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Nuts & Bolts
4-Wheel & Off-Road
6420 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048-5515
fax 323.782.2704
E-mail to:
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Tech Letter Of The Month
Plowing Down Tranny Troubles
Question: I'm 16 and live in upstate New York. I have an '85 Chevy C10 with a small-block 350, TH350 trans, 4.11 gears, and 31-inch tires. Is a TH700R4 strong enough to run in my truck with the big tires and plowing? Also, where are the trails in the Northeast? I read the articles about Moab and the Rubicon and all those trails way out west, but are there any trails worth mentioning in the Northeast?
Matt M., via 4wheeloffroad.com
Answer: If you indeed have a C10 then your truck is a two-wheel drive, which could probably use a bit of help in the plowing and trail riding arena. That being said, the TH700R4 would be better in your truck than the TH350 for plowing snow since it is generally considered equal in strength to a TH350 automatic, with the bonus that the 700R has a 3.06:1 First gear which is lower than the TH350 and will help when pushing snow, and an Overdrive gear for highway cruising. Unfortunately going to a 700R4 from a TH350 will require a new driveshaft since the case is about 2 inches longer and the TH350 is a cheaper, more readily available transmission for rebuilding.
Rather than upgrading your transmission and spending money modifying a two-wheel-drive truck, I would first recommend finding a four-wheel-drive 3/4- or 1-ton. These will often have the stronger TH400 automatic, a transfer case with lower gearing for plowing and trail riding, a heavier frame and suspension good for the abuse and weight involved with plowing, and stronger axles.
Either way the most important upgrade you need to keep an automatic alive is a transmission cooler, so you win this month's Tech Letter of the Month and we'll send you a Max-Cool transmission cooler and a large-capacity transmission pan from TCI (888.776.9824, www.tciauto.com). The cooler is ready to mount behind your grille and comes with the required plumbing to allow quick and easy installation. In addition, TCI claims a 33 percent reduction of internal transmission heat with the cooler. The larger fluid supply offered by the aluminum-finned large-capacity pan will also help in keeping the transmission cooler, plus the standard magnetic drain plug will collect any metal chips or shavings in the transmission fluid. Keeping the transmission cooler will allow you to keep playing and plowing all year long.
As for the Northeast trails, yes, they are there, but they are getting harder and harder to find. Contact the United Four Wheel Drive Association (www.ufwda.org), East Coast 4-wheel Drive Association (www.ec4wda.org), and North East Association of 4-Wheel Drive Clubs (www.nea4wd.org) to find clubs and local trails or off-road parks.
Winch Line or Lockers?
Question: I recently purchased an '02 Chevrolet 2500HD. It is a crew cab longbed with an 8-inch Fabtech lift, 4-inch Magnaflow exhaust, Toyo 37x13.50 tires on 17-inch rims, and a cold-air intake. I know I need to get lockers, because the limited slip sucks, and I also should probably get a winch. My question is which one first?
Jason G, Duncan, AZ
Answer: Good question. Choosing between lockers and a winch is difficult. As I look back over the years, almost any time I was stuck I could have been saved by a winch, yet there were times a locker wouldn't have made much difference in getting unstuck (namely in deep mud). But again a winch is only useful if you are stuck and have something to hook to, whereas a locker will keep all four tires turning and hopefully keep you moving forward. In my view nothing helps off-road performance like a locking differential. That being said I think for ease of installation and cost, the winch is a smart upgrade, but remember you'll need a pretty massive winch for that much truck. Even though it doesn't add to your truck's rugged off-road looks, I would go with a set of lockers before I got a winch. Imagine driving through a sandy wash and having to get out and winch every few hundred feet when lockers would have kept you moving. Just remember that with lockers comes traction and before long you just might get yourself into a situation that you'll also need a winch to get out and get home. Get the lockers first and save up for the winch next.