Overlandtowater’s solid axle suburban

[Overlandtowater]

Dang that camera sucks I got to start breaking out my real camera.

 

[Overlandtowater]

Something I will be attending. First time going to anything like this but we will see....Also going to do a convoy ride about 3 hours from one of the near by offroad parks to the fair grounds through the Missouri Ozarks
https://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/moore-expo-springfield-mo-feb-15-16-2020.211054/

 

[Overlandtowater]

Had a pretty good surprise today. I won a couple of things from MOORE expo, stuff that will really come in handy. My first time attending any kind of expo I'm really looking forward to it.

 

[Overlandtowater]

So during the Expo we will be doing a 3ish hour rally through the Ozarks so I thought I might need to do some maintenance, I got started on the rear main seal this but had a few distractions. There was no way I would have been able to take the exhaust off with out an impacted...I tried for 2 hours until I borrowed an impact and it just zipped them off. Marked the yokes and the U-joints to go back in the same position " I don't know if that matters or not" they are still all original they still have the plastic in the yoke of the drive shaft.

The distraction at the bottom we had a '14 this ones an '18 but man what a difference...went from 22mpg to 32mpg

 

[Overlandtowater]

Here is a little preview of the route we are supposed to take it has some back tracking and appears to be just forest service roads but that will be ok especially for the small baldish tires on the suburban.

https://mooreexpo.com/smorr2moore-adventure-route

 

[Overlandtowater]

after looking around the oil pan I thought I might as well pull the pan and replace that gasket too it appears to be leaking and with the trans and flywheel off looks like the oil pan with be a breeze.

To do list:
Finish the rear main seal
Change plugs
oil/filter change
Check O-ring on oil pick-up tube "this thing still ticks"
front and rear brake pads
picked up an extra CV.
sense I drained the t-case I'm going to go ahead and do the pump upgrade from Merchant Automotive before it blows the top of the case out.

 

[Overlandtowater]

pulled the t-case apart well I got a good start on it before my tools limited me. I need a stronger wider set of snap ring pliers, I was able to bend the then ones I have to open the snap ring to take the case apart but the snap ring holding the bearing on the shaft is way more stout and my pliers wont hold. But in good news I have no wear on the case from the pump at all. almost looks like someone already worked on it....I would think at 176,000 it would at least show a little rub.

So sat it on the stand
pulled tone ring sensors out and the plug to get to snap ring
set the case up on its quality custom stands...LOL
figures out I was going to need wider pliers and bent them
loosened all the bolts and marked where the brackets go
opened the snap ring and the shaft dropped down and I was able to lift the back half off
very happy to see no pump rub and the anti rattle clip still in one piece

 

[Overlandtowater]

the magnet looks good not many shaving on it at all
the pick up filter is clean
the snap ring that is too stout for my pliers
silicone worms everywhere
back half of case

 

[UltimaSanctus]

I had the same snap ring issue on my t-case. Head to Advance Auto to the snap ring pliers there and one of them has a picture of that exact ring. Got it off in about 2 seconds

 

[Overlandtowater]

I had the same snap ring issue on my t-case. Head to Advance Auto to the snap ring pliers there and one of them has a picture of that exact ring. Got it off in about 2 seconds

only problem the closest advanced auto parts in 40 miles away....LOL Buy yeah I'm headed to the parts store in a bit.

 

[Overlandtowater]

Got my Merchant Automotive pump upgrade in took me and my son about 30 minutes to put it back together... I will post link of there how to video and mine went the exact same way but I had two things different I could not lift the tone ring gear up when tried to remove it from the snap ring like they did at the 2:14 mark in the video, I had to spread the snap ring and lift the back half of the case off. I think that is due to mine having a spring washer under the tone ring gear I see there's has a step down on the bottom and mine was the same top and bottom. (that is the two differences. Ok my put it back together pictures are below the link. The kit contains pump upgrade housing, silver silicone, blue locktite, and a t-case to gender neutral shift box "tranny" gasket....Super easy to do I figure a 4 hour job from start to finish if you just do the pump upgrade.

 

[Overlandtowater]

after installing the pump on the shaft.. I put the pickup screen and tube back in along with the OEM magnet, they say to remove it but I don't see how only having drain plug magnets do near as good of a job as the OEM that sits on the bottom of the case at the pickup screen where every bit fluid has to pass through at some point, put the spring washer back on top of the pump, drop the tone ring on (mine was same top or bottom the one in video is not be sure to check yours out", install the out put shaft bearing and install snap ring to hold it all in place, put in dowel pins and run a bead of silicone around the case be sure to keep the bead to the inside of the bolt holes and not in them (if you put any in the bolt holes when you tighten the bolts you will take a chance that hydraulic pressure from tightening the bolt down on the silicone would bust the case at the bottom of the hole), sit back half of the case on and adjust the shaft so it falls down and the snap ring rest on the tone ring. at that point you can spread the snap ring and the back half will fall right down where it should, you can install bolts and tighten to spec. Install the sensors and rubber plug just snug the sensors up they have O-rings, tighten the drain plug and leave fill plug loose....Its ready to go back on the transmission. Well mines not I still have to replace the oil pan gasket, install the rear main seal and plate, install the tranny and then it will be ready to go back on.

 

[Overlandtowater]

I also got my spark plugs, oil pan gasket, cv shaft, front and rear brake pads in today also. Being on call sure puts a cramp in at night automotive hobby....

 

[Overlandtowater]

I'm looking a new tires now so I'm still trying to decide between 285's and 315's, I do plan on building a low profile front and rear bumper including trimming the lower rear quarter panels so I think I make the 315s fit, there is a guy here in town that has 315s on he Silverado with minimal rubbing and all he did was crank the torsion bars with OEM keys. I know the 315 will stuff the suburban but if I have to get a 1" body lift from 4 crawler I will.

The tires I'm bouncing between are the Falken atw3 and the Falken Rubitrek a/t

we all know what the AT3's look like but I really dig the Rubitreks.

 

[Overlandtowater]

S Im putting the trans and tcase back in and want to extend the vent tubes the 4l60 come out of the trans with a 1/4" line and T's to 3/8 one way goes up behind the engine and the other just dangles back in front of the tcase and the Tcase up over the trans to the back of engine...I assume sense the fluid between the two is different I shouldn't connect the vent tubes correct? There is enough tube that I could connect them if there wont be a problem doing so. If not I can I plug the dangly bit to keep intrusion? The rally I'm attending specifically states there will be water crossings