bought a Lincoln AC-225 stick welder, and haven't found the time to run 220 to my garage. I think maybe I'll call a professional on that one. I'm caught between school and part time jobs right now. That and I go out of town every weekend too. I've just been having trouble finding time for the truck. Not to mention it's bloody cold! Oh, and my DD got the front end pushed in...

 

 

 

It's on 35s though. 37s would be really asking for it! The D30 definatly wouldn't like that, I don't think.

 

 

Anyways, I hope to start work on it again by the end of the week. I'm going to find some time to run out to my favorite machine shop and pick up some steel. That and a bunch more zip disks so I can cut all the remaining offending metal off my truck.

[pingpong]

I am running the lock tight up front in my rig. I do not notice it on the road. The only problem I can speak of with them is when I broke a piece of it at Tellico :shock: But Richmond gear stood behind their warranty and sent me a new one. Depending on if you wheel or plan on wheeling your MJ would be the deciding factor if I would even buy a front locker. By7 the sounds of it, you want a clean DD, so if that is the case I wouldnt worry about a front locker.

 

 

BTW non disco axles were avaible through out all the yrs in the MJ and XJ, they just came in the np242 equipped Xj/MJ's

 

 

 

Patrick

[Frankensteinsmj]

Dirtycomanche, its ok sometimes one needs a break. You took on a big project. Look at my truck, i've had it three years now and it don't look like i've done much at all. I guess it is cold, i don't like working on cars in the cold either, I'm originally from florida so 50 is cold to me. I just happened to read on of your posts you wrote in nov and thought i'd tried to help get ya out some. It just sounded to me that your trying too hard to predict if something is going to break or not. I wouldn't worry about it so much and build your truck and drive it and have some fun.

 

Pingpong, I'm not building it to be a street truck only. (its a 4X4) :-D I plan to keep it mostly stock, such as no lift, stock size wheels,ect.... I have been doing things like rebuilding the engine, and fixing all the neglected broken stuff. I want keep it so I'm building it to run for another 20 years. I need stuff now like replace leaky gas tank, new heater core, rad looks a little old, you know the usual repair stuff. I've got it running good, the body work about done and driving right after of 3 years of piddling with it. What i really need is another manche to make strickly off road with the flat bed roll bar setup like some of the members here. :D

I've got so many other toys, like a 23' offshore fishing boat, honda v45 sabre that I restored in the last year, and a beater for gas economy that eats up everything it saves in gas in parts. maybe someday i'll get a second manche and build it on 44's(remember i'm from florida, where there's lots of water and mud and other trucks with 44's making big ruts to get stuck in) If I was like Peter Monte with ppl knocking on my door to donate me manches i'd probably have this done already :D I'm looking for lockers or whatever cuz I don't like the way it slips. Like dirtymanche said, what good is it when your wheels are in the air spinning like mad and the other one's not moving at all :!: That useless to me.

well that about sums it up (for now, yeah right) Frank C

[mjeff87]

Hey Frank, welcome aboard :-D

Your build philosophy sounds alot like mine.....I started with a 2WD (second owner) that I acquired back in '99. It's now 4WD and still stock, but I'm stashing parts as I find them to build it up in phases (while still keeping it streetable). Phase I was the 4WD conversion, Phase II currently is upgrading the axles, D44 in rear to replace the 35 and 4.56 gears and running 31" tires. Eventually, the time will come for Phase III where it becomes a non-daily driver, lift and larger tires, and who knows what else...probably in about the next 5 years. I enjoy this thing too much to make any major mods to it with the shape it's in now, but I know the time will come. It's got 160K on it now, and I have a spare engine waiting to transplant into it at some point so I can pull the original and rebuild it.....I'm holding out for 200K before I pull it, but don't know if I'll make it any time soon. I've got another car that's my DD (better gas mileage:)) so I only drive the MJ maybe once or twice a week.

Just took it on a 600 mi roadtrip to PA this past weekend, tho, and it still runs great. Only bad thing is that the POS Advance Auto clutch master crapped the bed about 200 miles out on the way home so I drove it basically clutchless the rest of the way :twisted: stupid master only has like 15K on it......at least I know what I'll be doing this weekend LOL!

Jeff

[Frankensteinsmj]

mjeff87, thanks for the welcome, I'm about to do my cluctch master too. they are about 75 bucks and all the auto parts i'm getting these days lately are junk :!: for all makes. I'm gettin a rebuild kit from napa, can't be worse. L8R Frank C

[87manche]

make sure you get the hone for the cylinder bore too. Should be like a piece of pipe cleaner with a bunch of small round stones on the ends. You need to have the cylinder bore perfectly smooth, or you'll just chew up the new seals. I bought a reman, it was like $50, it's held up for the last month. It was an Autozone special, I was broke at the time.

[hackedmj]

I guess since I don't know everyones names i'll just use your handle.

hackedmj, no, I haven't been to tellico ORA yet. I've been blazin around here for the most part. I'll be checkin it out soon though. I see everyone trailering 4x4 there all the time. We have an area here called squaly, not sure if thats how its spelled but I hear it is a real axle buster. I don't intend to do any extreme off roading with this vehicle since I'm restoring it. I just changed my 5 speed trans fluid (don't know what model trans it is) but would like to know for future reference but it made a big difference on the driveability of the truck. I plan to do the transfer case next with dextron and the diffs with castrol cause the bottle says for limited slip. I don't think this will make me have a posi like front diff. I checked out some locking diffs and I like the price and tech of the richmond lock right since it states that it transfers the power to the wheel with the traction. thanks for the welcome and if you got some time someday let me know and we can get a plan together.

.

 

Sounds good. I'll be heading up to Cherohala when it snows, I always go up there because it will always be way deeper there, usely ride over to Robbisville and take the old road back,I like that little town.

I run a Powertrax Lockrite in the front and a Powertrax No-slip in the rear of my XJ, they are both true lockers, not limited slip and I daily drive it, on the road they are noticable but not enough to bother me at all, offroad the difference is amazing. For the rear the No-slip is more streetable than the lockrite but more $, the front doesn't matter so much since it only works in 4x4.

I've been wanting to check out squally and a place called the Little Buffalo Trail that's in that area, I hear it's ROUGH. You should check out the Tellico ORV area, there are all levels of trails there from easy to hard and there's several places to watch the big rigs play, that can be alot of fun on a busy weekend.

Had any luck finding Comanches in junkyards over that way? There are a few around here if need something you haven't found yet.

[Frankensteinsmj]

87manche, I just got done doing the master and i skipped the hone job cuz it was decent and I didn't want to over bore the cylinder. I'll try it this way this time. thanks for the advice and your right.

 

Hackedmj, well I guess you'l be heading this way real soon. I don't know how it is at tellico but I plan to check it out. I checked out squally but it was too rough. I know about where lil buffalo is but haven't atempted that yet either. I mostly ride ol santeelee(the old road). There is another ol wagon road that goes from r'ville to andrews that I want to check out. I found some junkyards here. one in murphy at farmers jeep and some others a hour ride from here and I'll let ya know if I can't find any parts. Speaking of parts, I'd like to replace the ccv hoses both of them on the engine cuz I still have the blowby setup on mine and want to get the vacuum pressures right(if it matters any) as we speak I have a chrome breather on the back valve cover hole and a pvc to the intake on the front hole. let me know what ya think cuz its supposed to be a metered system and I don't want to spend big $$$ from the stealership for something thats not gonna do anything for me.

[DirtyComanche]

Dirtycomanche, its ok sometimes one needs a break. You took on a big project. Look at my truck, i've had it three years now and it don't look like i've done much at all. I guess it is cold, i don't like working on cars in the cold either, I'm originally from florida so 50 is cold to me. I just happened to read on of your posts you wrote in nov and thought i'd tried to help get ya out some. It just sounded to me that your trying too hard to predict if something is going to break or not. I wouldn't worry about it so much and build your truck and drive it and have some fun.

 

 

 

Well, that's the current plan. I almost managed to get steel today, but I got sidetracked and wound up cussing out my friend's snowmobile. I think I'm going to have to do some reading on 60's snowmobile carbs. But I'm not worried about the truck not working now.

[mjeff87]

 

However, there's certain cars that can be had in the junkyard quite easily, which came with D30 rears, and just happen to have a Dana/Spicer (factory) LSD. With a little effort it can be popped out and thrown in the front D30.

 

Very interesting......got any more info on that? I'd imagine that a LSD in a D30 (disco) wouldn't see as much stress as it does in the rear. Might last pretty good, and be a cheap traction aid :?:

Jeff

[Frankensteinsmj]

mjeff87, I just sent a email to the horse's mouth so I'll let ya know if its just bs or not. Frank

[pingpong]

Frank, It is all good. My mj is my trail beater, even though I do have a street MJ, that has some lift. I forgot the name of the place, but there is a company on ebay that sells the gas tanks for under 100 bucks shipped to your house. Or you could do like I am, and swap in a fuel cell.

 

 

Patrick

[DirtyComanche]

 

However, there's certain cars that can be had in the junkyard quite easily, which came with D30 rears, and just happen to have a Dana/Spicer (factory) LSD. With a little effort it can be popped out and thrown in the front D30.

 

Very interesting......got any more info on that? I'd imagine that a LSD in a D30 (disco) wouldn't see as much stress as it does in the rear. Might last pretty good, and be a cheap traction aid :?:

Jeff

 

 

I'll look, I might have the list of suitable donor cars somewhere. It's more trivia than useful information though, as for the price of having the gears setup you might as well get a real LSD/locker. If you can do your own gears, well, great.

[hackedmj]

87manche, I just got done doing the master and i skipped the hone job cuz it was decent and I didn't want to over bore the cylinder. I'll try it this way this time. thanks for the advice and your right.

 

Hackedmj, well I guess you'l be heading this way real soon. I don't know how it is at tellico but I plan to check it out. I checked out squally but it was too rough. I know about where lil buffalo is but haven't atempted that yet either. I mostly ride ol santeelee(the old road). There is another ol wagon road that goes from r'ville to andrews that I want to check out. I found some junkyards here. one in murphy at farmers jeep and some others a hour ride from here and I'll let ya know if I can't find any parts. Speaking of parts, I'd like to replace the ccv hoses both of them on the engine cuz I still have the blowby setup on mine and want to get the vacuum pressures right(if it matters any) as we speak I have a chrome breather on the back valve cover hole and a pvc to the intake on the front hole. let me know what ya think cuz its supposed to be a metered system and I don't want to spend big $$$ from the stealership for something thats not gonna do anything for me.

 

I think I've been on the old wagon road your speaking of that goes over the mountain to Andrews, nice scenic ride.

Do you have any directions to squaly from Robinsville, I've been wanting to check it out. Is it goverment owned land or what? About the ccv hoses, I've heard several opinions but have always kept mine stock to be safe.

[DirtyComanche]

I'll look, I might have the list of suitable donor cars somewhere. It's more trivia than useful information though, as for the price of having the gears setup you might as well get a real LSD/locker. If you can do your own gears, well, great.

 

 

Well, after some looking I think it's the late 80's to early 90's volvo 740 and 760. The axle is a custom peice, but uses a D30 pumpkin. Thus, the carrier can be pulled and used in the front D30. You might have to modify your axleshafts slightly (that sounds ominous) although the spline count is the same, at 27. I'm pretty sure they just meant grind a bit off the end of the splines for the 'modifying' thing.

 

That's all I got for you, for now.

[hackedmj]

I'll look, I might have the list of suitable donor cars somewhere. It's more trivia than useful information though, as for the price of having the gears setup you might as well get a real LSD/locker. If you can do your own gears, well, great.

 

 

Well, after some looking I think it's the late 80's to early 90's volvo 740 and 760. The axle is a custom peice, but uses a D30 pumpkin. Thus, the carrier can be pulled and used in the front D30. You might have to modify your axleshafts slightly (that sounds ominous) although the spline count is the same, at 27. I'm pretty sure they just meant grind a bit off the end of the splines for the 'modifying' thing.

 

That's all I got for you, for now.

 

Wow! a Volvo, that would have been the last place I would have thought to look for D30 stuff.