Gov-Lok Rearend Upgrade?

[6.5 Detroit Diesel]

Recently I took apart one of the 10.5" Gov-Lok units in my garage, just to get an idea what it was all about. :D
I found that the little pawl which you can see from the side of the ring gear face, is controlled by a little spring. When the one side spins, the pawl flicks out and locks the clutches up. When it hits 20 mph's, the spring tension is overridden and it releases. Just tossing an idea out here, because I would like to have a read end that engages for more than 20 mph and my other options are a little to much money. Has any one put a stiffer spring in? The way I see it, if there was a stiffer spring, it would hold the clutches in longer, like may up to 40/45 mph? Anyone ever tried this?

[DmaxMaverick]

The "fail-safe" prevents locking above ~20 MPH. If it is locked below 20 MPH, it will stay locked until the differential friction is released or significantly reduced (near even traction, which means you don't need it locked). Increasing spring tension will only increase the differential wheel engagement RPM. You DO NOT want your rear end locking at higher speeds. If it starts out locked, it's fine to stay locked, but having it lock at 40+ MPH could be disastrous, especially on ice. It could be beneficial for a drag race only vehicle, but then why wouldn't you use a spool? They're cheaper, more durable, and won't be "off" at the wrong time.

Be careful to not re-engineer the engineers. It rarely works, and most of the time it costs many times more in the end (and not always just money or property).

[6.5 Detroit Diesel]

Good point, but my problem is I was told at the one local shop I went into that I was looking at $800 for a spool.:eek:
Which I thought was a little high.
Oh well, it was just a thought.

[DmaxMaverick]

I'll say that's high. Should be less than $100. I wonder if he was talking about the same thing? A spool is NO GOOD for on-road use, and would make driving on loose ground or snow/ice impossible. Drag racing or pulling (if you don't need to turn) is their only use. $800 is about the price of a complete Gov-Loc or Detroit replacement, all new.

Why are you interested in high-speed lockup?

[JohnC]

...Should be less than $100.

I'll say. Just weld the spider gears to the shaft! ;)