Ok, so I've got a detroit out back on my truck. It was installed a few months after the truck was born---about may '89. I've never ran one, but heard they can be pretty unruly on the street. Anyway, I get to talking with a fella at a meet+greet a couple weeks ago and he say my Detroit is broke, based on the driving impressions I described. Basically, there's a ton of play from accel to coast. It's not the R+P--that's recent and set up properly. With the rear in the air and tranny in N, the pinion can be rotated from about 'noon' to 2-2:30 ish before the diff catches. It works otherwise and will rachet or freewheel and then lock up appropropriately...it's just all that lash. So, my question is, can I rebuild the guts and if so, who should I contact for parts? I'd like an entire other diff with a trac-lok, but that's out of the budget. I'm hoping I can fix this one somewhat on the cheap. Lemmie know whatcha think!
Greg

 

That is normal the locker needs the internal free-play to operate correctly

http://www.offroadexchange.com/detroitlocker.htm

 

Yes typical for DL.

 

Yep, normal... Mine has almost exactly what your has, and has had that much from the day I installed it.

Paul

 

Huh, ok. Thanks for the replies. I guess I'm already behind the 8-ball with the Getrag--it feels like the syncros have to work real hard to engage between gears, but when running in 4x4, the front axle, not having the super-lash of the Detroit, I can shift much more quickly. Oh well, it's the price we pay to play, I guess