Technical Lincoln Locker Advise

Hey Everyone,
Looking for everyone's two cents on doing a Lincoln locker in a 23 T. The car is pushing 430 to 450 HP and has a early 10 bolt in it. What do you guys think of doing this? I had a buddy with a 69 Camaro that had this done to it with no problems. What’s the pros and cons, is anyone currently running one?

 

Pros- cheap.
Cons- tire wear, difficult to park in a tight lot if you go to any cruise ins or fast food joints for example, don’t get caught in the rain.

 

Great for a mud truck or swamp buggy.
Not worth a fuck for anything else...

 

My buddy with the Camaro didn’t have tire wear problems oh yeah but he did smoke the tires all the time and was changing tires out very regularly


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You've a light front end and probably skinny tires...not a good combination to use a locker with.

 

One of the problems with a Lincoln locker is the junk that stays in the rear end and gets in your bearings and between your gears. If you do it your rear end will not last long, besides the other problems mentioned.

Bones

 

I'm gonna keep reading this thread till I figgure out what a Lincoln locker is.

 

Lincoln welder???

 

I wouldn't run a locker on a street car let alone something with a short wheelbase and that light, you're asking for trouble.

 

A Lincoln locker, is where you weld up the spider gears with a welder. Bones

 

Locking cabinet to put Lincoln parts in.Sorry.

 

Actually I can't believe someone would even ask for an opinion on that subject on this site ...some peoples opinions can get fairly rude....then not know what a Lincoln locker......never mind...yes it's not the proper way ...yes it's leave's crap floating around in there...yes it can get you down the road...how far depends on your welding ability...your HP concern's is only really a factor if it hooks up or not..if you really need to be locked up a spool is a better choice and not a lot of cash.... I have run a couple of them ..one in a old ford dirt track car got three seasons out of it...the other was a 55 Chev 327 tunnel ram 4spd. ran it a lot and hard never broke the Lincoln locker part but I did break some parts in and around it ...plus some other miscellaneous items...as far as driving it on the street I didn't have any problems and I drove the piss out of it rain or shine it's a hot rod they drive you...if I wanted a nice easy drive that's what my Cadillac's were for....I'm currently putting together another car, 50 Bullet nose Studebaker,with close to the same set up as the 55 except its got a Dana 60 with a spool....just don't drive with your head up your ass and all will be good....

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Thanks for the up front and straight opinion. I know this is a bit of a controversial topic that some people get heated over. I’m just considering it not sure what I’m going to do yet. Again thanks for being straightforward about it



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Looks like you only want one kind of opinion.

 

I didn't know what it was either.
I've heard of welded spiders being called a South Georgia pos-E-traction. LOL
Geez..Last week we were all supposed to know what an M-23 is.

 

South Georgia??...now I heard of a "North Georgia" pos-A-traction to get rid of the one wheel peel..... I kid...plus I'm in Oregon any ways... actually my first one was welded with a old Montgomery Ward's welder...so it would be a "Monkey Locker"....now the M-23 thing must of missed out on that... I have a M - 22 " Rock Crusher " ....Only M-23 I can think of at the moment has something to do with fighting Rebels in the Congo.....it's all Krazy in here.....just got to love it...

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Limited slip 8.8 er 9.00 inch....
Enough said!....

 

I’m lookin for all opinions good or bad, like I said not sure what I’m going to do. I’ve never done it personally, had a buddy that did it with no problems but have heard of people doing it and have nothing but problems


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Been thinking of doing a complete swap also was thinking of a 9 or a quick change


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What early 10-bolt? You mean the 8.2? The 8.2 is not as valuable, so give it a try. You can drive a locker on the street. It will squeal around tight turns, especially on new asphalt. I never drove on the rain when I drove my drag car (OT 70 Camaro bracket car) on the street. But I did drive with the 14x32 slicks and a full spool, with skinny front tires. It will get squirrely easier with a locked rear, so take some time to get used to it.

When I was a kid I had a V8 Vega with a narrowed 12-bolt rearend. Used a Moroso brute strength limited slip that was much stiffer than stock GM. In the rain it would be a little loose around corners, learned to countersteer when needed and to use a light throttle until straightened out. It was near a locked rear in the light car. I drove that car all through college and in my first year of working. Just be careful in the wet.

Be sure to clean out the rearend after welding as good as you can to get any contaminants out, as stated that will not be good for bearings and gears meshing. Worse that happens is you do it and the drive is not good, so you have to replace the carrier with a normal limited slip or open diff.

 

Yes I think it is a 8.2 it has a drop out center section like a 9 Ford.


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That's not a "10 bolt" rear end them (AKA the GM default rearend found in almost everything)

The welded spider gear is a dirt cheap, don't care, run it till it breaks later today or tomorrow approach

 

Yep, as Dirty Harry said "ya feel'n lucky".

 

The advantage of a Lincoln locker is best with the rear cover rear ends as it’s so easy. Remove cover, weld , clean , replace oil. We did it on every dirt racecare we raced back in the day. But, consider if your car made it through the whole season and you raced two nights a week, your car would only have approximately 1 to 2 thousand miles on it. We never had any trouble with ours, but some racers did have rear ended trouble. If I had a street car and had to pull the third member I would install a traction enhancer of some sort. If your going with the Lincoln method, remove the spider gears and only weld up two groves of the gear opposing each other, clean it up with a wire brush/ grinder. Reinstall you got a locker. It is best to weld as many groves as needed, so the the spider gears don’t roll at all, maybe more than two on each side.

Bones

 

The 10 bolt will hold up behind a auto at that horse power. Add a aftermarket heavy rear cover with bearing support bolts. Better axles would be advised. The Ford 8.8 would also be a good replacement. No on a locker for the street.

 

Mini spools don't cost too much, would be a better option.

 

There's only so many rear ends that have a drop out center section "like a 9 inch" and none of them are a GM 10 bolt.

 

RmK57 that’s exactly what I was thinking.


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