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K5 round 2

T

tbux

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Tucson, AZ
So after disappearing for about a year and a half, I got myself another K5! I sold the last blazer I had and the wife's truck I was talking about building and "deployed" to South Korea for 7 months. Got her into a new vehicle when I got back, then spent about 2 months getting yanked around by people trying to sell vehicles on CL...before I found a retired MSgt trying to sell an 84' K5, maroon, red interior, 350/700r4/208, 10 bolts...nothing too special, but in pretty good shape. It has 4" superlift springs up front, blocks in the rear and 33x14.50-15 swamper sts tires on 15x14 eagle allow wheels...not my choice but it doesn't look half bad. Also had a pretty decent stereo in it with a couple 12" subs in the back, but someone decided they needed them more than I do and I woke up a couple weeks ago with glass all over the drive way and no speakers.

blazer.JPG
 
Well once the rear window was replaced I decided to take the top off and leave it off, a little chilly on the way to work in the mornings! Picked up a DRW D60 and a SRW 14bff from a guy locally here and some new wheels and tires. 385/75-16 Nitto mud grapplers and rock crawler 16x10 with a 4" bs and then some rock rings from ballistic fab.

tires.JPG

wheels.JPG
 
Aside from removing the top and fixing some wires and swapping fluids I haven't touched it much yet. Because the wheels stick out so far though I did trim the front of the forward fenders so I can make it out of my drive way in 1 turn :chainsaw: they still rub on the rear a bit a full crank but I'm not worried about trimming anymore until the new shoes are on.
 
I don't think that's going to be low enough gears for you. Especially if you ever want to use overdrive. I've got 5.13 for my 38s, and that's a good gear. I think you'll need to look at something lower than that for those 42s.
 
My mistake they're 385/70-16... But I was hoping someone would chime in on the gears, I've been on the fence. No matter which way you leave my house you're running' 65mph and I regularly drive this thing 17 miles one way to work...you think those 5.13's are where i need to be?
 
How tall is a 385/70? I thought it was around 42". I'd say 5.13's wouldn't be a low enough gear. 5.38s probably better. You have to account for the added weight of a larger tire when increasing gear to account for the taller tire. If you don't do that, and you ran a 4.88 gear on a 42" tire, you'll have bad fuel economy because you'll have to dump extra fuel into the cylinders to keep the engine going. If you find the sweet spot for your gear, then you'll maximize your fuel economy by spinning higher RPMs with less fuel per explosion.

According to this table, a 5.38 would be good for a 42" tire:
gear-chart.gif


I wouldn't follow this chart as an absolute rule. If you were to pick something in the yellow for your tire size, you're not going to be able to use your OD, and thus your fuel economy is going to suffer. I say stay in the black.

If your commute is flat, you'll be looking at 2.5 gallons of fuel, max (I think), per day of commuting, if you pick a gear in the black.
 
According to online calculators they are 37.2x15.2-16. I could see going 5.13's, I dunno about 5.38's though...nitto listed them as a 38x14.50-16
 
385 / 25.4 = 15.157480315
15.157480315 x .70 = 10.61023622
10.61023622 x 2 = 21.22047244
21.22047244 = 16 = 37.22047244

I would call it a 37.5x15x16.

Martin
 
Ok. I have not a clue how to convert stuff! :haha: With a 37, I think you'd be in a great spot with 5.13s. I run them on my 38s, which sit closer to a 37.5 and think it's great. I have a friend with the same drivetrain as you, and he's running 4.56s and 37s and wishes he had 5.13s. The only difference between my drivetrain and yours is that I have the 241 t-case, which isn't going impact this discussion much. :)

Do you know what carrier you've got in your 60? I know of one company on the east coast that does a thick dana 60 gear. Could save you a bit of money that way. ;)
 
I have yet to crack open my 60, It won't get geared for a bit. When I'm ready though I'll hit you up, I appreciate it! Sounds like 5.13's it is then, glad you chimed in!!
 
No problem. I just went through all of this stuff in December/January for my one-ton swap. I found it a bit challenging to sift through all the information, as there didn't seem to be a thread that dealt with exactly my situation in its entirety - so, I'm glad to share the info. :) CK5 is the bomb for getting builders through their processes!
 
I agree CK5 is the poo! My wife thinks I'm insane, sitting and reading all the time. Your blazer looks great, I love that paint job. I wanna redo mine charcoal grey and black, it looks good from far, but far from good!
 
Alright so I popped open the 14B today to double check everything before ordering some gears, I was told it was an open 4.10...it's open but the only numbers I can find on the ring gear are:
1 11 41 1C 94
And the last digit (4) looks more like an upside-down 7 or just isn't punched correctly...any ideas? Also found some water in there, and some rust, along with some poo colored gear oil. On the plus side I stopped by Crossed up offroad today and dropped my wheels and rings off the be welded up and he quoted me $250 to install my gears and locker...but I have to order them first =)
 
Alright so I copied the number down incorrectly, should read:
1 12 41 1C 94
I decided to just count the teeth on the ring and pinion, 41 teeth on the ring, 12 on the pinion for a gear ratio of 3.42...so indeed a 4.10 and down open carrier...amazing what you can find with that fancy little search button!
 
Not the most common gear ratio to find in a 14 bolt...and yes 5.13's are the answer if you have OD
 
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