4.77 Gears

Hey Guys,

I've got a lead on a set of 4.77 gears, but I need some advice from the community here because I'm not 100% sure what all this stuff means.

First of all, these would be coming off a '91 Trooper with LSD in the front, and an ARB locker in the rear. I already have a front third member, so I don't really need the front, but I think the seller only wants to sell the pair so I might wind up having an extra front. I don't remember if the one I purchased a couple years back has the limited slip, but my question is, do I even want it? My VX is used primarily on the road and I want the bigger gears to give me some power back.

Second, as for the ARB locker in the back, same question as the first, do I even want this? It's my understanding that this only locks the axles on demand, so technically this shouldn't change my on road characteristics, right?

Third, the seller mentioned something that I don't quite understand. He said, "It was run for a while with excessive backlash and is a little noisy at highway speeds. Probably should have backlash reset properly". What the heck does this mean, and should I be concerned? Is this something that would need to be done during install anyway?

Thanks,
Kyle

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kpaske

Third, the seller mentioned something that I don't quite understand. He said, "It was run for a while with excessive backlash and is a little noisy at highway speeds. Probably should have backlash reset properly". What the heck does this mean, and should I be concerned? Is this something that would need to be done during install anyway?

Thanks,
Kyle

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Backlash is the amount of play or slop between the pinion and ring gear. More play, more noise. It adjusted on the bench by shimming. Look at page 304 in the workshop manual will help you if you want to take this one or to get an idea of what it will cost you

In this case, it also means that your potential gears were clanging back and forth whenever the gas pedal was put on or off. This could mean the gears are potentially more worn than they would be normally. As far as I know, I think someone mentioned in an old post that we were able to order the front 4.77 set anyways off of a late model Amigo if I'm not mistaken.

Are these the stock gears for his trooper pr did he put them in later?

the reason i ask is because if they were stock you might beable to order a replacement R&P from http://ricartparts.com/ i asked them about the 4.77 gears before and they told me they need the vin#. so maybe you can get the vin# from this guy if they were stock, it was an option I believe on the 2 dr RS troopers with the wide tire option. the gear stup would be around 500.00
As far as the limited slip in the front i don't know how its road manners would be. I have the Aussie locker in my rear and I can hear it click sometimes going around corners, but i pay it no mind.

I guess it matters what the price is. The rear locker is around 8-900.00 and it is already installed but you may have to have it rebuilt. I paid 450 for my rearend with shipping and what ever the locker price was and then had to have them installed. Does his price come with all the things you need to install the air locker like compressor setup...?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kpaske

Hey Guys,

I've got a lead on a set of 4.77 gears, but I need some advice from the community here because I'm not 100% sure what all this stuff means.

First of all, these would be coming off a '91 Trooper with LSD in the front, and an ARB locker in the rear. I already have a front third member, so I don't really need the front, but I think the seller only wants to sell the pair so I might wind up having an extra front. I don't remember if the one I purchased a couple years back has the limited slip, but my question is, do I even want it? My VX is used primarily on the road and I want the bigger gears to give me some power back.

Second, as for the ARB locker in the back, same question as the first, do I even want this? It's my understanding that this only locks the axles on demand, so technically this shouldn't change my on road characteristics, right?

Third, the seller mentioned something that I don't quite understand. He said, "It was run for a while with excessive backlash and is a little noisy at highway speeds. Probably should have backlash reset properly". What the heck does this mean, and should I be concerned? Is this something that would need to be done during install anyway?

Thanks,
Kyle

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When you say you already have a front 3rd, do you mean your stock VX 3rd or you have a front 3rd with a 4.77 in it already? Also, I would try to find out what LSD is in it and research the unit a little bit. Some brands are set up tighter than others - tighter ones act more like a locker on the slick stuff, loose ones work better for the front on a daily driver/street-cruiser. When steering, a tight LSD in the front end could send power to the inner tire to compensate for the outer tire's greater speed. In my minds eye, I could see this increasing understeer and tire wear on the front end. Just a consideration, not a fact, as far as I know. Now the ARB... what you sacrifice is having an LSD at all times on the street, the diff is an open carrier in effect, until you lock it up; it is not a big deal until you get into low-traction situations where a locker may be overkill. So now... if you had an LSD in both ends (not sure you can put the 4.77 ring gear on our stock LSD in the rear though) you would probably have one Hell of a rally setup! I guess this means you have had no luck selling your VX - bitter-sweet! :(:)

I have a LSD in both ends...works great..Stab the brakes under power and get FULL traction....Got my front out of a 10bolt rear Isuzu impulse LOL

I know this is an old thread, but did you ever buy these? do you still have the "extra" set?