Those are also extremely unreliable and if you just weld it in can be dangerous. I would never put one in a daily driver, let alone in the rear axle.

 

Luch box locker are actually extremely reliable. I have run on in my 10 sec mystang for over 5 years with not one failure. When you buy something that is made with quality materials you get a quality product that is reliable.

 

Im not sure what your talking about but when I hear lunchbox locker I think a drop in kit that just replaces the spider gears. For one, those are full lockers and not a LS that OP is looking for, and two since they only replace the spider gears and is going to be nowhere near reliable as something like a tru-trac, or even a factory LS. There also known to cause a lot of clunking sounds, inconsistent engagement/ disengagements, and a lot of backlash in the driveline. And if used daily in a rear axle it will wear out in a fraction of the time of a new LS. All of which is why they are usually used for a front axle.

 

my lunch box locker hasnt failed me yet. sure it noisey but that doesn't bother me. I will never run a ls again

 

So I confirmed the axle: it's a door-sticker code 19 and I took a photo of the axle nameplate (see image) which confirms: 3.55 gears (open), 9.75" ring gear, model S924A made April 12, 2000.

 

The axle I found on craigslist is from an '02 F150 4x4. The guy only wants $300 for it but it's been sitting there for several years so I wouldn't be surprised if I can get him down on price a little. It's a factory trac-loc, not all that reliable but I can throw a set of clutches into it (also on craigslist for $75) without too much work and it would suit the purposes of pulling the boat out of the water at the ramps. I don't do off-roading so I don't need something too complicated. My only question is: will it bolt in?

 

Understood, they may not take the abuse as a LS such as true-trac but for my purposes, "bolt-in" is right up my alley. Because I only need it once in a while (for the boat ramps) and don't really need to spend in the ballpark of $1000 (after a pro installs it correctly) it might be a budget friendly alternative for the very little use I'm going to get out of it. As long as I can turn it on and off at the ramps and don't have to get a pro to lash the gears upon install, this might actually work.

 

You can't turn a LS on and off... If you could get it for around 200 it would prolly be worth a try. It will be a direct bolt in. Is the truck your dd? I would get the 2nd rear end, put new fluid, maybe new clutches in it then bolt it up.you could still drive your truck until you was ready to swap it in. Then you could sell your original and recoup some of your money..

 

The on-off functionality was referring to a full locker since that was suggested above as a drop-in alternative. No, the truck is not my DD. It's only used on weekends to haul stuff around. I expect to only put maybe 5000 miles all year. I will look at the axle on craigslist this weekend and may pick it up if it's in good shape. I think for my purposes it's probably the most efficient and budget-friendly solution. The only hassle will be swapping brake lines. Thanks a million for all the help everyone!

 

If the axle is from a 02 you should have no problems just dropping it in. All fittings will be the same.