Things to upgrade?

[motormayhem]

I recently purchased a 84 cucv m1009 that has a 4" lift and 35" mud terrains on it. As far as I know everything is stock on it. Are there certain components I need to upgrade to be able to offroad this without breaking stuff. I know the rear-end is weak, but what else. I am told that the driveshaft probably needs to be lengthened due to the lift. Anything else?

 

[85-m1028]

running 35" on 10 bolts with 3.07 gearing is not a good idea. a 14 bolt out of a 3/4 ton will bolt right on, and a dana 60 front will too.. try and find something with 3.73- 4.10 gearing for those 35" tires.

 

[kennyw]

With 35" tires, 4.56 gears would be ideal for off-road use. But if you still plan to use it on the road 3.73/4.10's will be a good compromise between off-road and on-road performance. I'm running 4.10's with 37" tires for 90% road use/10% off-road use.

Chevy 3/4 ton axles are a direct bolt in for your rig and a good step up in strength, plus they are easy to find with 3.73, 4.10, or 4.56 gears already installed. A Dana 60 front would be a huge improvement, but not necessary for small 35" tires either.

The steering system is one of the biggest weaknesses for off-road as well. Research "crossover" steering a little.

The best way to find out what you need is to get out there with a group of friends and see what your truck can do/can't do. Then your gonna know if someones suggestions are important to you.

 

[85-m1028]

my buddy runs a 10bolt out front with a detroit and 4.56 gears on 35" and I asked him why he doesn't just swap in a 60 "he said because he already dumped the $$ into the 10bolt"

so now whenever we go wheeling I usually have to add an hour for swapping a busted stub shaft or u-joint. It happens almost every trip!!

I asked "doesn't that piss you off" he replied "meh I'm used to it by now, I've actualy gotten pretty good at it"

I guess it depends on how you look at it...

 

[kennyw]

And I have yet to break anything on my 10 bolts front axles running 37" tires... it's all in how hard you are on your truck. I'm not out there to tear everything up. If you have a heavy right foot, it is wise to upgrade early before sinking a lot of cash into a 10 bolt though.

 

[85-m1028]

well with the relatively low cost and abundace of chevy front 60's out there, it makes no sense upgrading a 10bolt. especialy when a 60 will improve the value of the truck all together...

ditto on the steering set up, a steering box brace is almost mandatory..

 

[kennyw]

well with the relatively low cost and abundace of chevy front 60's out there, it makes no sense upgrading a 10bolt. especialy when a 60 will improve the value of the truck all together...

ditto on the steering set up, a steering box brace is almost mandatory..

$750-1000 for a D60 vs $100-250 for a 10 bolt, plus if your already buying a 3/4 ton 14FF you are more likely to find the matching D44/10 bolt front with it for even less. I would not recommend buying 8 lug conversion parts and re-gearing your current 10 bolt though.

It just comes down to how much you want to spend and how you plan on using the rig.

 

[Chevytruck]

i see two types here basically...
but which one is better?
or more reliable in the long run (or cheaper)

 

[Recovry4x4]

Off on a tangent, consider a harmonic balancer. Many a crank has gone away from shifted balancers.

 

[AJMBLAZER]

i see two types here basically...
but which one is better?
or more reliable in the long run (or cheaper)

Huh?

 

[11Echo]

Dana 60 fronts are the best out there. I've never seen an abundance of them around here and the ones you find are not cheap. As some have suggested, get a 14 FF from a 3/4 ton and the matching front. I have a set of axles, Dana 44 front/14 FF rear 3.73 gears from a 79 Suburban out back waiting to go into something.

 

[motormayhem]

Off on a tangent, consider a harmonic balancer. Many a crank has gone away from shifted balancers.

About how expensive are they? How hard are they to change?

 

[Recovry4x4]

About $100. Takes some time getting to it but not a difficult task

 

[AJMBLAZER]

Fluidampr has one available at Summit. Supposed to be their usual quality and the cat's ass when it comes to doing it's job. However it isn't cheap...but you'll never need to worry about it again either.

 

[hobie237]

Changing the balancer isn't too difficult, provided you have a good impact wrench to break the crank bolt free, a puller to get the old damper off, and a good torque wrench (mine goes to 250 ft-lbs) to get the required 200 ft-lbs on the new one. Oh yeah, and a buddy to jam the flexplate with a prybar while you exert said 200 ft-lbs.

That all being said, changing a waterpump is more of a pain.

 

[motormayhem]

Is there a way to check and see if the balancer needs to be replaced?

 

[hobie237]

If the rubber is degrading, it needs to be replaced. Sometimes it's obvious, sometimes less so. I'd say that the only way to reliably check it would be to remove it, in which case you may as well replace it. Mine didn't look *that* bad, but I don't like the idea of my crankshaft's health reliant upon 20 year old rubber.

 

[Pappa-G]

I don't like the idea of my crankshaft's health reliant upon 20 year old rubber.

I wouldn't trust my crank in a 20 year old rubber either!

 

[Armada]

I wouldn't trust my crank in a 20 year old rubber either!

What's the diff? Yours was mothballed years ago, it never gets used.....

 

[Pappa-G]

What's the diff? Yours was mothballed years ago, it never gets used.....

Maybe but I still keep it polished and at the ready!