Chevy & GMC Vans

Ever since I put 4.11's in the SPB back in 2003-4, every van I bought and kept for a while has had 4.10's. This 05 is no different. Going with 4.11's with a G80 posi in the rear and 4.10's up front. The reason for the 4.11/4.10 difference is simple. The rears are 9/37 meaning 9 teeth on the pinion and 37 teeth on the ring where the front is 10/41. Basically they are interchangeable.

I got the gears, posi and install kits from snapple as he had bought them for his van. I was originally going to install these into his van and am glad the issues I am having are on my van and not his! The rear gears and posi are used GM units and are in great shape.

The first attempt at the install met with lots of swearing, bumped head, banged up knuckles and knees because I tried it under the van. I failed and could not get a decent pattern. Every time I installed the pinion the measurements changed. Adding and subtracting shims made no real difference. After 2 days the rear was buttoned up and I was hoping it would be ok...NOT! Never even made it out of the driveway it was so noisy.

First attempt:



Crawling under here for the pinion work sucked!



Original gears looked great and the oil was black but very little metal particles on the magnet.



Used GM 4.11 ring and G80 posi ready to meet!



4.11 pinion installed.



It was after this I stopped taking pics due to frustration! After 2 days of swearing I walked away for 5 days. After talking to my buddy Darrel who has done many gear swaps in Jeeps, we decided the problem might be the china bearings in the install kit. I decided to order a new Yukon master install kit complete with Timken bearings. In the meantime, I pulled the axle out to work on the bench.

The problem wasn't the bearings...it was ME! ](*,) ](*,) ](*,) When I pounded the larger pinion race into the housing, I never got it seated all the way. It went in very hard so I thought it was in all the way. That is why my measurements kept changing.

This is where that race goes in:

More to come later!

Much to my disappointment I recently learned that Timken bearings are now made in China. When I fabricated the 12 bolt rearend for my van it was recommended (by Dutchman Motorsports, they made my axles) that I use the large Ford 1/2 ton pickup bearings on the axles. One would think that truck axle bearings would work fine. The bearings that came with the axles were Timken. Printed on the box "Made in China". Since the rearend has been in use I have lost 4 bearings. I have since modified the axles to accept roller bearings. Also made by Timken. We'll see how these work. I understand you're frustration, Dean. I'm really tired of working on this rearend.

Maybe I'll just have to re-use the old USA made bearings that still look great!

Pulled the axle out and placed it on jack stands on the bench.





Right now it is all apart awaiting the Yukon install kit.

Debating on replacing the backing plates and parking brake shoes while it's apart...









Problem is the backing plates will just rust out again in a few years and the shoes are over $32 each at Rock Auto! The backing plates are about $23 for the pair. Hard to put another nearly $100 into something that doesn't get used. Most likely not gonna replace them.

Good pix. Thanks. Keep 'em coming.

It'll be a little while...the install kit just shipped today and we'll be camping the next 2 weekends plus working. It'll be done by the 22nd of June for sure!

looking forward to frontend pics too!!

LiftedAWDAstro wrote: I got the gears, posi and install kits from snapple as he had bought them for his van. I was originally going to install these into his van and am glad the issues I am having are on my van and not his! The rear gears and posi are used GM units and are in great shape.

Sorry to hear about the hassle this has been! But must agree,glad this wasn't my van! I never would have heard the end of it from Amy! The van I was originally planning on installing the gears in is going to be ravaged for alot of parts this weekend. Im taking out the updated torsion bars and all the " new" front end parts I put in before parking it and swapping them into the '95 this weekend. Hope both our jobs go smoothly here on out!

I'd love to have a set of 4.10's in my van! Hassle or not..

snapple wrote:Sorry to hear about the hassle this has been! But must agree,glad this wasn't my van!

I am SO glad this is on my van! I would have been banging my head bad! You would have had to take my van home...just tell her you traded!

Good luck with all the weekend projects. I know from now on out the rest of the swap will be a piece of cake. We are going camping so no working for me!

Look for an update tonight! Gonna be working on it today.

Cool, hope you enjoyed the campin trip

Camping was awesome as always!

Got the rear gears/posi installed and in the van and test driven. I just need to reprogram with the Jet module and see how she responds.

I installed all new Timken races and bearing with a 0.035" shim under the pinion. This was the shim that was used with the 3.42's. I then went to setting the backlash. First attempt put me at 0.012", second attempt put me at 0.010":





I then made more adjustments to the carrier shims and ended up with 0.008" backlash.



Pattern before final install:

I then put a new pinion seal in and added the crush sleeve to the pinion.





I then tightened the pinion nut to 18 inch-pounds which is just over spec but to make it 15 or less would require taking it all apart to replace the crush sleeve. Yukon does make a crush sleeve replacement shim pack but it was another $20 so I decided to not use it.

Final gear pattern:







Here you can see the C-clips that hold the axles in place:



The rest was replacing the axle seals, putting the cover on with RTV, filling with 80-90 gear oil, and installing into the van.

=D> Nice job! Quiet? I've got the front end all apart in the shed waiting for parts!