BREAKAGE: Wanna know what causes this?

[Mil-Spec]

And the answer is????....... DRUNK DRIVING.

I had just gone to bed when I heard a BOOM. I got up and walked out front and there my truck's front end out in the middle of the road with debris everywhere. Up the road a little further is the car with a drunk+high boyfriend and girlfriend. The girl wasn't 21 yet.

So here I go again dealing with insurance.
____________
Semper Fortis

[V30 mongo]

You got one tough battle ahead with the parasite insurance company. Don't you know you got a 25 year old "clunker" that ain't worth nothing. Watch, they will offer you a couple hundred bucks to forget the whole thing!

[LONGHAIR]

It took a heck of a shot. I havce never seen one brake a knuckle like that.
I knew something was up by the tire marks on the street.

AS V30 mongo said, watch out for the insurance company. They are going to want to total that thing and give you as little as they can.

[scottsdaleowner75]

That stinks

[Dieselwrencher]

Dang man, sorry to see your burb like that. I'm just glad no one was hurt. More of these drunk driver's need to be made examples of. Good luck with it.

[Mil-Spec]

Yeah unfortunately I'm all too familiar with dealing with insurance companies. As my truck was hit this past Feb and I just FINALLY settled with the Ins. Co. about a month ago. I found Logic mixed with good old Pit Bull stubbornness worked best.

Right now I'm waiting for the their Claim agent to call me back. The accident happened Wed night so I'm gonna call again on Monday.

I'm not touching the truck till they send someone out to evaluate the damage. After that I'm thinking about throwing a spare front axle under the truck so that I can move it around and so the neighbors don't get itchy with the city.

Any advice on which and what to look for with regards to used front axles? Right now is a 3/4 ton 10 bolt of front. Saw a guy on CL locally selling a Dana 44 with 4:10 gears, new ball and U joints from a 77 for $400. Is that decent deal? (keep in mind I'm relatively new to 4x4's)

Thanks

[raycow]

That totally sucks! I hope you nail the guy's a$$ to the wall and his insurance company with him. The cops will probably want a piece of him too.

Ray

[Bishops Trucks]

I feel for ya, that happened to my wifes minivan a few years back. Kid came around the corner to fast and lost it. He ran when I yelled at him outthe bedroom window at 2 am. I thought I could catch him cause he had knocked something off his turbo and it was whining real loud. He got away and ended up turning himself in a month later. He admitted in court he was drunk and was scared. He got $100.00 fine and a slap on the wrist. I was ready to beat him senceless in the courtroom. Good luck with that. Keep us posted
.

[msgross]

$400 would depend on if he can provide paperwork on the repairs to the dana 44, Ball joints are a real PITA so it might be worth it. Make sure to pull the front diff to prove that it's 4:10's (if that's what you already have). Only cost you a few quarts of gear lube in the end. You "should" be able to keep you brake calipers and hoses if they aren't damaged. The steering arm is another PITA to swap out so if the other axle has one then it's a bonus.

[Mil-Spec]

msgross you bring to light something I hadn't considered. I don't know what gear ratios I have.

When in 4WD how do the gear ratios in the the front and rear differentials relate to each other?

What is the best method to tell what i have already? Is there stamping on the axle tube i can reference? Or do I need to pop the covers off and count teeth or look for a part no.?

Also with the axle pull out like you see it in the pictures. Is that a good indication that there is damage inside the pumpkin?

Thanks for any help

[msgross]

It could have damaged the oil seal near the pumpkin, but I doubt that it messed up much more since it looks like it just pulled out of the axle.

I would pull the pumpkin cover, drain the oil (if not then it's going to come out of the tube anyway) and check your gear ratio. Look for a stamped number on the large ring gear. it should look like a ratio (i.e. 41:11 = 41 divided by 11 or 3.73, rounded of course). Then you know what to go find. Front and rear diff ratio's need to match in order to keep from tearing up your drivetrain. Odds are it's 4:10's since you have a 3/4 ton.

[ERASER5]

That's a lot of damage for being hit by a buckeye!

[Mil-Spec]

Originally Posted by ERASER5

That's a lot of damage for being hit by a buckeye!

LOL After this weekends game, OHIO University and my truck have a lot in common.

Thx msgross, I'm gonna try and take a look tonight.

[Sarge261]

Look in the glove box before you pull the cover. Chances are the options label is still there and it will tell you what axle ratio you have. Sorry to hear that truck was hit again, you just can catch a break.

Sarge

[355bullet]

thats sux...sorry to hear about the sub.
At least you were in the house and not barely getting out of the truck.

[monza1979]

i had my truck nailed a similar way, but it was the rear as opposed to the front. anyways, the insurance company was very good about it, cut me a check for double what i bought the truck for and did not salvage the title. so there is hope!!

[Cbrown67]

nothing beats free custom mods!!!!!

[snj8198]

Sorry to hear about your misfortune. I had the same thing happen to my "71. Infact the whole reason why im a member of this website is because the day a drunk driver hit my truck i stayed up all night crying in my beer surfing the net for replacement parts. That's when i stumbled onto this site. Something good came out of it i guess.

Good luck with your rebuild.

[Mil-Spec]

Thanks everybody.

Haven't been able to find time to crack open the pumpkin. I have crawled under the truck a few times since for brief periods to look the frame and mechanicals over for damage or deformation. So far the only obvious thing standing out is the shattered knuckle and maybe something internal to the steering box. The only thing visually tweaked (aside from the sheet metal) seems to be the extreme end of the driver's side frame horn where the bumper bracket attaches. But it's only slight.

I'm starting to wonder now if I can just disassemble the driver's side hub and replace the knuckle. Instead of buying entire axle. Of course I'd be rebuilding both sides in the same evolution.

Regarding the gear ratio listed on the options sheet in the glove box. The only code remotely concerning the axles is a "G80" but nothing specifically mentioning the ratio. So since no option is listed I'm assuming that the ratio would be what was offered on the base model for the 1979 3/4 ton Suburban. Anyone know what that was?

[raycow]

Originally Posted by Mil-Spec

Regarding the gear ratio listed on the options sheet in the glove box. The only code remotely concerning the axles is a "G80" but nothing specifically mentioning the ratio. So since no option is listed I'm assuming that the ratio would be what was offered on the base model for the 1979 3/4 ton Suburban. Anyone know what that was?

G80 just indicates limited slip, but I don't know if it means F&R both or rear only. Anyway you can count the ratio directly if you get both rear wheels off the ground. Put the transfer case in neutral and the parking brake off. Turn either wheel and make sure the other one turns in the same direction. If it does, turn the wheel exactly one revolution and count how many times the driveshaft turns. That number is your axle ratio.

If the opposite side wheel turns backwards or doesn't turn at all, let one wheel back down on the ground. Then turn the free wheel TWO revolutions and count the number of driveshaft turns.

Ray

[propanemudtruck]

My vote would be see if the housing is straight and replace the outers or anything broken along the way. Let me know if you want to take me up on the offer for the free front axle complete. I think it was a 3:42 gearset if you need to know, from an 87 K5 blazer.

Originally Posted by Mil-Spec

Thanks everybody.

Haven't been able to find time to crack open the pumpkin. I have crawled under the truck a few times since for brief periods to look the frame and mechanicals over for damage or deformation. So far the only obvious thing standing out is the shattered knuckle and maybe something internal to the steering box. The only thing visually tweaked (aside from the sheet metal) seems to be the extreme end of the driver's side frame horn where the bumper bracket attaches. But it's only slight.

I'm starting to wonder now if I can just disassemble the driver's side hub and replace the knuckle. Instead of buying entire axle. Of course I'd be rebuilding both sides in the same evolution.

Regarding the gear ratio listed on the options sheet in the glove box. The only code remotely concerning the axles is a "G80" but nothing specifically mentioning the ratio. So since no option is listed I'm assuming that the ratio would be what was offered on the base model for the 1979 3/4 ton Suburban. Anyone know what that was?

[Mil-Spec]

Finally cracked the pumpkin open and found "3 gm 3988517 11 41 10 78" stamped on the ring gear. Which as best I can tell means it's a ratio of 3.73 manufactured Oct 1978. This matches the build date on the door sticker. Still think it's odd that the gear ratio isn't list on the option sheet in the glove box.

One thing I want show you guys was the driver's side axle tube. Last night I was wire brushing the axle tubes in an effort find a gear ratio code stamp on the axle tube like you do of GM passenger cars. As i got near the pumpkin on the driverside tube I saw shiney metal near where the tube interfaces with the pumpkin. Is this normal? To me it almost looks as though the tube has been pull out some. But I will admit that even as shiney as it is, it was still covered in old grease. Nothing else (u bolts, springs shackles) seems shift. i was just curious if this had been seen on other trucks.

[scottsdaleowner75]

I would just replace the knuckle and any other parts damaged by the impact. 3.73's are a decent gear for those tires and combo.

[Mil-Spec]

Originally Posted by scottsdaleowner75

I would just replace the knuckle and any other parts damaged by the impact. 3.73's are a decent gear for those tires and combo.

That's what I'm thinking. I just want to make sure the axle tube isn't pulled out of the gear housing (pumpkin).

[KQQL IT]

41:10 would tell me 4.10s
and the shiny is where the axle tube is macined at the factory