Locker and 13 bolt shave install.

[shiftpro]

I'm thinking the aerated oil and elevated temps would cause more wear but maybe only enough to be a concern after say, 10 years.

 

[Arkansas_V8]

All you guys over here arguing about shaving differentials for clearance and if its still strong or not, and to keep it from dragging and I'm sitting over here thinking about the old 4x4 club from these parts back in the day. 42" swampers or gumbo monster mudders were about the average for most guys and in that thick river bottom gumbo I saw many a truck plowing with their pumpkins and axles completely buried under the mud. Horsepower seemed to be the key back then, and i'm thinking it still is today. The bumpers on those truck were waist to stomach high on me at the time and that little extra bit of ground clearance wasn't gonna make any difference when said bumpers were down at ground level in some of the mud holes they played and got buried in. But it was also the nature of our beast. If rocks and stuff are your thing, I can certainly see how one would benefit from that modification. I don't think cutting/shaving a little off the diff is going to make (or break) anything. But I can guarantee one thing, and that is horsepower WILL find the weakest link!

You are not wrong. I would go with Rockwell's(on tractor tires) if I were building a mud rig. But I am not.

I definitely miss the old days- huge tires on 15" rims, they would flop over if they tried to follow alot of us nowadays.

I built this for the woods, and rocks.


Do you consider moving from a 36" tire to a 40" tire a big gain in clearance? Or a 42 to a 46? I sure do. 2" gained under your axle is the same as a 4" tire size increase, so the shave makes a bigger difference than alot of you think.

Today its "smallest lift with biggest tire".

I have 4" spring with zero rates, so a total of 5" lift on 37s.

It's not all about horsepower in the rocks- lockers, gear, and clearance are the biggest ones.

Takes alot of skill to follow Jeeps with this full size.

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[Frankenchevy]

5 o’clock shadow?

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All in good fun.

Who would’ve thought a thread about diff mods would spark such a debate!

 

[Arkansas_V8]

5 o’clock shadow?

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All in good fun.

Who would’ve thought a thread about diff mods would spark such a debate!

I drag this one over everything right now, or have to take a different line(sucks) because of it.

My old Suburban was shaved, never a problem. As far as gear oil or anything. Still had to take different lines sometimes. These Suburbans are big.

This one is not shaved. I am shaving the one I got from a M1008 for it. It will be Dana 60, shaved 14 bolt with 4.56, and lockers.

 

[Arkansas_V8]

5 o’clock shadow?

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All in good fun.

Who would’ve thought a thread about diff mods would spark such a debate!

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Big Fat rear. I may trim this one. Bigger difference than you think.

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[Dutch Rutter]

In heavy rock crawling I think getting more clearance without raising your center of gravity is a good thing. I also feel our biggest disadvantage to jeeps is the longer wheel base. Speaking to the diff cover, I went with a factory style cover but with guards front and rear. Granted I didn't gain any clearance, but for my weekend trail truck and M-F DD they've done good and kept things from smashing my covers in. If I was running in big rocks I would most likely shave one.

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[77 K20]

I was going to get a full cover for the front but found this one on such a good sale I couldn't pass it up. I've hit a stump and a rock with it that was buried in the snow out of sight. Has held up so far.

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Hanging out with the Jeep guys with my long bed truck hasn't been as bad as I thought. So far haven't been high centered yet and if anything a longer wheelbase so far is nice. I watched the Jeeps go down this very steep ravine that had a washout in it and covered with snow. They were definately close to rolling over. With my longer wheelbase and suspension travel I didn't have nearly the pucker factor that they did.

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And I have to say after riding in some of theirs mine rides a lot better with the ORD front springs and a shackle flip in the rear.

 

[Arkansas_V8]

In heavy rock crawling I think getting more clearance without raising your center of gravity is a good thing. I also feel our biggest disadvantage to jeeps is the longer wheel base. Speaking to the diff cover, I went with a factory style cover but with guards front and rear. Granted I didn't gain any clearance, but for my weekend trail truck and M-F DD they've done good and kept things from smashing my covers in. If I was running in big rocks I would most likely shave one.

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

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I was going to get a full cover for the front but found this one on such a good sale I couldn't pass it up. I've hit a stump and a rock with it that was buried in the snow out of sight. Has held up so far.

You must be registered for see images attach

Hanging out with the Jeep guys with my long bed truck hasn't been as bad as I thought. So far haven't been high centered yet and if anything a longer wheelbase so far is nice. I watched the Jeeps go down this very steep ravine that had a washout in it and covered with snow. They were definately close to rolling over. With my longer wheelbase and suspension travel I didn't have nearly the pucker factor that they did.

You must be registered for see images

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And I have to say after riding in some of theirs mine rides a lot better with the ORD front springs and a shackle flip in the rear.

The Jeeps get me when step ups are back to back, and tight spaces. That's about it.

With my wheel base(131", going to be 132.5") I kill them on single step ups, or alot of off camber stuff.

 

[Arkansas_V8]

I was going to get a full cover for the front but found this one on such a good sale I couldn't pass it up. I've hit a stump and a rock with it that was buried in the snow out of sight. Has held up so far.

You must be registered for see images attach

Hanging out with the Jeep guys with my long bed truck hasn't been as bad as I thought. So far haven't been high centered yet and if anything a longer wheelbase so far is nice. I watched the Jeeps go down this very steep ravine that had a washout in it and covered with snow. They were definately close to rolling over. With my longer wheelbase and suspension travel I didn't have nearly the pucker factor that they did.

You must be registered for see images

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And I have to say after riding in some of theirs mine rides a lot better with the ORD front springs and a shackle flip in the rear.

If my original springs weren't broke, I would have done a shackle flip.

With 56" springs, the whole spring lift was about the same price.

 

[Frankenchevy]

I was going to get a full cover for the front but found this one on such a good sale I couldn't pass it up. I've hit a stump and a rock with it that was buried in the snow out of sight. Has held up so far.

You must be registered for see images attach

Hanging out with the Jeep guys with my long bed truck hasn't been as bad as I thought. So far haven't been high centered yet and if anything a longer wheelbase so far is nice. I watched the Jeeps go down this very steep ravine that had a washout in it and covered with snow. They were definately close to rolling over. With my longer wheelbase and suspension travel I didn't have nearly the pucker factor that they did.

You must be registered for see images

You must be registered for see images

And I have to say after riding in some of theirs mine rides a lot better with the ORD front springs and a shackle flip in the rear.

It’s killing me bouncing around in my truck with 1-1/4 ton springs since my ord custom springs are sitting in the garage. But a) I don’t have any time lately and b) I want to figure out the bump steer you mentioned before I throw $2500 worth of springs and shocks only to bounce off the road and crash, lol! We have really bad roads.

Did you ever come up with a solution?

 

[77 K20]

It’s killing me bouncing around in my truck with 1-1/4 ton springs since my ord custom springs are sitting in the garage. But a) I don’t have any time lately and b) I want to figure out the bump steer you mentioned before I throw $2500 worth of springs and shocks only to bounce off the road and crash, lol! We have really bad roads.

Did you ever come up with a solution?

Just kept trying different combinations until it worked. ORD said a raised steering arm would work. No. So removed that and tried a raised steering arm (with the raised steering arm- really bad idea). Then finally found a stock pitman arm with a raised steering arm. Bump steer isn't too bad. (the wife can drive it even) And after I added my zero rate it didn't change the steering. I'm part way thru crossover steering but all my $$ has went to medical stuff with my daughter. It's been put on a back burner.

 

[Frankenchevy]

Just kept trying different combinations until it worked. ORD said a raised steering arm would work. No. So removed that and tried a raised steering arm. Bump steer isn't too bad. And after I added my zero rate it didn't change the steering. I'm part way thru crossover steering but all my $$ has went to medical stuff with my daughter. It's been put on a back burner.

Gotcha. Hope everything turns out well for your daughter.

 

[77 K20]

Gotcha. Hope everything turns out well for your daughter.

It's been a good experience- she was born almost deaf and has had the most powerful hearing aids made since birth. They worked fairly well until her hearing dropped more. We've been making a lot of trips to Seattle children's hospital over the last several months. She had surgery and was implanted with a cochlear implant. And now trips over to get it re-programmed as she learns to use it. The follow up appointments are for the next 2.5 years.

After speaking very loudly to her for 14 years I'm getting in trouble now for speaking too loudly. Old habits are hard to break. She still has work to do but so far it is pretty amazing how she can hear with it now.

 

[Frankenchevy]

My niece had a cochlear implant as well. Iirc, hers was done at a much younger age. Hearing aids didn’t do anything for her.

 

[77 K20]

It was a hard decision we had when she was very little. The technology just didn't seem to quite be there so the wife and I decided to wait. Now that is is 12 years later they have come a long ways. AND my daughter wanted it.

They say you learn quicker when you are very little when you get it but so far my daughter is picking it up very fast. They said some who have had it for 6 months aren't as far along as her in just 6 weeks.

Anyway- sorry to get this off topic...

Perhaps to tie the 2 together I'll mention she needed to shave her head where the implant went.