Hi, new here. What's next.

[shastaman]

Hi, I would like to modify our Trailblazer for the snow since this is the type of terrain we will be dealing with up on Mt. Shasta, CA back in the woods. Lot's of wheelin and snow. I am having a hard time finding 4 x 4 components for this rig. I installed a 2" lift/leveler kit and have mud T/A's but need a custom front and rear bumpers with a winch set up. Any info would be great. Thanks, shastaman.

[Trail X]

Welcome! Sounds like you're already on the right track.

As for bumpers, your best bet is custom work.

We actually have a fabricator/vendor here that is trying to get into the California Trailblazer market. Look him up, his name is 'NeilageInc' here. From what I've seen so far, he does some nice work and is interested in producing a front bumper.

You may also want to check through the "Fab Work" forum for some other ideas.

I'm looking forward to hearing more about your truck. Would also like to see some pictures!

[Philberto]

Welcome! As James said, Neil is definitely trying to cater to our interests, and though he is located in Southern California, he is very reasonable when it comes to delivery and shipping. He's the person I'd go to for front/rear bumpers. Any other parts, just read and ask around, and I'm sure we can help you locate what you're looking for! I'm jealous of your Shasta location!!!

[HARDTRAILZ]

Welcome. Lets see some pics of your setup.

[bgwolfpack]

Welcome. Lets see some pics of your setup.

What lift/leveler kit did you use? Which mud T/A's tires?

[OregTrailBlazin]

Welcome, Shasta isn't too far from where I'm at!!! A few more people in the area and we can throw a run together!!

Lets see some pics!!

[The Roadie]

And I drove past in July. Heh..heh... He said "weed"..... heh..heh....

[Philberto]

Haha, I had forgotten about that little town

[foosh]

Welcome! As the others said, custom is your best bet, or adapting a bumper like Teebes.

[shastaman]

The mud t/a's are 245/75-16. I put those on before the lift. The lift kit was a Rough Country 2" leveling kit. I couldn't find any other lift kits for this rig. I even looked for a 4" lift but no luck. Can the 30.5 mud t/a's fit with this lift I have or do I need to go up? What's a G 80, no really, what is it? I don't see anything in the glove box tag that says G 80. The only other mods are KYB shocks. Ya, we are just getting started. I need to find out how to get pics on this forum page too. We are moving up into the Mount Shasta Forest outside of McCloud off Hwy. 89 so a group run sounds good in the near future. Thanks.

[foosh]

Well, heres the right place to be!

G80- Rear locking differential. It helps in low traction times.

[irishboy02]

The 'G80' is the production code for our trucks representing an LSD in the rear axle. This means, if you had a G80, your truck was equipped with a Limited Slip Differential(LSD). Our power wheel is the rear-passenger side tire. If the truck senses that this tire is spinning faster than the other side, the LSD (g80) will engauge, causing the power to be evenly distributed to both rear wheels, helping you get out of a sticky situation. Without the g80, both tires will still sping since they are on the same axle, but the power will not be evenly distributed to this tire.

A g80 is far from a necessity, many of us do not have one (myself and ^^foosh^^ aswell), and you will still hold your own. Just proves helpful when dealign with obstacles such as rocks and incline/declines with nasty ruts, nothing the 4wd wont be able to help you out with.

Looking forward to the rest of your build!

[teebes]

A g80 is far from a necessity, many of us do not have one (myself and ^^foosh^^ aswell), and you will still hold your own. Just proves helpful when dealign with obstacles such as rocks and incline/declines with nasty ruts, nothing the 4wd wont be able to help you out with.

It might not seem useful until you need it. Lockers are highly preferred for offroad use, if available! There's a reason why folks prefer a locked diff and locked front/rear axles. For us having this 'option' from the factory was a godsend, IMO. Sure, it might not do much in a mud pit, but lockers are one of the most useful features on our 'factory' rigs. Many scenarios a 2wd w/ locker can be just as capable as a completely open 4wd

[Gordinho80]

The G80 is a locker. Both rear wheels spin, if one wheel loses traction, a vehicle without the locker will see the power go to that wheel, making it seem like only the 1 wheel is getting power. With a G80, if one wheel spins slightly faster then the other, then the differential locks giving both wheels the same amount of power.

[irishboy02]

It might not seem useful until you need it. Lockers are highly preferred for offroad use, if available! There's a reason why folks prefer a locked diff and locked front/rear axles. For us having this 'option' from the factory was a godsend, IMO. Sure, it might not do much in a mud pit, but lockers are one of the most useful features on our 'factory' rigs. Many scenarios a 2wd w/ locker can be just as capable as a completely open 4wd

Right no, absolutely. I just didnt want to get the guy disheartened just because he didnt have a g80. He can still have fun

[Gordinho80]

Right no, absolutely. I just didnt want to get the guy disheartened just because he didnt have a g80. He can still have fun

There are plenty of guys on here without the G80 who have tons of fun and go just about anywhere the G80 guys go. Look at Dan (dizzlenator) for example. He's been to both TECOREs as well as Wharton and some trips up in his neck of the woods. He may have had to use 4HI or 4LO where a 2HI G80 went through without issue, but he's still wheelin' just as hard as anyone.

[Trail X]

The 'G80' is the production code for our trucks representing an LSD in the rear axle. This means, if you had a G80, your truck was equipped with a Limited Slip Differential(LSD). Our power wheel is the rear-passenger side tire. If the truck senses that this tire is spinning faster than the other side, the LSD (g80) will engauge, causing the power to be evenly distributed to both rear wheels, helping you get out of a sticky situation. Without the g80, both tires will still sping since they are on the same axle, but the power will not be evenly distributed to this tire.

Hmm... must clear some stuff up here.

G80 is not an LSD. An LSD cannot lock the halfshaft together and is made for road and track use. It's preferable on roadways because it means both tires are less likely to break out of static friction with the ground. Big difference between LSD and locker.

There is no one "power wheel" in the rear. Not sure where you got that from. That's exactly what a differential is for, to provide even power to both tires when they have traction. If either tire looses grip in an open (non G80) diff, you essentially lose all power to the ground from that axle.

Our locker is an automatic, fully mechanical locker that engages if either tire spins faster than the other by a differential of 100 rpms. It will not engage at speeds over ~20mph.

Below you can see the pawls that control the 100rpm lock, and the 20mph safety lockout.

[foosh]

JD is absolutley correct here, LSD is more of a car thing for track use whereas we use lockers for offeoad use. As Irish said him aswell as others including myself are lacking the factory g80 and still have plenty of fun. If you don't have a g80 they're not a pain to get put in.

[Philberto]

I agree with both sentiments. I have an open differential with 4wd, but plan on either putting in a g80 or swapping to an EXT rear axle with a g80 already in it. So far though, I've not had any major problems with the lack of a locker save for a little more wheelspin than some others.

[shastaman]

Well, what about having Detroit lockers installed front and back? Push botton activated? Maybe I'm dream'in but I already got my 05 Sierra 2wd with limited slip, stuck up at Mt. Shasta, in the snow, IN MY BUDDIES DRIVEWAY!!!. Neadless to say that my plumbing rig is a 10,000 pound pig anyway, but I'll take all the help I can get. Thanks, for all the info guys.