Re-gear and Detroit Locker in a 2017 2500HD 6 Liter

rocnrol · January 13, 2018

This HAS TO, NEEDS TO be a sticky!!!

I agree, as much as I like my cosmetic upgrades, I fully understand the benefits of these kinds of performance upgrades. The moment I have enough cash to do this, I'll absolutely be doing it. It only makes so much sense!!

Imagine.... Running around on my awesome looking 35" tires, but with performance as good as stock!!

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SierraHD17 · January 13, 2018

23 minutes ago, rocnrol said:

This HAS TO, NEEDS TO be a sticky!!!

I agree, as much as I like my cosmetic upgrades, I fully understand the benefits of these kinds of performance upgrades. The moment I have enough cash to do this, I'll absolutely be doing it. It only makes so much sense!!

Imagine.... Running around on my awesome looking 35" tires, but with performance as good as stock!!

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Performance should be pretty close to a 4.10 geared truck with the 32.8" tall rubber that GM uses. I am running shorter rubber at 33.93" by calculation lol (295/60/20). They measure around an inch shorter than that actually installed on the truck at 33" with a tape measure. I like power and maybe will do an LSA blower on this thing at some point too with a mild cam. For now though being it's my company run truck I will just leave the engine alone. I will probably do a 295/65/20 next tire swap but if it's like these it will only be 34" anyway haha.

rocnrol · January 13, 2018

Performance should be pretty close to a 4.10 geared truck with the 32.8" tall rubber that GM uses. I am running shorter rubber at 33.93" by calculation lol (295/60/20). They measure around an inch shorter than that actually installed on the truck at 33" with a tape measure. I like power and maybe will do an LSA blower on this thing at some point too with a mild cam. For now though being it's my company run truck I will just leave the engine alone. I will probably do a 295/65/20 next tire swap but if it's like these it will only be 34" anyway haha.

EXACTLY!! I will also be making a stop at Westers garage in Tilley Alberta for a tune. They really know their stuff!

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SierraHD17 · January 13, 2018

Well best of luck lol. The only experiences I have had with Westers were terrible so hopefully they actually tune your truck properly. They are the reason I started doing my own stuff lol. There are a couple outfits in Lethbridge that would be a lot better choice.... even Toma in Calgary would be lol.

SierraHD17 · January 14, 2018

And of course..... the Gear Center sent me ring gear bolts for the rear as an extra because the kits don't send bolts for the 10.5". Sure enough.... damn things are about 1/4" too long and the threads tear off the bottom of the them if you try and tighten them. Even if you force them they do not sit down on the carrier.

The 14 Bolt has 2 lengths of bolts for ring gear attachment. One is 2.1" long and the other is 1.80" long. The reason is the carrier split and in this case since I am using a 4.10 and lower numerically carrier but running a 4.56 gear they sent me the longer bolts that normally would be used with the 4.56 and higher carrier. Honest mistake but somewhat critical and I am glad I wasn't in the shop with this as I doubt anyone up here stocks the correct ones.

I will make them send me the right length bolts since it's there screw up and I did pay for them. 1.75" hardware store bolts would probably be fine but I might as well get what I paid for.

SierraHD17 · January 17, 2018

And yet another roadblock with my little plan. The independent shop I am trying to get to do the job is saying they are not equipped to do so. The lovely front differential I had no desire to work on is more of a pain in the ass than initially thought, or is it? According to them and GM you need a carrier spreading tool in order to work on it. The funny thing is that according any service manual you need this carrier spreader for any differential with a shimmed carrier. That's a really big list and encompasses almost every diff made other than like the 10.5" and 9.5" 14 bolts. Dana's, Chryslers, most GM axles, etc all call for it.

Now I find this curious because I am not a novice to differentials and I see absolutely zero need for this "spreader". The purpose of it is to open the housing to allow you to drop in the shim packs with the carrier and then once the tool is released you will have your carrier bearing preload. Well I have never used a spreader.... sure have used a brass drift though and just hammer the shims and carrier in evenly with it. I learned that method like 20 years ago and you use brass so you don't damage anything in the process. This really begs the question as to whether these guys know what they are doing... kind of sounds like they don't. Might have to find a new shop.

Of course along with this I get the barrage of questions like "Is this even going to be able to drive on the highway?" Well Cleetus..... trucks built in 2017 don't have Turbo 350's and Turbo 400's and have multiple overdrive gears. I explained that my 62 mph 1600 rpm I have now is not in any way doing the truck any favors and I run it in 5th instead most of the time on the highway. It's funny how people just don't get it.

i82much · January 19, 2018

wherever you live, there is some crusty old tobacco-chewing bastard who has been doing differentials since Truman was President and refuses to drive any of that new-fangled fuel-injected crap they have been making for the past 40 years. find him, and he will not only do the job correctly, he will teach you a few new curse words and offer you an unfiltered cigarette to celebrate when he is finished.

rocnrol · January 20, 2018

Well best of luck lol. The only experiences I have had with Westers were terrible so hopefully they actually tune your truck properly. They are the reason I started doing my own stuff lol. There are a couple outfits in Lethbridge that would be a lot better choice.... even Toma in Calgary would be lol.

Funny you should say that.....

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SierraHD17 · January 27, 2018

Got that far finally lol. Gears will be done 2 weeks from time of posting. Taking it to someone I trust even if it's somewhat inconvenient.

rocnrol · February 3, 2018

How's this project coming along?

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SierraHD17 · February 3, 2018

Still nowhere. I am.going to phone the local GM dealer and see how many thousands they want to do it. Can't be worse than anyone else and at least it will get done maybe. Every place I try and book through finds some reason they can't do it or need to draw it out forever. Like i am reallly getting fed up with this stupidity. This area up here is utterly useless for this stuff.

4x4Pete · February 4, 2018

16 hours ago, SierraHD17 said:

Still nowhere. I am.going to phone the local GM dealer and see how many thousands they want to do it. Can't be worse than anyone else and at least it will get done maybe. Every place I try and book through finds some reason they can't do it or need to draw it out forever. Like i am reallly getting fed up with this stupidity. This area up here is utterly useless for this stuff.

Good luck with the dealer. I doubt those guys see enough differentials to know how to set one up. Don't forget that they are paid flat rate. They are not paid to care if it's right, close is good enough. Since you would be supplying the parts wartanty would be zero. Better wait for someone who has a reputation for good work and is going to stand behind what they do. Canada seems to be the place where you can't modify anything-it is just as bad or worse in Ontario. I really hope it works out for you without problems.

SierraHD17 · February 4, 2018

Meh.. opinions are like @$$holes... everyone has one.

rocnrol · February 5, 2018

Still nowhere. I am.going to phone the local GM dealer and see how many thousands they want to do it. Can't be worse than anyone else and at least it will get done maybe. Every place I try and book through finds some reason they can't do it or need to draw it out forever. Like i am reallly getting fed up with this stupidity. This area up here is utterly useless for this stuff.

Where you at again?

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SierraHD17 · March 24, 2018

As an update no this isn't dead. I still don't have the gears in the truck yet because finding competency isn't the easiest thing. Where it stands is a buddy of mine and I will do the swap whenever he gets here but with his family complications it is longer than we thought. However..... all this did was snowball the truck.

I have retired it from work duty and now it just sits at home and does nothing but collect dust. I have stopped driving it for my business and well........I actually retooled my old 05 Sierra and am driving that again and enjoy driving that truck a lot more than this 17. Truth be told my old 05 would wipe the floor with this 17 in almost every way so that has to be addressed. The 17 is a really nice truck but it needs help. The nice thing about GM though is how easy getting that help really is.

I am now adding a mild VVT camshaft and long tube headers to this ordeal. I know I can tune it myself with help if I need too but also have found someone local who can tune and has lots of experience with the 2011+ HD gas trucks. I actually orderd a differential drop kit to correct my CV angles today... and a set of Speed Engineering 1 7/8" primary long tubes with the Y pipe. From findings on other boards the set they brand for the 2007 to 2013 1/2 tons fit like a glove in these trucks. So otherwise I have a phaser limiter kit on order and am awaiting confirmation on my cam. Otherwise I already I have pushrods, springs and gaskets kicking around home as I keep a lot of new LS parts inventory lol.

In the interim I may attempt e fans on the truck and see if the ecm will control them correctly as I have found a couple people otherwise have tried and failed. I have a coulple sets of fans and a couple of the harnesses from the GMT800 trucks. From the factory the 05 to 07 e fan GMT800 was an afterthought so GM made this handy little stand alone harness to tie in an control the fans. This new one has relays in place for e fans so depending on how much is missing from the harness side I may do it as factory.

Sounds like a total build now huh.... well it kind of is lol. It needs to be ready for freeze up in October or so and then I will work it again. Plus then I can pull the engine in the 05 over next winter and do the mods I want to do to it. Fun stuff!