lock-right locker installation

Prelims:

 

Diff lock looks like the business.  I paid about 300 bucks for the thing and about 150 USD postage.  What a joke.  The parts weigh about 150 grams!!!!  They are ripping the piss out of me.  This is a note for others that get a right-lock locker sent to them (especially the 1512 which fits the vitara rear diff).  I’m only going to lock the back (for now) because I don’t want to break too many front axels.

 

The installation:

 

Hmmm…  I didn’t think that I could do it…  I went to a couple of mechanics in the area to see whether they would have a go – they all said no.  I finally got one guy to quote me 400 bucks to do the install (The manual says 4 hours).  So f&%k it, I’m going in.

 

The lock right locker instructions looked okay – apart from the pictures which where about 3dpi, seriously terrible.  I tucked right into the installation.  Although the focus on the manual was lock right install, not really what I needed.  I needed axel removal, pumpkin / third member removal.  The axels need a good smacking to get out, although when you put the tyres back on and give them a good whack with a block of wood between the sledge hammer and the rim – they come apart okay.  I believe that this is common. 

 

Second issue was separating the two parts of the diff, holy f&#k – how hard could it be…  The problem is the unknown, I can remove 8 bolts no worries…  But then splitting the third member from the solid part of the diff – crikey.  I got a huge screw driver in there and eventually smashed them apart.  Not the nicest bit of mechanic work.  The pumpkin is bearing the scars of my enthusiasm.

 

So now I have this heavy bastard of a thing on my work bench, the east bit is over.  The manual bangs on about marking things, I get out the “white out” and mark everything on the insides of this thing.  I get the drive wheel out of the centre of the diff (amazing stuff in there) – and then my instructions seems to start assembling it again… WTF!  After a number of reads and some later page number reconciliation, I notice that there are 2 blank pages where a lot of instructions should have been…

 

I owe my life to google, honestly…  not only for the porn it provides me with, the quips to use in best man speeches…  But also the entire f&^king locker installation manuals.  With the complete manual I was able to pull it all apart and put it back together.  Note that I augmented the manual with the service manuals that I downloaded from the net too, these were awesome.

 

Assembly was fine and fairly quick.  It was slow to fill the diff again, I went for the 80-145 diff oil which is thicker than pig sh1t.  Plus I ripped the bollocks out of the filler bung in the diff – so I’m filling the diff through the breather…  Yeah, you heard right.  2.2 litres of molasses through the diff breather hose – I’ve had better days!

 

I was half expecting the car to drive in circles when I put it into 1^st – and was amazed when it didn’t.  I thought I was going to understand the inner workings of a diff (similar to when I actually did understand the inner workings of a waste gate) – but alas the years of alcohol abuse had done it’s job…  I’m only going to understand that when I have too.

 

The results (not off road yet)

Anyway, I love the ticking of the lock right.  It’s not loud and it lets me know that I’m locked and loaded.  Any tight-ish corners reveal a little ticking – which makes me feel like I’m driving a tough truck.  I can’t wait to take this thing out on Saturday and punish all of the tracks that made me winch up them before.  Stay tuned!

 

I’ve read reports of people saying that they can climb stuff in 2wd that they previously needed 4 low for…  I’m giggling like a school girl imagining the silly sh1t I can get up to.