'98 H1 without any locking differentials at a good price, with alot of recent work at a Hummer certified shop. The truck looks to be in good shape, and the seller has agreed to let me take it to the dealer for full scrutiny before buying.

I'm not thrilled about the lack of lockers, because while i'm sure there is something out there on the aftermarket, it'll be a PITA to get them installed. And probably cost 10 grand.

Anything "bad" about the 98s to look for? Any reason to believe that lockers can't be found?

 

Unless they stopped putting them in for a while, it should have the Torsen differentials in it. They are kind of like a limited slip, but once they engage, they are as solid as a locker. They use gears instead of clutches to function. They do take a bit of spin to engage, but are better than having open diffs or a regular limited slip.

 

As Linus Gump mentioned, the 1998 trucks useTorsen Diffs that are torque biasing differentials, and you need to use BTM to effectively "lock them up." The fact that the 98 doesn't have the TT4 system and antilock brakes, and that it can be BTM'd so well, is one of the main reasons that it is such a desirable truck for serious wheelers. The Torsens won't truly lock, and you have to fight against your own brakes to get maximum traction -- so there are some down sides... For more info on BTM and Torsens, I wrote an article back in 2005 about 'em:

http://hummer.off-road.com/hummer/ar....jsp?id=263805

You can still install lockers if you wish; an automatic locker (like a Detroit Soflocker) in the rear is enough for most serious wheelers, but if you really want the ultimate in traction without having to use BTM, you can install some kind of selectable locker in the front (electric or air activated, usually). Most people don't recommend an automatic locker in the front (like the Detroit), but others say it is fine in the Hummer.

If you install a Detroit in the rear, you can still use BTM when you really need more traction in the front.
If you need help locating lockers for a truck, let me know - I can point you to a few vendors that will happily get you into one...

 

thanks manny, linus. i will probably take you up on your offer to help finding parts & the like.

But with respect to the '98, no reason to believe this is a "lemon" year or anything like that?

 

I myself own an 98 and heard that many 98's have the #8 cylinder crack. Thats why i shopped around untill i found one with an replace engine some say 99+ fixed this problem but I heard of 99's still having the problem the new heavier motor wasnt released untill 2001.

 

thanks inju

i got outbid on that truck, and didn't get a second chance to up my offer. i guess when you snooze you lose.