Question: I have a TorqueFlite 727 I'm using with an AMC 401/Dana 300 combo. The axles (Dana 44,14-bolt) are geared 5.13:1. Who makes a low-gear kit for the 727?
Chad P, via 4wheeloffroad.com
Answer: Cope Racing Transmissions (219.374.0100, www.coperacingtrans.com) has anything you need for a TorqueFlite 727 automatic transmission including a low gearset that reduces first gear to 2.77:1.
Question: I have a '75 Ramcharger with a 440 big-block, 727 automatic, 4-inch lift, single shocks, 35x12.50x15 TA tires, Dana 60 rear, and Dana 44 front. I want to set it up with a leaf-spring suspension that can handle some jumps. Any suggestions?
Joe, via 4wheeloffroad.com
Answer: There are a lot of ways to make a leaf spring work well, but the best method would likely involve a custom leaf pack from a respected spring manufacturer such as Deaver (714.542.3703), Alcan (888.321.0870), National (800.399.3852), or Atlas (626.333.7373). They will most likely want to build you a long soft spring pack made up of many thin leaves and this could mean moving your spring and/or shackle perches. Also consider going to spring under as this can help in dealing with the axlewrap of a soft spring pack, and don't forget some good shocks to control the softer springs. And one last thing, make sure that you have sufficient uptravel and clearance so that you don't have the axle smashing into the fuel tank or exhaust and the tires hitting the body upon landing.
Question: I want to do a solid-axle swap on my '91 Chevy truck. The truck has the front driveshaft on the driver side, but all I have found is a front Dana 60 from a Chevy truck that has the front driveshaft on the passenger side. I think it's a low-pinion; can I just flip it over so it is a high-pinion and be on the driver side?
Paul W, via 4wheeloffroad.com
Answer: No, no, no!
Flipping a low-pinion axle upside-down does not make it a high-pinion axle. The gears inside a low-pinion axle are different from those in a high-pinion and if you flip a low-pinion unit upside-down it will run backwards which is not what you want. Also you cannot just put high-pinion gears in a low-pinion housing as the housings are different. You need to find a Ford high-pinion Dana 60 such as those in a '78-'79 F-350 or a late-model Super Duty. The only other option is to find a GM transfer case with the front output on the passenger side like an early NP205 and use it with your Chevy Dana 60, though I would recommend waiting for the Ford high-pinion (also known as reverse rotation) axle since high-pinion gears are stronger than low-pinion gears in the front of a 4x4.
Question: I doubt you will publish this letter because Chevy is an advertiser with you, but I think the public looking to buy or own a Silverado should know this. I have an '07 Z71 4x4 Silverado and from day one I have had a battery rundown problem. Eventually the dealer installed a rundown protection upgrade on it, but it still runs down after sitting for two or more weeks. Unfortunately my job keeps me from driving my truck two to four weeks at a time, so when I return home the battery is always dead. I've been told by two dealerships and the GM corporate headquarters that the '07 Silverado's rundown problem is because of all the electronics running all the time. Even though my truck won't start, I'm pretty cranked up about the situation.
Roger V, via 4wheeloffroad.com
Answer: Thanks for the letter, I see your problem and can sympathize with you. Though I don't have a Silverado, I am plagued with trucks that sit for too long and then have dead batteries and also recognize the overabundance of electro gizmos on late-model vehicles. Though I assume GM figured that very few drivers would be letting their new truck sit for two weeks at a time as you do, hopefully some of the thousands of engineers at GM will read this and begin working on a solution for future models. As for yours, I would recommend one of the following three: Disconnect your negative battery terminal and reconnect it when you return from work, especially if you are away for more than two weeks; look into an extremely deep-cycle battery that can support a small trickle for those weeks that you are away, though I think something that can last four weeks is going to be hard to find; and finally purchase a trickle charger. I have had great luck with ACI battery chargers (530.677.9429, www.acichargers.com), and they are designed as a trickle charger, though you still need to find a place to plug them in. What I would recommend is a solar battery charger such as those sold through Northern Tool (800.221.0516, www.northerntool.com), that you can put on your dash and have a constant (not to mention free) trickle charge while you are away.
Oh, and by the way, advertisers pay for ads in our magazine, not editorial coverage, and as such I'm willing to cover or mention anything important to the readers, whether good or bad no matter if it's sold by an advertiser or not. I work for the readers, not the advertisers.