Ok, I'm thinking about doing some Lincoln lockers in the rear on my 1979 CJ 5. I know the possible outcome and how some people don't suggest doing it. What I need and have been searching for is an article on how to do it, with pictures etc. I am very good with a welder so that's not a problem. I saw an article in a magazine at one time where they added in extra pieces of little steel in between the spider gear where you weld at just so there wasn't as big of a gap. Any information on how to do this would be much appreciated and soon plan on taking it out this weekend and would like to get it done before then.  

It totally escapes me why anyone would want to weld a rear axle. IF a a Detroit or Lock Right is far better than a spooled axle. Wheels need to turn different speed in turns and with a lincoln locker they cannot which mean you loose traction in turn because you force wheels to skid in every turn, wet of dry, mud or sand, snow or ice. It is one of those ideas the might look good at first but is not when you think about it.  

I know the good and the bad of doing a lincoln locker. Money is the issue here, and the issue being I don't have a lot right now to go out and buy lockers. This is an off road Jeep, trailered to the events so handling on the road is not something I need to worry about. Off road ???? what's wrong with a little skidding around some corners ?  lol This won't be a permanent thing as I have another axle I will be putting in my CJ when I decided to put the time and most important, Money into it. Just need some help from someone who has done this to make sure I do it right.  

You will not get a little skidding but rather a lot more than you think and it will increased turning radius as well because it is not going to want to turn. (old short CJ's shine is turning in tight spots until you weld axles)  Said part is is that a AMC 20 has a 8.8 inch ring gear and is a pretty strong axle if you swap of 2 piece axles for one piece axles. BTW, welded axle adds a lot more strain to axles too (which can lead to hub failure on 2 piece stock axle in AMC 20)because of stresses built up in axle from being "spooled" which drive stresses are added too so make sure you throw a extra axle and hub on "trailer". (AMC 20's typically strip axle hubs with big tires and hard usage with stock axle design) Save yourself the headaches and run it as is until you do your "rear axle swap" that you plan anyway.  

snoman... i think he's made up his mind on what he's going to *** the axle's not worth putting much money into in the long run as it is... and a spooled rear axle on a cj7 handles fairly well on road actually...

CJinthehills... if you're going to weld it up then take the carrier out completly then weld between each of the spider gears front and back... then take some cold rolled bar and cut either cut it down or try to fish it into carrier to make an x inside and weld it all again... but make sure you weld it hot and get it clean... completely clean... you might even want to pre heat the gears with a torch to burn off any oil... but i wouldn't weld to the carrier at all and if you can get ahold of a relatively large magnet then i would attach it to the housing cover... that way it'll catch any bits of spatter that will come off later.....  just know... it's going to break... and when it does it very likely won't be repairable... so  have that other axle ready as soon as you can...  

If it's just a play around jeep then I would say go for it. I had a 76 cj5 lincoln locked front and rear! I would not recommend locking the front so much unless it's only a mudder but have no problem locking the rear. It's quite simple if you know a little about welding:
Take cover off drain all oil out
Use brake clean and rag to remove remaining oil off spider gears
Crank up welder and melt the spider gears together, the hotter the better here as penetration is key.
Weld between spider gear and housing on the four points
Rotate 180 degrees and repeat on other side.

Quick and easy way to get more traction you should be happy with this. If you have a big mud tire remember to take some air out and that will give you some give cornering. Have fun man!!!  

Lincoln lockers are still a bad idea. Myself I would run a open diff over a welded one any day. If they were so "great" serious off road equipment would have spools rather than diff's  

I'm not trying to say lincoln locking is "better" than buying a locker, but some people like (me) can't afford to run lockers and choose a good cheap alternative like welding. You are right but this does work...  

The problem with spools and lincoln lockers is that all is not how it seems. Every time you turn you are forcing your tires to break grip with the ground and loosing traction because they cannot assume different rolling radius in a turn. Whenever a tires slips, it has LESS traction than it does when it firm contact with surface. Plus it will increase turning radius because it will want to go straight so it causes front to plow (loosing traction and directional control). Go ahead and weld them and then when you get on a slick hillside and your 4x4 slides off it or will not turn up it you will scratch your head and wonder why. Spools and the like have one place, the drag strip and thats about it but their will always be someone that they are the thing to have. It you really want to help traction and performance, loose the tall gears that you likely have because deeper gears improve traction overall because of less axle/chassis torque wind up and more even ground pressure on tires (this is why RR always spins first going forward because the drive shaft trying to twist tires with tall gears is actually taking weight on that tire in counter torque reaction. Deeper gear provide same ground effort with less chassis/axle wrapup because less axle input torque is needed. Even  LSD is better than a spool off road. BTW, the best traction aid  against getting stuck is your brain not the arc welder.  

Well, we went out this weekend....No, I didn't get to doing the Lincoln locker in the rear. Had a great time and only repair I need to make before the next run out in a few weeks is the steering box took a good hit when we went over a water fall and now the seal is leaking and the drag link needs replaced. Oh and I think the gas tank will now hold about a gallon less ha ha ha! I've decided I'm going to hold off on the Lincoln locker, trying to sell a 1968 Ford Bronco and if I can get that gone then I'm going to invest in a locker done right. Ran with guys that had lockers, went through everything they did no problem. Will be nice to have some though when needed. Thanks for the info on how to weld them, never know, might still give it a try just for the heck of it.  

Also I might mention, if you have not done a axle upgrade on the AMC 20 to replace two piece axle/hub setup, locking axle can hasten the demise of the splined hubs. While the AMC 20 is a sturdy axle when you upgrade axles to one piece design, it is weakened but stock axles and big tires and a locker can spell failure. Make sure your axle gland nuts are really tight regardless.  

I didn't think about it being a 20 rear. I wouldn't mess with that thing at all like snowman says. Go hunting for a 44 or get one piece axles. If you can save up the money for a locker do it, that is the best route to take. Good luck with the wheeling man and have fun...  

Actually a replacement/upgrade axle kit for it is about 300 bucks or so and with the upgrade it is a pretty strong rear axle and the replacement axle shafts are stronger than stock 44 axle shafts. If it was my Jeep I would upgrade axles and keep AMC 20.  

Maybe sometime in the future that is something I can consider doing but for now $300 might as well be $3,000,000. With these gas prices there is no extra to spend on the fun stuff.  

I understand completely and also remember along the lines of this original post that a Lincoln locker will increase gas usage (lower MPG) because the tires will scuff when ever you turn and that takes power/fuel to overcome.