Aussie front locker install

[Marlin]

Alright, day two of the locker saga. I have now spent about 14 hours working on this POS. Couple hours just getting cotter pins out. Lessons learned, to remove the CV joint, there is a retaining ring just inside the "green" cup that holds the balls and cup assembly. Just use a knife and pop it out. You have to remove the inner boot to do this. Had I known that, I never would have broken the axle seal, and saved a few hours of labor. To date, I have now replaced drivers side upper ball joint, lower ball joint, maybe a sway bar tie rod end, front axle seal.
To make matters worse, my locker didn't fit. Requires .006 in min clearance between collar and pinion shaft. I ended up sanding down to 0.0065 one side and 0.004 on the other. That took quite a while.
Over all gap after assemble" .142ish, min required .145. Better be close enough. If anything, it won't unlock, which is fine, cause I will be running 2wd high via manual hubs anyway.
I didn't take pics, but it wouldn't be good anyway, a lot of cussing and screaming and running to parts stores. Now I am paying storage while the VX sits on the lift at the Hobby Shop. I should finish tuesday evening. Right now, CVs are in, diff mounted, full of Royal Purple. Good news, the cvs from Ebay fit just fine. Now I have my OEM set as spares. they were in good shape, boots were rough, but whole, and grease looked great.

[VXorado]

Sounds like a headache, just think of how your locked front end will be on the trails

Over all gap after assemble" .142ish, min required .145. Better be close enough. If anything, it won't unlock, which is fine, cause I will be running 2wd high via manual hubs anyway.

So it sounds like TOD will no longer work because the front end will always be locked. Is this how the locker is designed or is it because the locker doesn't fit the front diff correctly?

[Triathlete]

His TOD will work when his hubs are locked, however BOTH front tires will be engaged.

[samneil2000]

So it sounds like TOD will no longer work because the front end will always be locked. Is this how the locker is designed or is it because the locker doesn't fit the front diff correctly?

TOD doesn't distribute power between the front wheels. It only distributes power between the rear axle and the front axle. The front is an open diff, so you might not get power to the ground depending on situation. If you get a front wheel in the air (not touching anything solid) all power would be sent to it and you won't really have pulling in the front end.

With the locker in place, even if one wheel is in the air the other tire will get power. This greatly increases the off-road capabilities of any 4x4 vehicle. Now I want to see how long his front CV's hold up.

[VXorado]

Thanks guys, that makes sense. I've been in a 4x4 with a locked rear and felt how difficult it was turning, I assume that a locked front would be worse and almost impossible to drive on city streets.

[SPAZZ]

Isuzu CV's are so easy. Just messy, time consuming, and you gotta do it right.

That story was funny, but woulda made americas most funniest mechanic videos with him cursing and throwing grease and tools for days!!!

But, don't ever follow the book or manual 100% or you'll take apart way more than necessary and it will take you a whole lot longer to take apart, as well to put back together and will probably have a lot of you having it towed on its bare knuckles to the shop and paying them anyways to fix it.


Aussie Lockers is what I was going to run in the ol' VX of mine as they disengage when turning. Then engage when wheels straight.
So, they are not a real locker, but are supposedly stronger than a lockright and make a good lunchbox locker of sorts.
Welding woulda just been cheeper and good with running Manual hubs.

If you weld the rear axle spidergears be really careful with turns and get to know your new VX.

[Marlin]

Spazz-
As for the rear end, no mods there, if you watch some of my utube videos, my LSD in the rear in tandem with ebrake works as well as a locker.
VXorado, you are right, with an "autolocker" or "soft locker" in the front and manual hubs on 2wd, TOD will no longer be effective. Not because of the locker, but because the tires will roll independent of whatever the front axle is doing while the hubs are in 2wd. I never had any intention of driving with the lockers on the pavement. Too much risk for tearing up CVs and what not.
Spazz is 100% right, just throw the stupid tech manual out for doing mechanical work. Now that I know how to disassemble front driveline, I could have saved hours of labor not breaking the various ball joints, and not ruined an axle seal as well. I am now confident that I could do this job again in one day, pending rust and cotter pins.
As for the locker, the spacer collar was machined too big on both sides. My diff was spotless, no wear marks, and no looseness, oil was good. The error was on Aussies side, not mine. I know I read on the Planet or another site of someone having to shave their Aussie kit to get it to fit. They sanded the thrust washer, sounds like a bad idea to me. It is a sliding load bearing surface. Doing the outside of the collar, it was just a spacer and doesn't slide on anything. No harm, no foul if it relatively rough compared to the other surfaces. If you had a machine shop, it would be a real quick and simple fix, but doing it by hand on sand paper was no fun. As I mentioned, I am sure it will work as designed, but I probably voided my locker warranty. but since it only covers parts, not labor, not a big deal for something thats only 400 bucks, compared to the 800 or more it would cost in labor if I had paid a shop to do it. Waiting for new parts was not an option either, down my 2nd vehicle, sitting in a rented bay at the Hobby Shop cost me bucks. So I rolled the dice. I will let you know what happens.

[SPAZZ]

Are they still $4 a day for a covered staul and $4 extra for a lift and you get 10 tool tags for tools?


Thats the way Miramar was when I was there.
If you needed more tools you gave up a tool tag for another set of 10 tool tags.

$3 a day for an uncovered staul.

[Marlin]

I HAVE NOW JOINED THE LIMITED RANKS OF THE LOCKED VXs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I did have another problem, had to call Mike at Indy4x, no help there. Couldn't get the hubs on and the C clip for the CV. He said it would be tight. Turns out, take a steel bar with a hole through, the proper pitch bolt, and a socket to use as a spacer, and then screw it into the CV. Sort of like a gear puller, only its a CV puller. Those bad boys are never coming off again....very tight fit indeed.


For a covered stall with lift, its $5 an hour. If store over night, another 5 bucks. tools, no limit, just hand over your ID. I know most of the folks that work there, they are fellow Chiefs from my command, so I kind of do what I want.
So here is the tally for the final product:
Aussies-$365
CVs-$120 or so
Various ball joints-$150
axle seal-$30
Royal purple gear oil-$36
Super Winch hubs-$120
stall rental-$130
So somewhere around 900ish and an IMMENSE feeling of accomplishment. I now know a helluva lot more about the drive train, and how to disassemble and reassemble stuff. I am just happy that it all works, and that my awesome friend from work took the time to explain how things work, such as the spider gear assembly, locker, various drivetrain terms and so on. I owe him big!!! I tested out the Aussie, no problems, I tooled around in the gravel with it in 4low, hubs engaged, disengaged, 4high and all the combinations. It is definitely a different beast in 4 low with it locked.
If someone reads this that has manual hubs, does your TOD front power indicating light flash up and down at lower speeds? No worries, since I am in manual now anyway, TOD means nothing to me, I may have to black tape over the lights to keep it from annoying the piss out of me.

[VX1032]

I don'tdrive the VX much anymore, but I do not recall the TOD trying to redistribute power very much. I think the split goes to the normal one bar for the front wheels, and never moves from that, but again, I don't drive it much anymore.

[Riff Raff]

You Rock, MARLIN. Your tenacity and skillz never fail to amaze me and you continue to make more mod's to your VX in the shortest amount of time than anyone else on this entire forum. You are a true "Lead By Example" type of guy, and I'm damn proud we have you in our military.

[Marlin]

You Rock, MARLIN. Your tenacity and skillz never fail to amaze me and you continue to make more mod's to your VX in the shortest amount of time than anyone else on this entire forum. You are a true "Lead By Example" type of guy, and I'm damn proud we have you in our military.

People are gonna think we are dating...lol. Well, I do want to have the reputation of doing what I say I will. So far, I have done everything I said I would. There are others that say one thing or another, but never follow through. With that being said, I am going to climb Kodak rock in a few weeks, for those that are not familiar, that would be the tough obstacle at Uwharrie National Forest. They told me I couldn't do Daniel with open front end without a strap, been there, done that, video to prove it.
I have no idea what my next project will be. Probably restoration of the undercarriage. Might as well use that soda blaster I bought this winter. I will probably just pay to have valves adjusted, shims and whatnot do not sound fun, and the repercussions of an error are far worse than messing with the differential and suspension. We shall see.
I will say having manual hubs seems to make old girl more spry, or it could be the various new ball joints, but she seems to turn easier, even with those monster mudders on the wheels.

[crotchrocket]

Do the front Hubs need to be unlocked on the road even when in 2wd with an aussie locker. thinking of getting one? sounds like alot of work to fit it to the Vcross. Been reading installs on the trooper owners site and seems alot simpler.

[VX1032]

same install for the trooper and the VX.

Yes manual hubs have to be unlocked when driving on pavement with a front locker.

[Marlin]

same install for the trooper and the VX.

Yes manual hubs have to be unlocked when driving on pavement with a front locker.

Well, not entirely true, I drove around quite a bit, but for daily driving, the front hubs should be on 4x2. Otherwise you get an annoying click and an occasional chirp. As for the install, it isn't that bad, mine was just so rusted, and I had never done anything like this, it was a PITA. I could do it again in 1/3 of the time.
Go for it!!! Makes it a whole new truck!