Overland Journal: Discovery I, 5-speed

[Mike_rupp]

Really? My "castor" wheels on the '94 fit over them?

Maybe the later wheels are just different enough??

...blast, now I'm going to have to test fit one of the "freestyle's" :sombrero:

I don't think it's related to the wheel, but the axle flange. If I'm correct, GBR's axles / flanges have changed slightly over the years. I bought mine in 2000 or 2001.

 

[AxeAngel]

I just wish the prices of axles would come down a bit. I have a V6 w elocker and 4.10s waiting to be installed when the rear toy GB conversion materializes and if the price is decent.

-Sam

 

[UnfrozenCaveman]

I don't think it's related to the wheel, but the axle flange.

Ooo, you got the later / fancy pants cap

Mine are indeed flatter and just came with a label on them.


...pssttt...I'd get Keith's too any more...mine are older than "Rovertracks"

My end cap came loose once in western Nebraska. A little "Indian Head" gasket cement and they're still there years later.

 

[JSQ]

These guys are right.
For the tires you're going to run any of these shafts will do. GBR (MaxiDrive), Ashcroft, Rovertracks, etc...
That said I'm kind of liking KAM right now.

 

[chris snell]

My GBR axles have held up fine but the nut on the flange can get loose and allow oil to leak. If I were to buy new I'd get the rovertracks.com axles because the flange is integrated, and they look more stock.

Rob, I'm running some rear shafts that Keith said he was testing out. They shipped from Lucky 8, so I don't know what they are but I suspect KAM or Ashcroft. I'm vey happy with them. They are flangeless just like the front shafts and I'm running stock flanges on them, which I sealed up with Right Stuff. Maybe Keith will comment on the true identity of these shafts and whether RoverTracks will be transitioning to them.

 

[chris snell]

the down side is getting the 3rd back out on the trail if a failure happens.

I had to service a failed rear diff that had been sealed in place with right stuff.

with all the nuts removed on the diff I lifted the rear of the truck off the ground by the pinion before the sealent let go.:Wow1:

I used Right Stuff on my thirds. I had to pull them soon thereafter because my early 94 truck had some weird short studs that were atypical of D90s and I couldn't get the nuts on. I had smeared that crap on like a third grader and when I pulled them, I had to use a prybar and some major cojones to get them out but it can be done on the trail, alone even. When I reinstalled, I scraped the mounds of old sealant off and was careful to only use a thin sheen. No leaks ao far.

 

[SeaRubi]

i liked the rovertracks axles i had on the rangie. detroit and 33's.

 

[Antichrist]

I guess I'm the odd man out again. I've always had good results with cleaning the surfaces well, Hylomar and the stock paper gaskets.

 

[muskyman]

I used Right Stuff on my thirds. I had to pull them soon thereafter because my early 94 truck had some weird short studs that were atypical of D90s and I couldn't get the nuts on. I had smeared that crap on like a third grader and when I pulled them, I had to use a prybar and some major cojones to get them out but it can be done on the trail, alone even. When I reinstalled, I scraped the mounds of old sealant off and was careful to only use a thin sheen. No leaks ao far.

yes and that was only after a short period...the diff I pulled had been in there for a few years and like I said I lifted half the truck off the ground and it didnt pop off.

all in all I think right stuff is just to positive for that application when ultra blue or hylomar both do a great job of preventing a leak.

 

[David Harris]

Having a computer and having Internet access are two different things. My laptop is my GPS, my maps, my phone book, my MP3 player, my OBD2 reader, my tech manual, memory card dump, etc... As much as I hate the way it looks, fits, and goes against the rules of "camping", it's too much of a time saver to leave behind when needed.

That's a lot of important info to leave to the chance of electronic failure. Always good to carry an analog compass, maps, sextant, etc and know how to use them. Gives one a better sense of terrain than looking at an electronic display as well.

 

[Steveb]

Having a computer and having Internet access are two different things. My laptop is my GPS, my maps, my phone book, my MP3 player, my OBD2 reader, my tech manual, memory card dump, etc... As much as I hate the way it looks, fits, and goes against the rules of "camping", it's too much of a time saver to leave behind when needed.

That's a lot of important info to leave to the chance of electronic failure. Always good to carry an analog compass, maps, sextant, etc and know how to use them. Gives one a better sense of terrain than looking at an electronic display as well.

Do you seriously carry a sextant?

 

[benlittle]

Rob, I'm running some rear shafts that Keith said he was testing out. They shipped from Lucky 8, so I don't know what they are but I suspect KAM or Ashcroft. I'm vey happy with them. They are flangeless just like the front shafts and I'm running stock flanges on them, which I sealed up with Right Stuff. Maybe Keith will comment on the true identity of these shafts and whether RoverTracks will be transitioning to them.

I'm running rovertracks rears and they've held up fine also. One thing I don't like though is how the flange is integrated into the axle. They are round and require an aluminum spacer. This makes them stick out and look kind of ugly. Personally, I'd rather have a flangeless axle and run either HD or stock flanges.

 

[David Harris]

Yes. Off track, in relatively featureless terrain, like open plains or desert, it's indispensable as a backup, because it allows one to find one's position independent of landmarks other than the horizon, and works day or night. With proper knowledge of celestial navigation, one can be a true master of overland, or oversea travel without relying on powered technology. That's why it's still standard equipment on ships at sea.

 

[ren ching]

Laughing to myself at this post...I have owned a bunch of Series LR's. The diffs always leaked a little, never bothered me as I just took it for granted that they all did it. I always used gaskets and RTV and they still leaked. But my Series trucks all leaked so much it was hard to tell where it really came from.

Then I got a RRC. No leaks. NONE. And yes it had oil in it. It came with ARB diffs front and rear, which I eventually swapped into my '84 D90. (Which also didn't leak, btw). I was amazed to see that both trucks had no gaskets on the diffs, just sealant.

So when I put the diffs back, I used Right Stuff. Knowing full well it would take some "doing" to get them off. On my 90 I also had to change a few studs, only discovered after installing the diff. I managed to remove it ok as the RS had not set up. I will admit though that at least one of the new studs did not go in perfectly straight. It took a bit of effort to get that diff back in. Should be REAL fun getting it out.

BTW I have found that for removing a "stuck" diff, my method of choice is a 6 foot long pine 2x6 applied in anger, "battering ram style" to the pinion area. Hasn't failed yet. Though there aren't alot of pine 2x6's hanging around for my convenience out on the trails. Next time I will try something less aggressive I guess. I'm just happy they don't leak.

I hope Scotty doesn't cuss me too bad when he goes to swap the diffs on the RRC. If he ever gets it running again.

I used Right Stuff on my thirds. I had to pull them soon thereafter because my early 94 truck had some weird short studs that were atypical of D90s and I couldn't get the nuts on. I had smeared that crap on like a third grader and when I pulled them, I had to use a prybar and some major cojones to get them out but it can be done on the trail, alone even. When I reinstalled, I scraped the mounds of old sealant off and was careful to only use a thin sheen. No leaks ao far.

 

[jrose609]

How are the 3.90 gears working out? How is the gear noise compared to the 3.54's? Was there a noticeable difference in driveability? I would like to lower my gear ratio a bit, and I've been looking for a 1.4 t-case, but I think perhaps a white unicorn would be easier to locate in the US. So if not a 1.4, then I was thinking the 3.90 gears.