Seems like this is turning into a build thread.

[CARC686]

ROYAL PURPLE PERFORMANCE ADVANTAGES

• Maximizes horsepower
• Extends gear and bearing life
• Reduces operating temperature
• Lower coefficient of friction
• Superior corrosion protection
• Separates rapidly from water
• For use with open, limited-slip and locking differential
• Contains limited-slip friction modifier

Very impressive claims.

Now where does it say it measurably improves MPGs?

I don't care about their claims. I've never read them. What I have done is drive cross country several times with a scan tool plugged into my Toyota while I towed triple the rated capacity and Royal Purple engine oil had my average temperature down by close to 20 degrees over Rotella. It's slick stuff. That energy was being used to push the vehicle instead of being radiated as heat. I'm not a scientist and I'm not interested in marketing. I'm a cynic. I believe what I personally observed over the course of thousands of miles in an extreme duty situation.

 

[CARC686]

Now if you really wanted to challenge Royal Purple, the tac I would take is, "See you when you come crying about how it was too slick for your hub seals." I understand that to be a gamble and I'm choosing to take it. The good news is the fancy pants diff gasket is reusable.

 

[CARC686]

Discovered the best performance mod yet. Removed the resident half ton of junk from the bed. It only happened once, but it did chirp the tires in second after I stopped using the truck for a storage shed.

 

[CARC686]

I was pretty skeptical of this drop pan when I bought it, but it was the only one they had at that particular parts house. I must admit I am happy for the engineer of this thing, as he definitely got his revenge, though I'm not sure what I did to earn it. The only way this thing makes sense is if the company producing it makes most of its money selling rags and kitty litter. If you get a chance to own one of these, go ahead and don't.



Now if you install a diff cover with recessed hardware like this, you're gonna want to have three studs to put in the top with spacers and nuts so you can properly attach the brackets for the brake lines and stuff. Otherwise, they won't fit. To anybody who doubts the ARB diff cover makes a difference, I can confirm that before I installed it, I did not have any bug bites, but now that I have installed it, I have at least several dozen.



From this personal experience, I can guarantee that installing an ARB diff cover with a Lube Locker gasket and Royal Purple gear oil will lighten your wallet.

 

[CARC686]

Got a decel rumble grumble. Gonna have to open this thing back up, figure out where the diff cover is rubbing, and clearance it. This is the kind of finnicky crap I expect from hodgepodge modifications built out of junk, not expensive aftermarket parts. That's a strike against ARB's permanent record for me.

 

[dougco1]

Got a decel rumble grumble. Gonna have to open this thing back up, figure out where the diff cover is rubbing, and clearance it. This is the kind of finnicky crap I expect from hodgepodge modifications built out of junk, not expensive aftermarket parts. That's a strike against ARB's permanent record for me.

It must be that ROYAL PURPLE you used is so slippery that the gears are flying out and rubbing the back of the cover. There goes your MPGs.

 

[CARC686]

They were too preoccupied with making clearance for rocks on the trail to leave enough room for my sloppy tolerances. The right thing to do would be to rebuild the diff, but since that's not in my wheelhouse, I'll just have to introduce the cover to a grinder. That's what ARB recommends in this circumstance anyway. This sure is a lot of nonsense to add a drain plug, but it'll pay for itself in saved RTV before my 200th birthday.

 

[CARC686]

I expected I might not be able to see where it was rubbing, so I had planned to paint the inside of the cover, slap it on dry with a couple bolts, and spin it a few times, but that was not necessary. The hardened gears were just lathing this thing out of the way. I was irritated with how unnecessarily strong the neodymium was in the drain plug, because it made it hard to even get the threads started, but I was glad to have it at this point. Did a good job of collecting up the dust.



Gave it a shave and a haircut.



No more noise. I noticed when the fluid came out that it didn't smell like sulfur, but was disappointed that it didn't smell like grape soda either. You'd think they could make it smell like grape soda at $20 a quart. Put it through a coffee filter and poured it back in. Believe it or not, I was able to stick a funnel in the fill plug on the cover and pour the oil in from a three liter soda bottle pushed up behind the fuel tank.

Curses on Royal Purple for not smelling like grape soda and making my gears so slippery that they flew out.

 

[CARC686]

Oh, and just a reminder: It's a lot easier to put on safety glasses than it is to go magnet fishing in your eye.

 

[CARC686]

Magnet couldn't get it. Just received a practical demonstration of a tiny surgical needle gun. Basically had to grind the surface off my eyeball to get the iron and rust out. Not my best Friday night. Wear your PPE.

 

[dougco1]

Magnet couldn't get it. Just received a practical demonstration of a tiny surgical needle gun. Basically had to grind the surface off my eyeball to get the iron and rust out. Not my best Friday night. Wear your PPE.

Sorry for your pain.
That nice, bright diff cover is not as shiny as when you first "eyed it" now is it.

 

[CARC686]

My pig wears only the finest lipstick.

 

[dougco1]

My pig wears only the finest lipstick.

View attachment 930682

I still think that painting the original differential cover an orange/red would have given you better results

 

[CARC686]

I like the drain and fill plugs. I like the gasket. Could do with more eyes. Even just one more, but ARB doesn't make any and if they did, I'd probably mess up my other eye grinding it to fit.

 

[CARC686]

For future reference:

28-Spline TrueTrac P/N: 912A556
Rear 8.5" Master Kit: TIMKEN DRK321MK

 

[CARC686]

Landlord didn't like the way the truck marks its spot. Asked me to put down a drip pan. I did him one better. Thought about flattening it out, but rolling over that hump and coming to rest on the curb is how I know I'm home. The stones will settle into their final resting places without me fussing over it.

 

[CARC686]

Got the bumper. Only took 15 weeks and a hundred highway miles visiting a freight terminal. Pretty ridiculous, but I didn't get bent about it. I'm not in a hurry. Quality seems pretty good. I was enjoying figuring out the original shapes of the plates, as they're folded up like origami. The seams that are welded are proper stack-o-dimes, and none of the welds are obscured by the powder coat. It's a low profile rough coat similar in appearance to CARC. I'm going to spray over it with Rapco. Figured it would make a great primer. Must be nice having a full service fab shop. Expensive. I guess that's why they charge so much. There'll be some pictures sooner than later.

 

[CARC686]

Prepping for install. Will probably be selling the original bumper with the pintle/NATO trailer plug with pigtails, D-ring, etc. if there's interest. Anybody doing a Suburban conversion?

 

[CARC686]

Roughed in. Needs to be adjusted down and to the left about a quarter inch. Flood light from Harbor Freight finger tight, not wired. Will have two after I plumb the draft tube into the exhaust. D-ring shackles didn't fit. Will figure it out later. It's hot. I'm tired.

 

[dougco1]

Roughed in. Needs to be adjusted down and to the left about a quarter inch. Flood light from Harbor Freight finger tight, not wired. Will have two after I plumb the draft tube into the exhaust. D-ring shackles didn't fit. Will figure it out later. It's hot. I'm tired.

View attachment 931550View attachment 931551View attachment 931552

Nice.
What about the tow hitch?