In other news, I went out on a snow run today to break in the new parts. Before we got to the snow we hit a gravel pit with a few good hill climbs. Everything was heavily rutted and generally a snotty mess. Lots of go-pedal required.
I got over the first one no sweat.
I tried the middle one (the hardest) and got about halfway up, 4LO and hard on the throttle all the way. My front tires came off the ground and the truck came down HARD on the skids and stopped dead in its tracks. Mike's product saved me again. My front tires were both in ruts too deep for them to reach ground, so I backed down.
I went up the third (middle difficulty). About 3 quarters of the way up, I got a metallic sound from the front end, then lost momentum quickly. I ran out of steam just below the crest of the hill. My left front wheel was still giving the ground hell, my right wheel sat there flaccidly.
I backed down and got out the tools, prepared for a CV axle change. Lo and behold my right side CV axle was no worse for wear. I jacked up the right front tire and it spun freely, which for me is a sign of trouble.
After a little fiddling and observation I've come down to three possibilities:
1. I've grenaded the AWD sleeve I installed in my splined disconnect. (Unlikely, as the CV axle has no signs of excessive play and there are no strange noises coming from that area)
2. I've damaged the carrier or locker somehow. (Also no sounds from this area, and the left wheel works fine still)
3. I'm the first non-SS TB to strip the splines off the intermediate shaft. (Where I'm leaning.)
As an aside, I decided that since it was so early in the day, I'd run the snow trails in 3WD. All was going OK until I started dog-walking up a hill. I cranked the wheel and powered through, got up the hill, and blew my power steering pump.
I rode shotgun in a Yota on 38's the rest of the day. I drove the TB 50 miles home.Back to the main point. All of the above scenarios have one thing in common: I can't get/make a stronger replacement unit. I'm at a dead end. Other IFS diffs are a no go: The 8.25 has no locker options, and the 9.25 is so huge I might as well SAS the truck. I can't keep this thing together and alive at the level I want to perform. I'm fine with justifying upgrades on parts that wear out, but that's all out the door when I start replacing parts I've already replaced. As I look over the numbers, I'm quickly coming to that point where the upgrades/repairs will cost more than if I had just SAS'd or gone with another platform.
So here are my options:
1. Quit wheeling (whatever)
2. Sell my Camaro (which I hardly drive anymore) and use the money to SAS the TB.
3. Sell/trade my Camaro for a dedicated wheeler. Most likely a 1st gen or SAS 4Runner.
To the dismay of many, I'm leaning towards option 3. I already have a possible trade deal lined up.
Option 2 has several technical difficulties that go along with it, ones I'm not sure even Steve has encountered yet. They deal mostly with the computer and what it thinks you should be doing during various operations. (Hint: Try backing up a steep incline in a low traction situation. Good luck.) Also, at the end of the day, option 2 means I'm still wheeling my DD/business rig... and I still have to scramble to fix things if I break.
If option 3 comes to pass, the TB will stay lifted, but will most likely be tamed down a bit for street/shooting trip usage. Some parts will come off and become available (exclusively) here. Of most interest will probably be: Z71 springs, 88 springs, front locker and I may be looking to trade down the 35s to 33s.
So that's where I'm at. I guess I have some thinking to do.
