So, after many months of waiting, I finally went down to the trim shop and said WTF. Well, they still hadn’t done my console but promised it would be done in 3 weeks. Fast forward 3 weeks, and I got the call I had been waiting for. It was ready! 🙂
Remember this?
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Well, here we have out fake leather wrapped unit on pickup day (literally you can see the shop materials in the background as these were taken before I ever left the shop):
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So then I went home and logically had to test some gauges to see how it looked….
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Also got the headrests back. Before and after:
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Gauging shenanigans:
Soooo, I was now looking at this nice console. And I see the gauges. And I see my hourmeter does not look like my Phantom series. This wakes me up two nights in a row at like 2 am as it is eating at me. Things must match. So, I took matters into my own hands once again.
I had a spare tranny temp gauge as I used the sender to replace a failing one on the 1990, so I had this left over gauge. So this is what the two look like:
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Soooo, the brain had already worked out the solution at like 3:30 am day two so I got to work!
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Now this gives me my basis for the matching shape and color for the hourmeter:
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Thermal label printer….
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And that gives us….
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I was asked many times regarding gearing so sat down and did some calculations.
This is what a stock Gen 1 Gutbag G360 with 3.54 rear end looks like.
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This is a NV5600 with 3.55 rear:
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This is how the 90 is set up with its NV5600, 265/70/17, and 3.07s (you can see why I like that gearing so much!)
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This is the way the crew cab is setup with 3.54, 19.5’s, and 5600:
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And as I know you will ask anyways, this is the crew with 6th gear plus gear vendors in double overdrive (not that you would tow in double over but…)
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So what does that all mean? And why is the crew not much different than the regular 16” wheel 5600 equipped truck? Well, let’s look at the math:
235/85/16= 31.7”
245/70/19.5= 33”
All said and done, the small tire diameter change apparently is a lot smaller a change of highway RPM than final drive ratio. So yes, all the hype of a 19.5 doesn’t make that much difference.
And for those that ask, this is the 1990 with its tall gear 3.07 in Double Over. Notice the top end speed at the approx 3000 rpm redline. 😀
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So we last left off with the finishing of the hourmeter and the return of the console from the upholstery shop. So, I added them all together and got this completed center console:
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Then, the drive shafts came next! Yaaaay! I did all the measurements and it was determined I required a 2 pc shaft still due to the length. I am not a fan of hanger bearings when I don’t have a spot to put them so after much back and forth with the driveline shop, we decided on a 4” diameter aluminum shaft giving me both the single length, but also the strength due to the diameter and thickness of the material. Being mindful of the torque of the compounds for this length span is important. For the front, it just needed to be lengthened the shaft as the 5600 relocated the NP205 back about 7” further towards the rear than the G360 Getrag had it. Then the 4 week wait began after I got the shaft shop going. (Fast forward 4 weeks here. :D).
I then got the call to come get my shaft! First step upon getting the shafts home was to prep the rear with a stripe. This is an old drag racing trick. This painted stripe is a 100% straight line and if the torque of the engine ever starts to twist the shaft, the line will start to curve around the shaft alerting me to the issue. If the shaft twists, the slip shaft in the GV is exposed more and more until it shears the output shaft teeth off. So this is very important.
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So, this is where I am all smiles now that the truck is coming along very well in time for spring right? Yes, I THOUGHT so too. I was wrong. Lol