The Lone Ranger – Kage’s ’94 X-Cab Leaf SAS and Bed Bob

[Kage]

2,000 mile update
Not exactly an exciting update, but I’ve passed the 2k mile mark here recently, and nothing’s killed me yet. The truck has been playing DD while I did the clutch on my Mustang, so the miles got racked up on it. Over all, I’m very happy with how its working on road. Some Hit and misses:
　
Hits:
- The brakes are friggin awesome

- The track bar makes it much nicer to drive

- It makes me giggle to be sitting in traffic in my ‘wheeler’ with the A/C on while I watch other motorist sweat.

- The stinger is a good threatening device
　
Misses:
- Heims are making noise (still tight though) so I’ll swap them out for TRE’s after my next wheeling trip (7/30/11)

- While the 4:10’s get the job done, it could really benefit from deeper gearing. Taking off on a hill is a bit annoying.

- 14.6 mpg’s regardless of how I drive it. Pretty decent for what it is, but that starts to add up with my commute.

- I ran it across a scale last night, it looks like I overshot my target weight by a bit. With ~17 gallons of fuel, and the spare in the back this pig weights in at 5,300 lbs. I’m going to guess ‘trail ready’ it’ll weigh in closer to 5,500-5,700 lbs. So much for keeping it under 5k...
　
In other news, I swapped out my t case motor for another, so now I’ve got 4wd again. I’d still like to ditch the electric case, but for now its serving its purpose. At this point, I’m ready to go out and play again so I’m really looking forward to the end of the month!

[Josh40601]

Sounds just like mine buddy! Although you came in a little fatter than me i believe, although i haven't weighed it yet. I have 4.56's and it still sucks taking off on hills. If you do change, go 4.88s

I think i might change out my rod ends to TRE's as well. With the truck going to DD status again, no use in keeping them since my are making noise too.

And yes, A/C is amazing

[Kage]

Originally Posted by Josh40601

So... I have 4.56's and it still sucks taking off on hills. If you do change, go 4.88s

I think i might change out my rod ends to TRE's as well. With the truck going to DD status again, no use in keeping them since my are making noise too....

I"m trying real hard to justifiy spending the money on regearing it. Its one of those things that "I should do" but every time I look at it, my head spins a little (Lunch box in the rear, new carrier, gears, and new axle shafts and I'm looking at nearly $900 for one end ) . At least the front it just a matter of swaping gears.

As for the Heims, the only time mine are making noise are parking lot moves. Its the typical "Groan" that all of them seem to like to make. I picked up some Ruff Stuff TRE inserts, so we'll see how they'll work out for me (my arms are allready drilled out to 3/4" so I can't just jam a taper in there and call it good).

[Josh40601]

Yea i am only running .120 wall. Oh man, that is what is causing the groan? I thought it was the metal being too thin that it was "giving".

I'll have to record what mine sounds like. It will blow your mind. It's bad. Like REAL bad.

Why do you have to buy new shafts?

[RangerSVT]

You can use the same carrier you have now, and just go with the thick gears, or you can get a detroit instead of buying a carrier and a lunchbox (since they will be about the same price anyways)...He has 32 spline shafts now, and he's going to 35 spline shafts...
SVT

[Kage]

Originally Posted by Josh40601

Yea i am only running .120 wall. Oh man, that is what is causing the groan? I thought it was the metal being too thin that it was "giving".

I'll have to record what mine sounds like. It will blow your mind. It's bad. Like REAL bad.

I'm running .250 wall on my steering junk (.120" on the trac bar). As the heims get dirt in them, they tend to make noise.

Originally Posted by Josh40601

...Why do you have to buy new shafts?

I've got 32 spline shafts in this 60. My only locker options are an ARB for ~$1k or a lunch box powertrax for ~$550. I need to do some more research on the powertrax, but I know in their Jeep Dana 30 they tended to suck (rounding the teeth off the locker, major failures, etc). So I'm a littlle leery of dumping money on one of those.

Also, since the Diff is offset some to the passenger side, there aren't any junk yard 35 spline options for one of the side (the Passenger If I remember right). So I'd need to get new shafts from Complete off Road or someone like that. 30 or 35 spline shafts run about $150 a side, but if I'm going throught the effort, there's no reason not to go 35 spline.

Originally Posted by RangerSVT

You can use the same carrier you have now, and just go with the thick gears, or you can get a detroit instead of buying a carrier and a lunchbox (since they will be about the same price anyways)....

I could use the same carrier, but I'd like to ditch the LSD at some point. The LSD was making unhappy sounds the last time out, and I'd imagine it hasn't gotten any better with time. You are right, this is an option I shouldn't rule out (It really appeals to my cheap side).

For carrier swapping a Detriot runs about $615 (A Yukon is a little less at $580). Its a bit cheaper to go with an open carrier ($45 -$25) and a Spartan lunch box locker ($333). No matter how you slice it, its a good hunk of change.

I had though about going spool again. I did have one in the back of my Cherokee, and it was a love hate relationship. I loved it offroad, but on road I didn't care for it one bit (especially any time I had to do some tight turns) as it killed tires in the rear pretty quick. I'd imagine with the extra weight on my junk that running a spool would definetly not be ideal for my applicatoin.

Edit: I just noticed that the powertrax is actually for the LSD carrier, that options is looking more promising... Off to do more research!

Edit 2: I had my head on wrong, the Powertrax is a decent unit, the crappy unit I was thinking of was detroits lunch box locker. Those things liked to die if you looked at them funny...

[Josh40601]

sounds like you need a 14 bolt

[Kage]

Originally Posted by Josh40601

sounds like you need a 14 bolt

That option isn't off the table at this time. I do dig the clarance and brakes on the 60 over the 14 bolt though. It just depends on if I can get the money to work out on the right deal.

It looks like Thick 4.88's for the rear run about $315-350 (Plus install parts). If I were to throw in a lunch box, I'm still at $900 ish bucks which is about the same territory as going 35 spline

Going 14 Bolt would cost me about the same at this point unless I found a deal on one with a locker in it allready. ($150 for a 14 bolt, $500 for a locker, $300 for disc brakes).

Man I need a cheaper hobby

[Josh40601]

Not to mention I have 3 14 bolt carriers. 2 stock, 1 CUCV (4.56 and Detroit) unit with pinion

Am i tempting you yet?

[RangerSVT]

I was thinking you were getting another carrier because of the carrier break, I forgot you had the LSD...The detroit locker is great, the lunchbox detroit sucks, ain't figured that one out yet
SVT

[86 slo-vo]

weld that shit for now, throw a locker in later.

[Kage]

Originally Posted by RangerSVT

I was thinking you were getting another carrier because of the carrier break, I forgot you had the LSD...The detroit locker is great, the lunchbox detroit sucks, ain't figured that one out yet
SVT

Both reasons I suppose. LSD limits me on locker selection (from what I can tell, need to make some phone calls If I get serious about going that way).

I don't know how the big D messed up their lunch box so bad either. Of the folks that I wheel with, there has been a 100% failure rate of their lunch boxes. And none of them failed under hard core use either FWIW.

Originally Posted by 86 slo-vo

weld that shit for now, throw a locker in later.

The thought has crossed my mind more than once. I just hated the spool on the street, so I definetly won't go that route before our trip out west.

Its only money right?