Detroit locker

[SFord]

My '84 k20 has detroits front and rear with 4.56 gears. I was told that they need a special gear oil because of the lockers. Anyone know if this is true,and if so what type of oil they require ?

[cucvtrucks]

A true full detroit locker does not require special lubrication additives, the ones that use a clutch pack like the trac-loc models do require a friction additive. Very unusual to have a detroit in the front axle. Should make for some very hard steering in 4x4. I have alot of bucking with mine with just an open front diff. Hope this helps, Cortney

[SFord]

I bought the truck with the detroits already in it. I ran it in a mud bog,and it like to got away from me. You sure cant control it with it fully locked,thats for sure. Its good for slow stuff like rock crawling I reckon.Thanks for the info,Scott.

[nyamwegi]

I used to have a jeep and looked into lockers quite a bit...my understanding is the regular detroit locker has a ratcheting mechanism in it that allows different axle speeds, which would make it work fine in the front. Usually you're already gonna have some pretty good sized mud tires which are gonna compromise your handling, not to mention other 4x4 mods.