How do you like your Part-Time Conversion?

[tractorpole]

Like the title says, How do you like your Part-Time conversion?

Which did you use for the conversion? Mark's 4wd or did you piece it together?

Would you do it again if you had the choice?

Driving Impressions, on and off road characteristics things to watch for and anything else you might want to add.


The back story, I purchased my '91 80 about 1.5yrs ago after fixing almost all of the neglect
from the PO I am on to improvements which include a 2 inch Ironman lift and 315's depos with projectors and stereo upgrade. I am in the planning phases of a LS swap and contemplating a part time kit at that time. I am not looking for better mpg, maybe a little relief for the birfs and a little better manners on the pavement.

thanks
TP

 

[mercedeezel]

i dont have a part time kit so my post might not be much help. if you have a CDL switch lock your center diff, remove your front drive shaft and drive around for a while. that would be a cheap way to try before you buy and get a feel for RWD operation.

 

[CruiseOrlando]

IMO there's really no different "feeling" for RWD. At least without a slippery surface.

I bought my kit from Slee, along with the 4" lift. I'm glad I did it, because I get awful vibes, at times, in 4WD. I also already had the transfer case apart to put the low range gears in, so while the overall cost of the mod went thru the roof, the amount of time it took to do it was minimized vs. doing both separately.

There is no MPG relief. Let's just get that off the table.

It is A LOT more fun offroad, however. I love having the option of 2WD, 2WD locked, 4WD, 4WD & rear locked or (rarely needed) 4WD & F/R locked. It's actually rather eye-opening how capable the trucks are in just 2WD, and how little you really need 4WD in most scenarios you might think otherwise.

It also makes the steering lighter in the front when in RWD, so that's nice.

You will probably lose ABS when you do the mod. Although with a 91 I guess that's not a concern, but someone with ABS needs to keep that in mind. The GOOD thing about that is it makes it an easy choice to rip out the ABS and LSPV and get better brakes out of the deal.

Am I glad I did it? Oh hell yes.

 

[tacosupreme]

I also have a '91 and just bolted on hubs from an '85 mini truck. I did it because my drive plate splines were worn mostly, but also I had hoped for less wear on the front end. It does steer a little lighter (no torque steer), and you can kick the rear end out on gravel roads. Also 3FE 2LO burnouts are now possible lol. Other than that...meh. Mileage is the same. There probably isn't any less wear because the front driveline still spins. Looks cool I guess. I should have just ordered new drive plates.

 

[CruiseOrlando]

Without a lift giving you vibrations in the front DS, there's not much of a real reason to go PT.

 

[gofast]

I did it because of vibe. All good now. Also have ABS kit.

Would I do it again - yes - my truck is a joy to drive. I did the Marks kit which is also nicely put together. Truck is more nimble for steering and there has been no real difference in mileage

 

[bloc]

Good reasons off the top of my head:
Ability to completely disengage front drive line to reduce collateral damage in case of broken axle/birf.
Reduced wear on rotating parts in front axle.
Allows use of chromoly birfs on the road/DD truck.

To the guys saying no mileage gain: is that with front hubs unlocked?

@tacosupreme if your front hubs are unlocked and you are in 2hi or lo, your front drive line and axles/diff should be stationary. If this isn't the case something isn't working properly.

 

[tractorpole]

thanks for the responses, I am considering the Mark's kit unless I find some hubs locally for cheap and just source the transfer case spool.
I am not expecting and improvements in MPG, 3FE with 315's = 10.4 for me

-TP

 

[Phildoh]

Ordered a Marks kit along with the slee 6" kit, and rcv chromo's, all went in well, should have ordered the output bearing before install, my bad, took an extra day or two. I am not a fan of awd, and do not like the turning/cornering characteristics it gives. This kit solves all the torque steer and makes the road manners ideal for me. The added options of 2 Hi/low and 4hi/low unlocked and locked are a perk as well. I dint notice any mileage due to 37's and stick r&p's, hopefully I do see a slight improvement when I do replace them with something steeper, 488 or 529. Yes, me likey. Yes I'd do it again.

 

[CruiseOrlando]

To the guys saying no mileage gain: is that with front hubs unlocked?

Locked, unlocked, broken, stuck. Doesn't matter.

My mileage hasn't gone up since the day I've own this rig. It's gone quite down, however. I track every tankful I put in, and it'll hit lows of around 2-4MPG when doing a lot of offroad fun to 13.7 on a really good tank. Mainly in the 11's & 12's. And that's not even taking into account the fact that I'm cheating on the calculation because I'm not correcting for my 5.29's and 37's.

 

[Mr Cimarron]

Only downfall to manual hubs is not remembering to lock them prior to entering mud. Locking them in 2WD and driving isn't going to hurt anything. Other than that I love it. Feels like a normal truck with RWD.