Just to make clear my thoughts on locking a jeep up based on my previous posts... It is overall going to be more costly than running open becqause your likelyhood of breaking a deiveline componet goes waaay up. I am not a fan of welding a diff ever. It just creats too many weak links. If money is tight go with a lock-rite. They go in easy and are fairly functional. Not super strong, but fair, and you can find one on eBay in the 200-250 range.

A selectable locker is daddy and a neat mod to brag about, but I've found them sometimes to be a little bit of a hassle and they are by far the most expensive. U'll be lookng in the 500-800 range just for parts. OX and ARB are the favorites. There are others, but not nearly as proven. OX are getting harder and harder to find. Somebody told me recently that they might have gone under. Eaton makes one, but I think it's platinum linned.

I am a huge fan of the Detroit soft locker. I have run several of them. Yes, I have broke one, but I was full throttle and landed hard. Something had to give. They'll run 350-500 on eBay. If you can afford, go 30 spline and upgrade to alloy shafts while ur at it. A broken C-Clip axle strands you right there. Can't even tow it. There is nothing to keep the broken shaft in the housing. That is why ppl go to full-floating rear's when they upgrade to 3/4 or 1 ton.

Just know that when you go full diff that you are going to have to pay a gear guy to install it and that can be in the 150-350 range depending on your area.

DO NOT weld the front!!! You won't be able to steer and the front stubbs can't handle the constant bind. Even with a rachet locker, it can be a pain. I constantly have to shift out of 4 digger to get around a sharp turn. I run lock-rite's in the front of mine.

A locker is a big decision, but ***MY OPINION*** I feel like you shouldn't even try to wheel without them. A locked in the rear jeep will do more than a jeep in 4 bi with open diffs.

If you are willing to spend some time shopping, you can often times find axles that are already set up with gears and a locker that are ready to go. When you buy this way, you often times will save on all those shipping costs and some of the labor... I.E. a used dana 44 for $1500 is worth it. Before you are all said and done, you might end up putting 800 or more into your dana 35.

Read a lot and very carefully considder what you want your rig to be in the future. One of the biggest pains is RE-SPENDING your money to change something out that you thought was sufficent the first time. Every time we choose to "go cheap" we are potentially adding several weak links to an otherwise sound rig. Being stranded and having to hike out or be towed several rough miles SUX!!! Been there toooo many times.

Hope some of this helps.

 

i have a detroit locker out back and detroit tru trac up front, cant even tell the front one is there till in 4x4 then it is very noticeable, i have no problem with rock crawlen. works especially good in the snow! detroit in the back can be kinda harsh sometimes, but i like it that way!!!

btw, i picked up my Dana 44 for $600 and it came with a detroit locker that i later sold cause it had 3.55 gears on it. sold it for 200 bucks and in the end only paid 400 +600 on gears and locker! 1000 bucks and i was all set up to run it hard!

 

Weld up the back diff, throw an OX in the front. No air lines to break, no buttons to push. When its locked, its LOCKED.