just finished my Aussie Front Locker Install.
first thing i did was print up Frank R's install.
it was great to have step by step instructions with pictures.

Thank You Frank R.

I removed the whole thing because i wanted to paint it. ( natch )
Seeing things from the inside out was interesting! The dust seal had failed on the drivers knuckle. water and dirt had infected the needle bearing.
It was rusted and trashed! replaced both diff seals plus the lower driver's ball joint.
Made a mental note to rebuild the front end complete in the next couple years but there was nothing else needing attention.

or so i thought.......

halfway through this job my son's raider lost it's brakes. Drivers caliper seal went bad and the piston rusted and froze.
the shoes ground down the rotor. $400 later he had all new parts front to rear.

this made me wonder about my front calipers. although they are rusty looking i just replaced them last year!

good thing i checked as the harsh mud , dirt and water i go through had caused one seal to start to go bad.
i bought a couple caliper rebuild kits and some caliper ceramic paint.
here are all the pictures.

just finished getting diff out.






locker installed!

a little shocked that these are no longer needed.


YUCK!




bet you thought i would paint it red?

Caliper in pieces.


better after sandblasting.


needed to set end play.


before


after


before


after


now i will turn the rig around and replace my leaking rear locker!

Thats how you keep them running forever. Good preventative maintence.

Good Job! How do you like the Gen 2 Idler arm? I'm going to make the switch soon on both my gen 1's. Going to install the ARB in my 89 soon as well.

i like the gen 2 idler arm a lot.

makes me feel a little better that it might not break so easily.i carry the old one in my rig just in case i think?

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/zombie.gif" alt="" />

I forgot to mention that after i finished it all i went out to a local jobsite that had a nice steep dirt incline that was fairly rutted from recent rains.

i drove around in the flat dirt in 4wd with the locker on and it is a weird thing. the moment you try to turn in any direction the steering tries to push you back to center! it is a very strong push on the steering wheel. you have to drive like you know this and pull much harder on the wheel.

when going up the incline there was almost no way to go right or left without a lot of effort also. more so than on flat land.

i did here a couple clicks when it all first locked up but never heard nothing after that. it was a very quiet locker i felt.



i can see where this could be a problem but doubtful with the air locker in the rear also.

That was my main concern with a mechanical locker in the front. Every turn is making the locker engage making the turn harder to accomplish. this could be perilous IMO on many trails.

You sure could climb up more stuff than me though. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

I drove my (non-Mitsubishi) rig in ND/MN this winter in the blizzard with the Lockrite. That thing was definitely fun to drive on the slick stuff, and it REALLY helped get me through some ruts when I kept getting hung up on the front diff. It takes a little getting used to, but I hope you like yours as much as I enjoy mine! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />