I started my G80 rebuild and ran into a major snag. My parts guy says that the cam gear is on national backorder. Since I did not want my truck down for an unknown period of time I gave Randy's Ring and Pinon a call. Great guys there and they got me a TracRite out pronto, I received it in a few days. :ro)

Pretty slick looking unit and seems like it should hold up better than the G80. I figure it should at least last as long as the G80 did and by that time a Detroit will be available. Here are a few photos of the work in progress.

http://www.bmdmax.com/images/Diff1.jpg

http://www.bmdmax.com/images/Diff2.jpg

http://www.bmdmax.com/images/Diff3.jpg

http://www.bmdmax.com/images/Diff4.jpg

http://www.bmdmax.com/images/Diff5.jpg

http://www.bmdmax.com/images/Diff6.jpg

I also got my new racing rims finished today. 16x12 with a 6 inch backspace. They fit the Nostalgia slicks much better than the 16x10 rims did. I am hoping for a good result out of these.

http://www.bmdmax.com/images/nostalgia5.jpg

http://www.bmdmax.com/images/nostalgia6.jpg

http://www.bmdmax.com/images/nostalgia9.jpg

I almost have this puppy ready for Bowling Green. :cool:

I finished the day off working on the LLY. I ditched the crappy factory tow mirrors and handles for some TTT mirrors from Kennedy and some Caddy handles from Dmaxallitech. :cool2:

http://www.bmdmax.com/images/handle2.jpg

http://www.bmdmax.com/images/ttt.jpg

http://www.bmdmax.com/images/ttt2.jpg

I was a bit concerned about the possible vibration with the TTT's so I used some body washers with rubber isolaters along with the supplied nuts. It seemed to square them away pretty good. I will find out for sure on the first tow but I know they will be way better than the stockers. :)

after virtually destroying two arbs (air lockers)and several lsd clutch packs I changed to a detroit locker(aka nospin)...............and found them to be indestructible in the dana 60's in my jeep.........full floater is nice for this operation.................great photos.......I like the mirrors......hows the boss?

The boss is doing great! She wants to know when the full moon racing crew is getting together again. ):h

The TracRite is made by AAM and is used by Dodge. Totally new carrier but it has the same dimensions as the G80.

I spoke with Tractech and they are still working on the development of a Detroit for our 11.5 so this is my next best option for now.

We will see how well it holds up. :cool:

So you replaced the G80 on the AAM 11.5 with that? I've been looking to replace the G80 but haven't found a replacment.

Everything looks great! That event in Bowling Green you mentioned, is that the North vs. South competition in August that Tbyrne is hosting? My neighbor is going and it sounds interesting!

Brandon looks good!

What was the cost of the TracRite? I maybe next in line as I was sensing a problem prior to my other issue.Inside tire was dragging quite hard (near sliding on asphalt) on some not so tight turns.

Everything looks great! That event in Bowling Green you mentioned, is that the North vs. South competition in August that Tbyrne is hosting? My neighbor is going and it sounds interesting!

Nope, not that event. I was talking about the TS Performance all diesel shootout on May 6th and 7th. It should be a great event this year!

So you replaced the G80 on the AAM 11.5 with that? I've been looking to replace the G80 but haven't found a replacment.

Yes.

Brandon looks good!

What was the cost of the TracRite? I maybe next in line as I was sensing a problem prior to my other issue.Inside tire was dragging quite hard (near sliding on asphalt) on some not so tight turns.

It was about 100 bucks cheaper than a replacement Eaton unit. Even the replacement parts are expensive for that POS. The TracRite was $517.00 if I recall correctly. Add new bearings, races and shipping and you get out the door for about 600 bucks.

It was about 100 bucks cheaper than a replacement Eaton unit. Even the replacement parts are expensive for that POS. The TracRite was $517.00 if I recall correctly. Add new bearings, races and shipping and you get out the door for about 600 bucks.WOW..............that seems like a great price for the complete unit.........:cool:

Are you going to honor us with one of your documented BMDMAX installs similiar to your gauge install ????

Any special tools required or is it a true jackstand/garage job for us shadetree mechanics ????

Thanks,

T;) NY
.
.

If you know how to set up a ring and pinion it can be garage and jackstand. It does involve a few specialized tools. I think randy's has all the tools if you want to try it yourself. www.ring-pinion.com (http://www.ring-pinion.com/) I was going to do it to my CJ but I just decided a bigger motor was better.

Are those M&H slicks DOT aproved?

Just wondering cause it states in the DHRA rule book that the tires must be DOT rated racing slicks or DOT street tires.

Truck looks good with the new mods,hope the rear end holds together longer than the G80 did.

Slicks are not DOT rated. Cheater slicks are. Problem? No cheater slicks in 30-32" dia on 16" rims.

So if the DHRA wants to ban slicks, they should also ban 4x4's, or rename it to DAWDHRA Diesel All Wheel Drive Hotrod Association.

Slicks are not DOT rated. Cheater slicks are. Problem? No cheater slicks in 30-32" dia on 16" rims.

So if the DHRA wants to ban slicks, they should also ban 4x4's, or rename it to DAWDHRA Diesel All Wheel Drive Hotrod Association.

McRat, not true! The M&H cheaters are 30 inches tall and go on a 16" rim. They are DOT legal. That is why I have both, cheaters for the DHRA races and the Nostalgias for track days when I don't have to worry about that lame rule.

Are those M&H slicks DOT aproved?

Just wondering cause it states in the DHRA rule book that the tires must be DOT rated racing slicks or DOT street tires.

Truck looks good with the new mods,hope the rear end holds together longer than the G80 did.

The Nostalgias are not DOT but my MHD-11 cheaters from M&H are DOT certified.

McRat, not true! The M&H cheaters are 30 inches tall and go on a 16" rim. They are DOT legal. That is why I have both, cheaters for the DHRA races and the Nostalgias for track days when I don't have to worry about that lame rule.

I stand corrected.

But neither tire is truly a "street" tire. Lethal in the rain, extremely fast wear (2500mi max), and they pick up nails like a magnet.

If they allow cheaters, they should allow slicks. Other than a couple of laughably small grooves, they are no different than slicks.

The 2WD's need all the traction they can muster, and outlawing slicks is counterproductive.

WOW..............that seems like a great price for the complete unit.........:cool:

Are you going to honor us with one of your documented BMDMAX installs similiar to your gauge install ????

Any special tools required or is it a true jackstand/garage job for us shadetree mechanics ????

Thanks,

T;) NY
.
.

I have been taking photos as I have been working. I don't know if I will do the full writeup as I have been pretty busy, it really depends on how much interest their is. You can do this in your garage and on jackstands. A lift is nice but not necessary.

You do need a few special tools, certainly if you plan to fix the G80 as I do. Always good to have a backup if I ever need it. A dial indicator is a must have and a good torque wrench. An impact wrench with some balls to it is pretty much a must have also unless you have gorilla forearms.

Ultimately since you don't have to jack around with the pinion the job is pretty easy. Just set the backlash properly and you won't end up with a screamer. One note of caution though, the chunk is one heavy bastard and can easily bust a finger coming out. I had a jack with a catch basket to slide it into and it was still a bear to move. The spare tire does need to come out also.

Lemme know if you want a writeup. :cool:

I stand corrected.

But neither tire is truly a "street" tire. Lethal in the rain, extremely fast wear (2500mi max), and they pick up nails like a magnet.

If they allow cheaters, they should allow slicks. Other than a couple of laughably small grooves, they are no different than slicks.

The 2WD's need all the traction they can muster, and outlawing slicks is counterproductive.

I agree! :exactly: I never run the cheaters on the street......

Drag slicks have no sidewall strength to speak of. Cheater slicks have much stiffer sidewalls that meet DOT specs, so they don't hook as well (less wrinkle effect). Also, the cheater slicks are usually a harder compound, which makes them wear better and last a little while longer.

Another thing, rolling resistance is less with the cheaters. All out drag slicks have much more rolling resistance and generally run less psi. You will run more MPH with the cheaters.

Modern cheater slicks are not a lot different from full slicks.

Kat (wifey) cut a 1.56 60' time yesterday without doing a burnout in the Vette on MT ET Streets. Sheet howdy!!

Do they wrinkle? We don't care. They hook.

Kat (wifey) cut a 1.56 60' time yesterday without doing a burnout in the Vette on MT ET Streets. Sheet howdy!!

WOW!!!!:eek: Is that the best so far? Also, what did the 'blue meanie' and 'big blue' run?

Kat ran 11.36 @ 120 for a new best in the Meanie at 1600' DA yesterday afternoon. Best 60' ever in the car at 1.56. Looked like tires up at the launch, but the wall kept it off the video.

Big Blue wasn't shifting correctly. Best was a meager 14.03 @ 96 without a bottle. Towing a trailer and 466rwhp confuses the Allison.

Kat ran 11.36 @ 120 for a new best in the Meanie at 1600' DA yesterday afternoon. Best 60' ever in the car at 1.56. Looked like tires up at the launch, but the wall kept it off the video.

Big Blue wasn't shifting correctly. Best was a meager 14.03 @ 96 without a bottle. Towing a trailer and 466rwhp confuses the Allison.
Good stuff!

And yes, wifey outran me. I did a couple of passes in the vette, but only went 11.40@120 on a 1.59 60'.

And yes, wifey outran me. I did a couple of passes in the vette, but only went 11.40@120 on a 1.59 60'.
:eek: A little rusty, huh?

I let her win! :D

I vote for a write up.

gotta let them win every now and then

-------
A write up would be nice. Your detail is spot-on....

Drag slicks have no sidewall strength to speak of. Cheater slicks have much stiffer sidewalls that meet DOT specs, so they don't hook as well (less wrinkle effect). Also, the cheater slicks are usually a harder compound, which makes them wear better and last a little while longer.just a lil information here for you....you can buy slicks with stiff sidewalls... all m/t10.5w tires are stiff sidewall... can buy a 28x10.5 stiff side... goodyear has a 30x10.5 stiff sidewall....

if you know your suspension you can get a street tire to 60 ft almost the same as a slick... i have gone 1.21 60 ft on a slick and 1.23 on a et street:ro)

et street are the same coumpound on the tread surface as a slick...a lil different sidewall construction:cool:

by all means not trying to flame you ..just a lil information to pass on;)

How could you? Next you'll be dropping a Cummins in it ;)

Nick has done the rear Dodge ;) conversion also. I'm surprised he hasn't chimed in.

just a lil information here for you....you can buy slicks with stiff sidewalls... all m/t10.5w tires are stiff sidewall... can buy a 28x10.5 stiff side... goodyear has a 30x10.5 stiff sidewall....

if you know your suspension you can get a street tire to 60 ft almost the same as a slick... i have gone 1.21 60 ft on a slick and 1.23 on a et street:ro)

et street are the same coumpound on the tread surface as a slick...a lil different sidewall construction:cool:

by all means not trying to flame you ..just a lil information to pass on;)
Thanks, I'm familiar with the "W" tires, more footprint with a smaller section width. Good stuff.

Could you guys put the tire info in a different post. Not that I am not intereseted but I am trying to follow the diff info since mines about ready to crap out.

That's mainly my fault as I mixed the photos together. Sorry about that. I hope to have a full report from this weekend on how it is doing.

Big Blue wasn't shifting correctly. Best was a meager 14.03 @ 96 without a bottle. Towing a trailer and 466rwhp confuses the Allison.
That's interesting, I've felt that towing helps the trans prepare for the abuse at the track. Maybe the LLY's programming reacts different?

That's interesting, I've felt that towing helps the trans prepare for the abuse at the track. Maybe the LLY's programming reacts different?

I thought that too, but it doesn't seem to work that way for me. After towing it seems to shift erratically when drag racing. Perhaps it's because I drive "gentle" the whole way when towing and don't get a chance to romp on it like I would unladen.

Good job Brandon. I'm glad you finally found a source for it. So far mine has been holding up great.

(Click picture for larger image)

http://www.wackywack.com/images/dmax/IMG_1031_small.JPG (http://www.wackywack.com/images/dmax/IMG_1031.JPG) http://www.wackywack.com/images/dmax/IMG_1032_small.JPG (http://www.wackywack.com/images/dmax/IMG_1032.JPG) http://www.wackywack.com/images/dmax/IMG_1033_small.JPG (http://www.wackywack.com/images/dmax/IMG_1033.JPG) http://www.wackywack.com/images/dmax/IMG_1034_small.JPG (http://www.wackywack.com/images/dmax/IMG_1034.JPG)

How many of you guys have had rear-end problems? This is something I haven't heard a lot about--I don't do a lot of hard launches, and I'd rather keep my stocker working correctly.

I'm definitely not in the same category power-wise, either. Is it just a matter time before I fry my stock G80 when running up to an extra 150 RWHP daily driving?

The install is done! :ro) I finished it up late last night and got it back on the road for my initial testing. The job was not all that hard, just time consuming and the parts are very heavy to deal with. Getting the carrier back in was a two man job, one on each side of the carrier and a jack man to align it and move it towards the housing. Once you have it lined up you can roll it right in.

A couple of install notes, make sure you press the bearings all the way on the carrier, the ring gear side can fool you on the proper depth. Also, when you are removing the original carrier make sure you put some punch marks on the side adjusters and the case so you can remember where they were. I also measured and recored my backlash (it was six thousandths) and spent some time getting the "feel" of the backlash by hand. Reason being is that the two carriers are dimensionally exact so once the new one goes in your marks should zero out when you have the backlash adjusted properly. Once I had the new carrier in I followed the GM proceedure for setting the initial backlash and it was way too tight. I started adjusting and got my index marks lined up on each side. The ring gear "feel" test seemed spot on for the backlash. I tightened down the bearing caps and hit it with the dial indicator, spot on at six thousandths. :ro)

A 20 ton press is perfect for the carrier bearings and the only other real problem you may have for a home shop is getting the ring gear on to proper torque specs. You need to get the ring gear bolts to 175 foot pounds, trust me doing it by hand is a pain because there is no good way to secure the diff so you can torque the bolts. I used the impact wrench with a torque stick and then checked a few of the bolts with the wrench by hand. They came out good. It was all two guys could do to hold the diff while I checked the bolts. A jig to hold it would really help on this step. Also, the 11.5 ring gear bolts are a standard right hand thread, not a left hand thread like most ring gears.

First driving impressions are great. Absolutely no noise and very, very smooth. The TracRite also has eliminated a ton of driveline slop from the truck. The helical gear design inherently has less slop in it than the spider gears in the G80 but it is dramatically different. The TR may wear in some but it is very crisp and much more positive in feel than the G80. I did give it a quick chirp on the tires to confirm traction to both tires and I got a nice parallel set of marks. I can't speak to how it will perform in more slippery conditions yet but for my needs I think it is going to be the hot ticket.

Now it is off to the track this weekend to see how it does! :cool: A big thanks to Nick & Hoot for the idea, to Randy's Ring & Pinion for the great service, and to Mach6 and Quick6 for the install help. :D

My G80 was still in great shape when I pulled the cover for annual inspection and fuid change. If I break the G80 in the truck and the spare on the shelf I might try a Tracrite.

The install is done! :ro) I finished it up late last night and got it back on the road for my initial testing. The job was not all that hard, just time consuming and the parts are very heavy to deal with. Getting the carrier back in was a two man job, one on each side of the carrier and a jack man to align it and move it towards the housing. Once you have it lined up you can roll it right in.

A couple of install notes, make sure you press the bearings all the way on the carrier, the ring gear side can fool you on the proper depth. Also, when you are removing the original carrier make sure you put some punch marks on the side adjusters and the case so you can remember where they were. I also measured and recored my backlash (it was six thousandths) and spent some time getting the "feel" of the backlash by hand. Reason being is that the two carriers are dimensionally exact so once the new one goes in your marks should zero out when you have the backlash adjusted properly. Once I had the new carrier in I followed the GM proceedure for setting the initial backlash and it was way too tight. I started adjusting and got my index marks lined up on each side. The ring gear "feel" test seemed spot on for the backlash. I tightened down the bearing caps and hit it with the dial indicator, spot on at six thousandths. :ro)

A 20 ton press is perfect for the carrier bearings and the only other real problem you may have for a home shop is getting the ring gear on to proper torque specs. You need to get the ring gear bolts to 175 foot pounds, trust me doing it by hand is a pain because there is no good way to secure the diff so you can torque the bolts. I used the impact wrench with a torque stick and then checked a few of the bolts with the wrench by hand. They came out good. It was all two guys could do to hold the diff while I checked the bolts. A jig to hold it would really help on this step. Also, the 11.5 ring gear bolts are a standard right hand thread, not a left hand thread like most ring gears.

First driving impressions are great. Absolutely no noise and very, very smooth. The TracRite also has eliminated a ton of driveline slop from the truck. The helical gear design inherently has less slop in it than the spider gears in the G80 but it is dramatically different. The TR may wear in some but it is very crisp and much more positive in feel than the G80. I did give it a quick chirp on the tires to confirm traction to both tires and I got a nice parallel set of marks. I can't speak to how it will perform in more slippery conditions yet but for my needs I think it is going to be the hot ticket.

Now it is off to the track this weekend to see how it does! :cool: A big thanks to Nick & Hoot for the idea, to Randy's Ring & Pinion for the great service, and to Mach6 and Quick6 for the install help. :D
Thanks for the Information Brandon!
Please keep us up to date on how it performs. I am real curious to find out how the unit holds up as I have debated adding a TORSEN to mine.

it was Extreme donuts that killed my G80.. i don't have the funds tire-wise to try it again on the torsen

Im gettin mine installed on thurs 5th. I will post my thoughts also....

My G80 was still in great shape when I pulled the cover for annual inspection and fuid change. If I break the G80 in the truck and the spare on the shelf I might try a Tracrite.
Mike could it be that since u are so underpowered :eek: , u haven't hurt it yet?










:joke: :lol: