The AUSubaru.com.au Forums

Hey all just wondering does anyone have Diff locks on their L-series? just wondering how it goes and was it expensive??
cheers.

yep its called a welded diff and works great! i think i piad around $50 for a dude to weld it up. you just have to take one cv shaft out when you are on the road. easy job.

diff locks are not readily availiable for an L series unless ur willing to spend big bucks on one to be custom made

a while ago detroit locker was availiable but they are as rare as hens teeth and as expensive as a hen WITH teeth..

most people opt for either a welded diff like mat just said or an LSD out of an RX turbo or the like...you can also get an LSD from any R160 type diff and just swap the centre part over to your diff

dave

can some one explain why you would get diff locks/welded? my car handles like its locked in 4wd but not in 2wd

L series part time 4x4 gearboxes are locked in the centre (locked front to back) when 4x4 is engaged. This means the car can crab around corners. Certainly not as bad as it would if the rear diff was welded.

You want to either selectively lock your rear diff or have it permanently welded in a locked position so it drives both rear wheels at the same time.
By default you have an open rear diff centre which means only 1 wheel drives at a time, usually the one which has no traction!
Selective locking mechanisms for L series (magnetic or air actuated) are only a custom thing, they were never mass produced. There are probably less than 20 in Australia.
You can use either a clutch LSD (from the old RX or Vortex turbos) or a Viscus LSD from an early Liberty RS but naturally you will still get a fair bit of drive loss as they still slip.
The cheapest method is definitely to get your rear diff welded so its locked. It just means you have to take 1 rear driveshaft out to make the car drive normally on the road, which can be a bit of a pain but it gets easier every time you do it.