So now that im on 35s I want to regear, and add a locker or two while im at it. I was looking on the arb site and they say its a "do it yourself project" I really wasnt even going to consider doing it but watching the video on their site doesnt look too bad, even easier if I just got a elocker for the rear and regeared it. I am an apprentice mechanic but know nothing about differential gearing yet. Has anyone done this and thinks it really would be a do it yourself project. Im guessing setting the backlash is the biggest deal?

 

Just installing a locker your backlash is your biggest concern. With regearing you have to worry about gear pattern, pre load, and backlash. If you don't know what your doing don't do it.

So re-gearing is something i'd let the experts do. You don't wanna learn to set up a diff thats your diff your depending on.

Also go 5.29s and stay away from arb or the elocker. They both will let you down at some point.

 

DSMahon did his own gear setup, I would shoot him a pm about it. You'll need some extra tools, a lot of time, and even more patience, with all that, it is doable.

 

I been thinking about doing this same project, if ya do go ahead with this please document and post. Would like to see the outcome. Subscribed.

 

do it, do not be afraid to learn like allot of other people.

 

like rolison said, a locker install is very doable yourself, because you mark all the existing locations of everything in the 3rd and you just re-assemble to match up again. with re gearing, its a muuuch bigger ordeal, and youll need some specialized tools, check ouot ZUK's web page for alot of good info.


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Lockrite install (reccomended locker, or simmilar, detroit, aussie, etc...)
5.29 gears installed

 

Since your an apprentice are any of the people at your work good with gearing?

The main bad side of doing gears right is having all the proper tools to do them ($$$), but you might try talking work into getting some of the tools and letting you learn how to do it right as an investment into an employee. This could turn out to be a good point to become specialized in a task that not many can do.

I want to learn how to do it, but I don't have the facilities to take my time and learn. I still don't think I'd trust my first gear'd diff i did (unless it was checked by an expert).

 

Like Crolison said, maybe try to get one of the mechanics at the shop you work at to do it with you and look over his shoulder and learn.

My ARB works awesome and doesn't give me problems and I wheel a lot. The main issue with ARBs (which isn't even much of an issue) is the air lines can get leaks in them. As long as it's installed properly, you shouldn't have any other issues with it ever. Even the air leaks are very simple to fix since the air line is external and easy to replace, patch, etc.. And it ain't like all Detriots, Aussies, Lockrights, etc. don't break and they can be annoying for a DD.

 

It would be nice if someone at work could help me with it...but its just me and the boss and hes getting old and doesnt have the patience to do it anymore. Too bad its not untill next year that I learn how to do diffs in school

Youre right about it probly not being a good idea to try it first on mine, if it didnt set up right I might have a hard time getting to work haha

I think the money id saving doing the set up myself would all go into buying the tools

 

Tools alone will run just as much as the labor. If you pull the 3rds yourself and walk them into a shop, it will save a lot on labor. I charge $200 to do a regear and ARB install and $150 for pretty much all the other lockers per 3rd if they are pulled.

On a 3rd gen 4runner, you don't want to know what I charge to do the front and rear if the truck is driven in.

The front 3rd is a royal PITA to pull, and then regear. It will take a custom dial indicator to set backlash because of the stupid clam shell design. And, don't even get me started on just pulling it out of the rig and putting it back in. A regear on a 3rd gen/tacoma is a 8hr install. Sometimes it takes me longer than that.

 

Well everyone that I know personally has had problems with ARBs, so my personal experience with mine and my shared experience with my friends tells me to let people know to stay away. I've eaten up copper lines, blown o rings, and had it separate inside my diff. I never had any problems with my external air lines, every problem I have had with my ARB required pulling the diff.

From my personal experience wheeling my rig pretty hard, the aussie and detroit I am running now have been the most reliable, and aren't annoying for a DD.

 

If that happened to me, I'd tell people the same thing so I can understand. Luckily, my ARB has been very solid. I choose ARB primarily because I drive a lot in snow and wanted to be able to choose when I'm locked or not. Not that Detroits or Aussie are terrible in snow, but they don't handle the same at all and I personally don't like their snow characteristics, but off road they're both pretty great. Even in snow, I prefer to run my diff open 90% of the time, it's usually only when I'm in deep stuff that I use the locker. The noise the ratcheting lockers like Detroits and Aussies make and the occasional lock up around corners annoys me on road.

 

take mine and crolison's advice on doing 5.29's if you dont plan on doing lower transfer case gears soon. I am in the process of doing 4.7 t-case gears cause the 5.29's alone are not low enough with 35 inch meats.

I have driven a truck or SUV with a lock right in the back since I was 16. With all due respect, if the clicking annoys you, you are not wheelin it enough to appreciate the bang for your buck you get with a lunchbox locker.

 

i regeared my truck but i did alot of research and read most of zuk's installs before i did mine it was pretty easy for a first timer! heres the link to zuks page http://www.gearinstalls.com/

 

look at post #6

 

oooo ya beat me to it lol

 

I really do get just as much bang for my buck with the ARB, but maybe for different reasons. It is more expensive, but like I said before, it does waaaaaay better in snow than a luchbox because I get to choose when I want it locked or not. It's just as good off road, the carrier is as strong or stronger than all the other lockers, and I can also use the compressor to fill up tires, rafts, air beds, etc... I've ran both types and it really depends on what you do with your truck, but for me the ARB kills it!

 

all that info on Zuks site makes it look alot more complicated than the video on the arb site. I really would like to have a selectable locker for daily driving, its just a matter of can I trust the arb

You guys on 5.29s that think its not enough is that for a trail rig that you just want to crawl slower? Im just trying to get back to stock ratio

 

the higher the gearset the more the power. 5.29 on 33's will have a less high end speed, but you will have a more powerful pick up and power in the low end. and they will save you the headache if you decide to bump up to 35's and having to re-gear again

 

Yes well I am on 35s right now, but I think my rpms would be too high for highway driving with 5.29s