Zagnut

How does that truetrac behave on ice? Hit the gas and sideways? When you drive are you making driving decisions based on how the truetrac behaves? Or is it business as usual?

Zagnut

Me too Ian. I want it done right but 6-7 hrs of labor seems like BS to me. I dont know any "honest" shops to get this done at either.

Ftruck05

BS huh? Have you ever set up gears. Go buy a dial indicator and learn how to work that, Than learn how to set the backlash, preload, shims.......I could go on if you would like. You want it done right ya gotta pay the price buddy.

nagata

Well, so far I haven't had to change my driving habits. As with any truck, when the roads are slippery, I'm very light on the throttle and I probably slip the clutch a bit when starting off to minimize wheel slip.

Also, the Trutrac runs around $450 for the unit, and I got mine installed at a shop for $360 for everything.

Zagnut

Feel free to go on. You must be a mechanic or somebody that owns a shop. Because everybody knows that most shops and mechanics are douche bag con artists looking to squeeze you for everything they can get. With a standardized labor guide, they WILL charge you maximum. So when they tell me it takes 6-7 hrs, that means I have to pay for 7 hrs. Even though most people know this would take far less... A honest mechanic actually charges you for the time they work on you vehicle. Not how much can we take off this guy. So I could also go on and on if you would like.

nagata

While I agree that stealerships, and some private shops, are bad, the stereotyping isn't necessary. If you've had a bad experience with a shop, find a better one, they are out there. Get quotes from as many places as possible, look for performance shops, speed shops, shops that specialize in trucks & suspensions, etc. Ask for recommendations from engine shops, motorcycle shops, etc, those guys often know who does good work. When I had my differential done, gears & the Trutrac, I got no fewer than 4 quotes and did research on every single place.

The guy I had do the work is a great mechanic who's in his late 70s and has been running his shop for 50 years. He's probably done more diff work than a factory line worker, and it still took him about 5 hours to do the diff on my 150. Hopefully that helps put it into perspective. Good luck.

Zagnut

My point exactly. You just sterotyped the dealerships as, stealerships. why? Because they charge the maximum rate? Either way the guy you went to in his late 70's could get the job done in about 5 hrs. So I would assume somebody in there 40's could do the job a bit faster. If people want to be ignorant to the fact that not everybody is honest, so be it. I will find a word of mouth mechanic that will do the job right for a fair price.

Thislilfishy

I dunno, I don't think that's outrageous. Probably two mechanics will rip it off before lunch...but still that's 2 or 3 hours x 2 men. They probably quoted you book rate (I hate that as well). Sometimes it works in your favor, but rarely...because if it takes longer then the book says you can bet your *** they are going to charge you the extra hours (unless you have a quote). As has been said, to properly adjust the backlash is a tedious PITA.

Ian

nagata

So you figure that a ~78 year old guy who's in good shape and has been swapping diffs and gears for 50+ years can't do it faster than a ~40 year old dealer or shop mechanic who does rear end work, oh, maybe once a month at most? Look, no one's arguing that there are shady car shops and dealers out there, but saying that these shops are flat out lying to you about the job taking 6-7 hours of labor is a bit exaggerated. As I said, and it sounds like you're doing, your best bet is to find someone who specializes in drivetrain work with a good reputation and they should be able to do a good job for you.

FireMedic

Wouldn't you need to change the front and back going from 3.55 to 3.73 or were you just looking at the LS option. On a second note anybody have experience with going to 4.10's