Limited Slip that works?

[athelas]

I've got a '72 F-250 2WD (390 2cv, C6, all stock, 120K miles) that is in dire need of better traction. Can't really afford to buy a 4x4, so I'm wondering if anyone has suggestions/advice on aftermarket limited slip differentials. My truck has the factory LS, but it's pretty worthless in the snow and mud, which means I'm not able to use it much about a third of the year up here in North Idaho. Of course, the plus side of that is that my gas bill goes down significantly.

[athelas]

I should add that according to the door plate, the rear end is a Dana 60.

[Madman]

Limited slip will help somewhat, but a 2wd pick up probably benefits more from weight over the wheels and good tires. Detroit lockers work well, tru-trac has a good rep somewhat as well.

[athelas]

I do keep a good bit of weight over the axles, and the tires are decent mud and snows. Still doesn't inspire me with confidence on a mountain back road. I'll look into your suggestions. Thanks!

[sargentrs]

I put this in mine http://www.summitracing.com/parts/pwt-9 ... /make/ford They make a version for the Dana, too. Haven't actually been able to try it out yet but it has a good reputation in the hot rod circles.

[cwy]

You might want to check out PowerTrax by Richmond Gear. My dad put this in his 1999 2wd chevy and loves it. It drives like an open rear end most of the time but when you lose traction, it locks up like a positive traction rear end. There is a pretty cool video on YouTube that shows a 1970 F100 2wd going across a series of rollers that a big 4wd diesel can't do. Here is the link that you can copy;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYxUlro ... 0D1FB5E303

[Calfdemon]

You might want to check out PowerTrax by Richmond Gear. My dad put this in his 1999 2wd chevy and loves it. It drives like an open rear end most of the time but when you lose traction, it locks up like a positive traction rear end. There is a pretty cool video on YouTube that shows a 1970 F100 2wd going across a series of rollers that a big 4wd diesel can't do. Here is the link that you can copy;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYxUlro ... 0D1FB5E303

While I love to see that, there is something I noticed about that video. Did you notice how much speed the bump had when it got on the rollers? It was moving fast enough that even if it lost traction, it was going to make it across with the momentum that it already had. The other trucks got on the rollers at a much lower speed. Obviously this was intentional as they want to show the bump making it across to sell their product.

Im not saying that the equipment does not work, but for that to be a true comparison, all of the vehicles would need to cross the rollers at the exact same lower speed. That being said, I would love to put the limited slip in my truck someday.

[athelas]

That Powertrax setup is pretty impressive, and a couple hundred bucks cheaper than a Detroit Locker. I've bookmarked it. Watched the video, and yeah, he's hitting it faster, but that boat stopped the 4x4 cold. Didn't slow the F100 down in the slightest. I think I'm sold. And I like the simplicity of the setup, at least as it's advertised. That burnout was kind of fun, too. Thanks for the help. I think I'm going to give the Powertrax a go. Once I have it in, I'll get back into this thread and update you. It will be a little while, so don't hold your breath.

[sargentrs]

The PowerTrax No Slip is an easy install. You can see it on page 12 of my build thread http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... &start=165

[athelas]

Randy, glad you have that series of pictures and explanations. This will be the first time I've torn into a rear end, so I'm going to take it slow and easy. Really only want to do it once. Thanks.

[sargentrs]

Since you're just replacing the spider gears with the PowerTrax, don't mess with your pinion gear, mark your ring gear's relationship to your carrier, and mark/measure the side adjustments carefully and precisely. Then as long as you put everything back where it was, you should be able to just put it back together without worrying about gear lash settings, etc. If you pull that pinion gear out of the housing, then you're in crush washer, shims, preload and gear lash world. Not a pleasant place to be without the proper tools and equipment.

[Art]

Did you check the torque required to slip the clutches?

I would just replace the clutch plates.

A mechanical locking diff with those 16-spline axles may give you trouble down the road. Ask me how I learned....

[athelas]

Art, thanks for that thought. Sometimes the simplest solution isn't the first one that comes to mind. And I will ask you how you learned....

[Mancar1]

Good eye Rich. I agree with u.
Keep on Trucking....John

[Stealth69]

Is it limited slip gear oil in rear end because mine did not work until I rebuilt it and filled it with limited slip gear oil now it works great.