I'm going to a couple of U-pull-it places this weekend and will be looking for a 32 spline Dana 70 power lok. In your guys experience or opinion is there any type of vehicle that is more likely to have a posi (e.g. 4x4 vs. 4x2, Van vs. truck, 2nd gen vs 1st gen, etc)? Thanks for your thoughts on this.

 

I think you would have more luck finding a 35 spline unit.

 

The LSD. Differential in a junkyard dodge will also be worn out, with reference to the spider gear clutches. They have a limited lifespan, and replacement of the clutch discs are comsidered normal maintenance that almost no one does. There are a few fellas that have these diffs in stock, and might provide you what you need, although they probably need the clutches done anyway.

Btw...positraction is a GM branding of their LS diffs. Its like asking for a Kleenex, when you really want a tissue.


BTW, You going to Harry's ? Got to love it. I go there just to walk about, sometimes. HUGE and fun to see what they got.

 

You can swap a 35spline units spiders to a 32spline also for not too much money. Thats the route i had to go.

 

yep

 

Yeah i figured anything I find will need to be rebuilt. It depends on how much they want for the Powr-lok (NOT Posi !!) plus my cost to rebuild it.
Btw...positraction is a GM branding of their LS diffs. Its like asking for a Kleenex, when you really want a tissue.
Yeah yeah...I grew up using posi as a universal term for Limited Slip. Kinda like Freon instead of refrigerant.
You can swap a 35spline units spiders to a 32spline also for not too much money.
I hadn't thought of that...good idea!

 

OK that last post didn't look the way I wanted it too but you get the idea.

 

Soooo ?

 

Look for a 91.5-98 Dodge Dana 70s. Powr-lok production stopped in 98. All these should be 32-spline, and a quick check of the axle retaining bolts (not nuts on studs) will confirm for stock applications.

A metal tag saying "limited slip fluid" doesn't necessarily mean powr-lok. BOM or a visual is the only positive ID. That said, I have yet to pull a trash-lok from a 1st gen cummins truck... seems the 4wds have a better chance of the p'lok; my D250s have been open diff.

FWIW I lump all the friction-based traction aids as a form of 'posi' as opposed to lockers (Detroit/Lockright/etc). Too many people think their gov-bombs and powr-loks are lockers.

IMHO, if you have an open diff, save the headache and put in a lunchbox style locker. The Powertrax gets my vote as best-behaved for the 'locker-shy'.

 

Well...my cousin and I went to the JY (Greble's in Myerstown PA.) The place is huge. We were there for 3 hours (got a late start) and only got through half of the truck section. My cousin was after Chevy stuff. I found a few D70's. I found one under a one ton, early 90's Dodge van. I didn't get the chance to check it for posi though. My cousin and I will go back soon.
I did grab a nice left front turn signal and a retractable (extendable?) under hood light in really good shape. I also grabbed a really nice tailgate that is 99% straight, almost rust free and has the raised "Dodge Ram" letters on it. I snagged the tailgate hinges too. I paid $42.50 for all of it. Pretty good deal in my book.
I also saw a mid 70's STEPSIDE 4X4 bright green W100!! Unfortunately it was rotted pretty badly.

 

late 70s early 80s chevy dull wheel pickup only used dana 70 not cab & chassie they used 14 bolt. 70s ford one ton used 70 dana they both used the power lok . get the unit cheap and buy a new clutch kit and new drive spiders if the splines are not correct

 

Typically, 1-ton DRW vans and DRW pickups have a really wide diff... 72" or so. And the perch spacing is different unless its another Dodge pickup.

You can spend a lot of $$$ rebuilding, modifying, and installing a P'lok.... and you still have a clutch posi that slips when you get one tire in the goo with a load on.

Makes the lunchbox locker look like a good option, IMHO.

 

At this point I would just need the p'lok unit itself. I would only swap the entire axle assembly if I found one from a 1st gen SRW.
I know that the p'lok can slip but I had one in my 1995 CTD and it worked well in street/light offroad situations. It quit working around the 150k miles.
The thing that I'm leery of with a lunchbox locker is that it only uses one pin through the carrier as opposed to two. It puts more load in less area. If I'm thinking about it correctly the single spider gear pin with an open diff sees significantly less load than a locker would apply to it.
My truck will be 90% on road. It will see light offroading.
The price of a used p-lok is critical since I will have to spend $100-400 to rebuild it. There are new ones on Fleabay for about $700 shipped.

 

Thanks for the info on Chevy and Ford. That was kind of my plan. There are a bunch of those in that JY. Did the duallies use a D70 HD? I realize the best way to really find out what it is is to run the BOM number but that's kind of hard to do in the middle of the yard. The BOM isn't fool proof either.

 

Gotta be care full on the Ford D70's. Some of them used a L/S with 8 clutch plates in them. Used behind a cummins they will rattle your teeth loaded and turning. They rachete like a locker. The chevy and dodge L/S used 6 plates.