2000 Suburban K1500 budget low lift with 37"s
- Thread starter CrazyDrei
- Start date
CrazyDrei
Space Monkey
Hey Crazy, where does the Drei come from and how should we understand it.... Just curious. Cheers, chilli...
Chilli,
Its the second half of my name, Andrei, I have been called Drei for over three decades and CrazyDrei for the last two.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans!
CrazyDrei
Space Monkey
Kids trip up into the mountains.
We needed a break from 100 degree days in Vegas and decided to head up in to the mountains a few minutes away. Initailly we were meeting up with a friend who camped up there but after a short hike the remainder of the day turned into a kids day of fun.
Kids waiting for the master chef to finish preparing the hot dogs.
Our base camp with the RTT on the 4RUnner folded up and out of the way.
One of the kids got into the Sub and not only found my backup climbing bag but also a harness and managed to get it on.
Even the 20 month old had a go at wearing the harness.
There were plenty of trees to choose from so I set up a quick and easy kid friendly zip line.
After several test runs the 3 year old was able to jump off by himself.
Even the adults tried the zip line, however I set up the angle and the height for sub 50lbs kids so full grown adults were entertaining to watch, but then tried their hand at a Tyrolean traverse.
Best way to finish off the day is by fishing with an avalanche probe of course.
We shot a couple videos of the kids zip lining, will upload it soon.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans!
We needed a break from 100 degree days in Vegas and decided to head up in to the mountains a few minutes away. Initailly we were meeting up with a friend who camped up there but after a short hike the remainder of the day turned into a kids day of fun.
Kids waiting for the master chef to finish preparing the hot dogs.
Our base camp with the RTT on the 4RUnner folded up and out of the way.
One of the kids got into the Sub and not only found my backup climbing bag but also a harness and managed to get it on.
Even the 20 month old had a go at wearing the harness.
There were plenty of trees to choose from so I set up a quick and easy kid friendly zip line.
After several test runs the 3 year old was able to jump off by himself.
Even the adults tried the zip line, however I set up the angle and the height for sub 50lbs kids so full grown adults were entertaining to watch, but then tried their hand at a Tyrolean traverse.
Best way to finish off the day is by fishing with an avalanche probe of course.
We shot a couple videos of the kids zip lining, will upload it soon.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans!
CrazyDrei
Space Monkey
Broke my battery tray!
This is something new and different that I have never seen before on any forum for these trucks. I noticed that the fender was sitting lower on drivers side than on passenger side. So low that it was resting on the headlight. Weird, I could not think of any reason for the fender to sag.
I looked at it closer and the fender broke from the core support and was now resting on the headlight.
So after thousands of miles running desert trails at much higher speed than I should have it looks like the weight of the battery and the bouncing of the front end managed to break the drivers side fender.
Front passenger side fender has now taken on the role of holding the core support to the fire wall and looks like is starting to show some fatigue and wear.
I took the battery out and on closer inspection I managed to shear the battery tray from the rear attachment point. Clean cut, very weird, I would expect the metal to be more mangled than a clean cut.
I never bragged about my welds being pretty, just functional.
Burned a couple holes but got a sad weld bead on both sides of the bracket. 500 miles of dirt trails later even to my surprise the weld is still holding strong.
Next step: I need to fix the fender and the core support attachments on both sides with angle iron welded or bolted to the firewall. Before that I need to take the strain of the 40 pound battery off the fender and relocate it to the auxiliary location. That would give me room to put a windshield washer fluid reservoir back in to the truck in the original battery location. This will be my next project in the next week or two.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans!
This is something new and different that I have never seen before on any forum for these trucks. I noticed that the fender was sitting lower on drivers side than on passenger side. So low that it was resting on the headlight. Weird, I could not think of any reason for the fender to sag.
I looked at it closer and the fender broke from the core support and was now resting on the headlight.
So after thousands of miles running desert trails at much higher speed than I should have it looks like the weight of the battery and the bouncing of the front end managed to break the drivers side fender.
Front passenger side fender has now taken on the role of holding the core support to the fire wall and looks like is starting to show some fatigue and wear.
I took the battery out and on closer inspection I managed to shear the battery tray from the rear attachment point. Clean cut, very weird, I would expect the metal to be more mangled than a clean cut.
I never bragged about my welds being pretty, just functional.
Burned a couple holes but got a sad weld bead on both sides of the bracket. 500 miles of dirt trails later even to my surprise the weld is still holding strong.
Next step: I need to fix the fender and the core support attachments on both sides with angle iron welded or bolted to the firewall. Before that I need to take the strain of the 40 pound battery off the fender and relocate it to the auxiliary location. That would give me room to put a windshield washer fluid reservoir back in to the truck in the original battery location. This will be my next project in the next week or two.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans!
CrazyDrei
Space Monkey
Probably overstressed from getting beat on by the big tires.
Armagosa looks a lot like 'Buttercup' west of Yuma. South end of Algodones dunes, Glamis is the north end
Fun Fact: Buttercup is where they filmed Jabba's Yacht scenes in Return of the Jedi.
Rayra,
I've never made it to Buttercup, but have been to the never ending Glamis. There are numerous places within 4-6hr Drive from LA where different parts of Star Wars Were filmed. Death Valley has quite a few locations because in 1980s Death Valley was BLM/National Forest land and only became a National Park in 1994.
Couple places where Star wars was filmed.
Death Valley shooting locations.
More places in High Desert where scenes from Star Wars were filmed.
Kinda cool area with many more facets to add to adventuring and exploring on top of the history and abandoned mines I usually explore.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans!
rayra
Expedition Leader
Buttercup is an absolute crowded madhouse on Thanksgiving, bad and dangerous as Pismo. But you'll see some absolutely wild dune-climbing racing rigs of every configuration there.
And HUUUGE bowls you can race around in, but good luck if you get stuck in the bottom
And if you are bored you can drive out the south end of the dune complex into Mexico. Nothing there to mark the border but some concrete obelisks, ~25yrs ago
And HUUUGE bowls you can race around in, but good luck if you get stuck in the bottom
And if you are bored you can drive out the south end of the dune complex into Mexico. Nothing there to mark the border but some concrete obelisks, ~25yrs ago
CrazyDrei
Space Monkey
Burro Wash trail video!
Another great day adventuring on old but not forgotten trails. Short and sweet trail with the last mile of fun 4wd low crawling down to the water and then back up. I run the camera on the front of the hood so I get a better view without seeing the hood of the truck, camera is mounted at approximately 5ft from the ground and the ledges and rocks I went down are approximately 1-2 feet tall which the camera POV angle does not capture well. My buddy got a couple videos from outside of the Sub navigating some obstacles but I don'e have that footage yet.
Since I broke my front left shock and had to hobble back home from Death Valley several months ago, just replacing the shock with a new one did not permanently fix the truck. Added stress of the coil on the upper shock loosened the Atomic Fab top bracket: also read as I bent the crap out of the frame with 10.9 bolts and have to rip the front end apart, straighten and strengthen the frame rail as well as temporarily weld on the top bracket to prevent future damage before I rip two holes in my frame.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans!
Another great day adventuring on old but not forgotten trails. Short and sweet trail with the last mile of fun 4wd low crawling down to the water and then back up. I run the camera on the front of the hood so I get a better view without seeing the hood of the truck, camera is mounted at approximately 5ft from the ground and the ledges and rocks I went down are approximately 1-2 feet tall which the camera POV angle does not capture well. My buddy got a couple videos from outside of the Sub navigating some obstacles but I don'e have that footage yet.
Since I broke my front left shock and had to hobble back home from Death Valley several months ago, just replacing the shock with a new one did not permanently fix the truck. Added stress of the coil on the upper shock loosened the Atomic Fab top bracket: also read as I bent the crap out of the frame with 10.9 bolts and have to rip the front end apart, straighten and strengthen the frame rail as well as temporarily weld on the top bracket to prevent future damage before I rip two holes in my frame.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans!
Last edited:
CrazyDrei
Space Monkey
G80 finally went!
More carnage on the trail the other day. Hit a technical section that I had no business being on, technical rock crawling section that does not favor long wheelbases. The rocks were big and fun, I had plenty of clearance, however on the last obstacle passenger rear wheel spun, locked and I heard a snap as I crawled up the rock ledge. I drove enough out of the way for my buddy to get up the ledge, which he did due to the short wheelbase of the Jeep and I inspected the damage.
Ok the rear sway bar connecting link popped off again, no problems, been there done that. So I put the truck back in 2wd and continued driving. However I started to hear clicking and clunking coming from my rear end. My first thought was that I snapped an axle. I stopped again, jacked up the rear end and both axles were still in tact. I put the Sub in 4wd high and continued the rest of the way, 28 miles of trail to the pavement. Clicking and clunking was gone when the truck was driving straight, however anytime I turned it cam back louder and louder every time.
I babied the Sub all the way to the pavement in 4wd high or low where I would usually be in 2wd high. It was a nerve wrecking and long drive in 112 degree heat. Eventually I got to the pavement and the clunking was completely gone in 4wd high in a straight line and in minor turns. I drove it another 90miles back home with no issues until I got off the highway 1/4 mile from my house. I had to make 3 right hand turns in the residential neighborhood and the clicking and clunking turned into crushing and crunching as I pulled up to my driveway, which I was able to barely make into in reverse, all 30ft of it.
Couple chunks of metal fell out when I cracked the diff cover to drain the fluid the following morning. My heart almost skipped a beat especially I had to go back to work in two days.
This is what the carrier looked like after I spent nearly half an hour hammering and grinding the carrier body to pull the ring gear off.
The G80 locking mechanism looks like it held up pretty good and that's the only part that did.
Managed to crack the carrier body. I also bent the big pin that keep the planetary gears locked in too but didn't get a picture of it.
Missing a couple teeth here.
Missing a couple more on this side too.
So everyone was absolutely right, G80 sucks, its a terrible differential and just randomly blows up on you if you look at it wrong. In reality I can pick one up on eBay for $100. It lasted over 250,000 miles in the truck, 150,000 miles as long as I owned it. Previous owner pulled a two horse trailer with it, I pulled a 12,000 pound boat up and down 5,000-6,000ft passes to California and back for a summer. It put up with my driving: blasting through the desert at trophy truck speeds for over a year turning 37" tires. I crawled along side $70k specialty built Jeeps. And it did all that for 18 years!!!!
RIP G80 you will be missed. Off road community hates you because you are cheap and work better and last longer than any air or electric locker. 144 times longer in my case. And everyone that blew $1,000 or more to put an air or elocker in their rigs is jealous that the G80 is not available for their trucks at 1/10th the the price, LOL.
I am at a cross roads now, I picked up another G80 on eBay over a year ago for $75 that has been sitting on the shelf collecting dust waiting for this one to go, and I also acquired a 8.5" Detroit locker from a Camaro drag racer who upgraded to a Corvette and sold off all the unused parts.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans!
More carnage on the trail the other day. Hit a technical section that I had no business being on, technical rock crawling section that does not favor long wheelbases. The rocks were big and fun, I had plenty of clearance, however on the last obstacle passenger rear wheel spun, locked and I heard a snap as I crawled up the rock ledge. I drove enough out of the way for my buddy to get up the ledge, which he did due to the short wheelbase of the Jeep and I inspected the damage.
Ok the rear sway bar connecting link popped off again, no problems, been there done that. So I put the truck back in 2wd and continued driving. However I started to hear clicking and clunking coming from my rear end. My first thought was that I snapped an axle. I stopped again, jacked up the rear end and both axles were still in tact. I put the Sub in 4wd high and continued the rest of the way, 28 miles of trail to the pavement. Clicking and clunking was gone when the truck was driving straight, however anytime I turned it cam back louder and louder every time.
I babied the Sub all the way to the pavement in 4wd high or low where I would usually be in 2wd high. It was a nerve wrecking and long drive in 112 degree heat. Eventually I got to the pavement and the clunking was completely gone in 4wd high in a straight line and in minor turns. I drove it another 90miles back home with no issues until I got off the highway 1/4 mile from my house. I had to make 3 right hand turns in the residential neighborhood and the clicking and clunking turned into crushing and crunching as I pulled up to my driveway, which I was able to barely make into in reverse, all 30ft of it.
Couple chunks of metal fell out when I cracked the diff cover to drain the fluid the following morning. My heart almost skipped a beat especially I had to go back to work in two days.
This is what the carrier looked like after I spent nearly half an hour hammering and grinding the carrier body to pull the ring gear off.
The G80 locking mechanism looks like it held up pretty good and that's the only part that did.
Managed to crack the carrier body. I also bent the big pin that keep the planetary gears locked in too but didn't get a picture of it.
Missing a couple teeth here.
Missing a couple more on this side too.
So everyone was absolutely right, G80 sucks, its a terrible differential and just randomly blows up on you if you look at it wrong. In reality I can pick one up on eBay for $100. It lasted over 250,000 miles in the truck, 150,000 miles as long as I owned it. Previous owner pulled a two horse trailer with it, I pulled a 12,000 pound boat up and down 5,000-6,000ft passes to California and back for a summer. It put up with my driving: blasting through the desert at trophy truck speeds for over a year turning 37" tires. I crawled along side $70k specialty built Jeeps. And it did all that for 18 years!!!!
RIP G80 you will be missed. Off road community hates you because you are cheap and work better and last longer than any air or electric locker. 144 times longer in my case. And everyone that blew $1,000 or more to put an air or elocker in their rigs is jealous that the G80 is not available for their trucks at 1/10th the the price, LOL.
I am at a cross roads now, I picked up another G80 on eBay over a year ago for $75 that has been sitting on the shelf collecting dust waiting for this one to go, and I also acquired a 8.5" Detroit locker from a Camaro drag racer who upgraded to a Corvette and sold off all the unused parts.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans!
Last edited:
chilliwak
Expedition Leader
Sorry to see the carnage Crazy, but hey sometimes it just goes that way. At least you made it home. I say put the other G80 in there untill you want to upgrade. Thanks for posting pics and telling us about your adventures. At least we know you are straight up with your experiences. Good luck no matter what you do. Cheers, Chilli...
CrazyDrei
Space Monkey
Sorry to see the carnage Crazy, but hey sometimes it just goes that way. At least you made it home. I say put the other G80 in there untill you want to upgrade. Thanks for posting pics and telling us about your adventures. At least we know you are straight up with your experiences. Good luck no matter what you do. Cheers, Chilli...
Chilli,
Thanks, I spent my whole life traveling and adventuring. I am not afraid of a little setback like a broken axle, coilover or differential to end the spirit of adventure, just delay it for a short period of time until I fix the problem and carry on.
With that said, I am going to continue to live dangerously and put the Detroit locker in. I drive slow and steady and should have absolutely no problems with the Detroit Locker in the truck even though it's my daily driver. I will get a write up with pictures as usual once it's in. I can't wait to hear what everyone has to say about my 10 bolt turning 37s with a Detroit locker!
Stay tuned for more shenanigans!
CrazyDrei
Space Monkey
Detroit locker is in!
PRESS Ctrl F5 to reload the page if the images do not load the first time around.
I acquired this Detroit locker from a friend who used to drag race a Camaro and had an extra 8.5" laying around. He upgraded to a Corvette and sold off all the Camaro parts, it's been sitting on the shelf in my garage for around 6 months and it's finally time to put it to good use.
Only difference between older 8.5 and newer 8.6 carriers and differentials is the size of the bearings, 8.6 bearings are in.
Ring gear is on. It has some wear on it from the amazing 120 some mile drive with a busted G80, but the damage is not enough to replace it with a new one.
Bolts got locktite and tightened, remember that the diff bolts need to be turned clockwise to loosen and counter clock wise to tighten.
Detroit is in the rear diff. Pinion depth was set when I originally installed the 4.10 gears so that did not need to be adjusted. Backlash took 3 attempts and 10 minutes to dial in. 8.6 backlash should be .003" to .006".
I'm a cheappo so I reused the plastic gasket and the old diff cover since it didn't leak, perfect fit and no leaks as the bolts are torqued to correct specs.
Axles slipped in before I put the diff cover on. Alloy axles are the way to go if you have anything but an open rear diff, worth their weight in gold due to increased shear and torsional strength.
Rotors slipped on.
Next came the brake caliper brackets.
Brake calipers went on next.
I did not like the look of the 2" wheel spacers so I downsized to 1.25" wheel spacers. THe downsize required cutting 3/4" of the studs off to ensure that the rims are sitting flush against wheel spacers.
Last but not least the little 37s went on.
This was my 3rd or 4th time messing with the rear end in the last seven months so taking it apart took less than an hour and pressing the bearings, installing the ring gear, installing the locker, axles, brakes and wheels took less than two hours including the three attempts it took me to dial int he correct backlash. Changing out the carrier while keeping the existing gear set is relatively quick and easy only requiring a magnetic dial guage and basic household tools.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans!
PRESS Ctrl F5 to reload the page if the images do not load the first time around.
I acquired this Detroit locker from a friend who used to drag race a Camaro and had an extra 8.5" laying around. He upgraded to a Corvette and sold off all the Camaro parts, it's been sitting on the shelf in my garage for around 6 months and it's finally time to put it to good use.
Only difference between older 8.5 and newer 8.6 carriers and differentials is the size of the bearings, 8.6 bearings are in.
Ring gear is on. It has some wear on it from the amazing 120 some mile drive with a busted G80, but the damage is not enough to replace it with a new one.
Bolts got locktite and tightened, remember that the diff bolts need to be turned clockwise to loosen and counter clock wise to tighten.
Detroit is in the rear diff. Pinion depth was set when I originally installed the 4.10 gears so that did not need to be adjusted. Backlash took 3 attempts and 10 minutes to dial in. 8.6 backlash should be .003" to .006".
I'm a cheappo so I reused the plastic gasket and the old diff cover since it didn't leak, perfect fit and no leaks as the bolts are torqued to correct specs.
Axles slipped in before I put the diff cover on. Alloy axles are the way to go if you have anything but an open rear diff, worth their weight in gold due to increased shear and torsional strength.
Rotors slipped on.
Next came the brake caliper brackets.
Brake calipers went on next.
I did not like the look of the 2" wheel spacers so I downsized to 1.25" wheel spacers. THe downsize required cutting 3/4" of the studs off to ensure that the rims are sitting flush against wheel spacers.
Last but not least the little 37s went on.
This was my 3rd or 4th time messing with the rear end in the last seven months so taking it apart took less than an hour and pressing the bearings, installing the ring gear, installing the locker, axles, brakes and wheels took less than two hours including the three attempts it took me to dial int he correct backlash. Changing out the carrier while keeping the existing gear set is relatively quick and easy only requiring a magnetic dial guage and basic household tools.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans!