[GALAXIE] 9" out of my car opened and revealed...what is this?

[Deb]

Needless to say having a rearend that might as well be welded doesn't do a thing for tires.  Nor does it help out much backing out of a parking space when the tranny is bad!  I have a 3.50 in there now that was given to me and didn't know it was a 3.50 til I got it home but it sure beat that locked rearend by far.  Nice to go around corners and not watch the gas pedal in the rain or sand/gravel on pavement and hearing the chirping of the tires.   Going to be swapping again and going to a 2.75 i think this time round though.  Maybe i'll save a couple gallons of gas. 

Someone also mentioned it was something they used for dirt track racing and supposedly it could be removed and the spiders put back in for the street.  I'm not doing any dirt track either.  Closest i get to that is an occasional gravel road. :)

Deb


Date: Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:35:32 -0400
From: "Mike Marshall" <ekimllahsram at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [GALAXIE] 9" out of my car opened and revealed...what is
    this?


my neighbor (Marty Snowball a national champion drag racer) is an expert on 
9 inch rear-ends from his drag racing days...he told me the following:

If he is using the correct terminology, it is a Detroit locker. They made 
them to replace the traction lock which is a clutch deal.  A locker has 
mechanical dogs that lock and unlock to keep both wheels in sync. When you 
go around corners the dogs unlock. When you are going straight the dogs lock 
up. they are not good for the street, they are real noisy with the dogs 
locking and unlocking all the time. I have had them unlock during a drag 
racing run and the car immediately goes side ways. More than one car hit the 
wall because of them. I started to shim the dogs so they cannot unlock, 
which makes them a spool

and....

I should also say that there is a later model of the locker that they have 
modified over in the last few years that are supposed to be better, but I 
have not had one apart to see what they did.

and....

It is the weakest version of the 9 inch. It is a two spider open 
differential. see the two side gears there are all tore up? the stronger one 
has 4 side gears and will not tear up. BUT that is an open rear, it has no 
clutches or dogs to tie the axles together.


I hope this helps....

Mike