4x4 Shopping Help at UJOINT

maxswasser · 04-11-2022, 08:43 PM

'01 7.3 High Roof w/ 80,000 miles
Full lightweight build inside

I'm looking to convert my rig at the Colorado UJOINT shop primarily for snow driving and mild overlanding - 6 inch on 35s

Questions:
For the 7.3, should I do 4.10 or 3.73? I would like to keep RPMS below 2000 at 75mph if possible.
I have a D60 Semi-Float - is it worth the $5k for the sterling 10.5? Does that come with upgraded brakes?
More brake questions: should I upgrade the brakes? Stage 2 or 3?
Truetrac or locker for snow traction? Offroading?
Best tires for snow, off-roading, road manners?

Ujoint or Aluminess bumpers for the rear? I was going to vertical bike racks in place of the pelican on the UJOINT rear bumper unless the aluminess is better. I do want a brush guard on the front bumper.

That about covers it. Thanks!

motovan_mn · 04-11-2022, 09:31 PM

I'd reach out to Justin at the UJOR CO location and/or Chris at UJOR in NC. Both are extremely responsive and more than happy to talk vans.

I'd guess they'd recommend 4.10 or 4.56 gears. If you check the UJOR thread on ExPo Chris just answered that question for another 7.3 customer. Or maybe it was the UJOR CO thread.

Justin said our semi-float would be fine for mild to no build on a passenger van. But no personal experience/knowledge, so just passing along what I was told.

Regarding the bumpers, I specifically went with the UJOR rear bumper because I didn't like how the aluminess tire carrier tied into the door hinge. Last I saw it was a pretty thin flimsy piece of aluminum that connected the tire carrier to the hinge. I like the aesthetics of the UJOR bumper better too.

Bottom line - get in touch with either or both of them. They're awesome to work with.

REF · 04-12-2022, 07:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maxswasser

'01 7.3 High Roof w/ 80,000 miles
Full lightweight build inside

I'm looking to convert my rig at the Colorado UJOINT shop primarily for snow driving and mild overlanding - 6 inch on 35s

Questions:
For the 7.3, should I do 4.10 or 3.73? I would like to keep RPMS below 2000 at 75mph if possible.
I have a D60 Semi-Float - is it worth the $5k for the sterling 10.5? Does that come with upgraded brakes?
More brake questions: should I upgrade the brakes? Stage 2 or 3?
Truetrac or locker for snow traction? Offroading?
Best tires for snow, off-roading, road manners?

Ujoint or Aluminess bumpers for the rear? I was going to vertical bike racks in place of the pelican on the UJOINT rear bumper unless the aluminess is better. I do want a brush guard on the front bumper.

That about covers it. Thanks!

I’d say you’d be in the sweet spot running 4.10’s on 35’s with a light build, if you plan on towing, you might consider 4.56, I swapped out my 4.10’s for 4.56 to help with full time towing at the time and being a heavier build on 35’s, and does just fine when I’m not towing, especially helpful keeping the RPM’s up in mountain driving. I’d have to double check but it’s somewhere around 2200 rpm at 70, which is totally fine for the 7.3, I use my tow/haul mode quite a bit. I’d highly recommended getting a Scanguage, EGT gauge and a Hydra tuner from Power Hungry Performance.
Semi float is fine for a light build out, but if you’ve got the $$ and want piece of mind, go for a FF or the Sterling.
I think the Sterling comes with larger brakes, but a front brake kit will give you the biggest gains.
I run a rear Truetrac, great in the snow, you don’t have to think about it, it just works, and no binding. I think it requires you to swap to 35 spline axles though. I have considered adding a front locker.
It doesn’t sound like you’ll be doing any heavy wheeling where you’ll need a locker, I’ve done a fair bit of everything with my setup, along with the proper recovery gear and a winch, and I’ve never been left stranded. That being said, a locker can get you out of some sticky situations, but it’s a limited use item, either front or rear, and especially useless driving in a any winter weather conditions, unless you’re stuck in a snow bank, but that’s what a shovel is for.
There’s a ton of tire threads on the forum, and everyone has their favorites, really depends on where you live and the conditions you drive in. I’m on my 3rd set of Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac tires, great all around A/T hybrid tire that’s also really good in the snow and wears really well. I put the BFG A/T’s on my project van, lower price point, more readily available, and also a great tire. I just like the Duratrac better, especially driving in the snow.
Good luck, and be patient, last time I checked Justin was booked well out into the fall….crazy!

MaineWildlands · 04-13-2022, 08:38 AM

I have a 7.3 with 4.10s, running 34" tires, and I can tell you that you won't be under 2000 RPMs at 65. It won't hurt the engine, but the fuel mileage will drop going over 2k RPMs. I have a secondary overdrive from Gear Vendor that allows me to cruise at 1700 RPMs at 70. It allows a half step on each gear from the transmission, which can help with hauling, but I primarily use it when cruising the interstate.

Lilnuts2 · 04-13-2022, 10:56 AM

"I have a secondary overdrive from Gear Vendor that allows me to cruise at 1700 RPMs at 70. It allows a half step on each gear from the transmission, which can help with hauling, but I primarily use it when cruising the interstate"

Maine, what kind of highway mileage do you get with your GV? Compared to without it being engauged.

I have found my mileage with my 7 3 is more related to rpm then load, so I was curious.

pod · 04-13-2022, 12:10 PM

Ujoint DeQuiglified our 03 7.3 and it transformed it from a white knuckler to a confident ride. You’ll love it.

We went with 4:56 gears and 35” tires, sterling 10.5 out back with a Yukon zip locker and upgraded disc brakes. For the front dana 60, a trutrac was installed and the coils were swapped for atlas leaf springs. Also upgraded to those big boy 8piston SSBC brakes.

We had a front aluminess bumper so went with the rear to match (at least the models out 7yrs ago).
Check into OBA system, too. Depending on tire size, being able to air up anywhere is a huge plus. That and the fact when running 55-60psi, no gas station is of help.

Ujoint is a great outfit to work with- smooth operation from first contact to finish.

MaineWildlands · 04-13-2022, 01:03 PM

Traaveling 70-75 without the overdrive is about 16 mpg, and a little over 14 mpg with it engaged, but that can vary. It's not a big difference, but if you're traveling across country, it adds up in fuel cost and in eventual wear. The 7.3 is pretty bulletproof, though. I had a friend drive from Maine to FL and back with his 7.3 right on the governer in his truck, and he's still driving it today with 530k miles.

Lilnuts2 · 04-13-2022, 02:59 PM

Maine, if I'm understanding you correctly, with your GV engaged and the 7 3 turning less rpm's you get worse mileage? Is that caused by the power needed to process through the GV?

vandiesel · 04-13-2022, 07:49 PM

I’ve always heard that 4.30 is the perfect ratio for a 7.3. I had 35s on mine with 4.56 gears and I felt like I could’ve had a couple hundred less RPMs going 65.

MaineWildlands · 04-14-2022, 11:35 AM

Sorry for confusion, somehow I got that backwards. I'll clarify, I get better mileage at high speed with the GV overdrive.

Without overdrive engaged, the 7.3 will be turning about turning 2200-2300 RPMs, at 70-75, it gets roughly 13.5 MPG

With the Gear Vendor overdrive engaged, the 7.3 will be turning about 1700-1800 RPMs at 70-75, and it gets around 15 MPG.

I tested that on a trip down to PA and back about 10 years ago, and it was around 1.5 miles per gallon improvement. I should test again sometime, but I almost always use the secondary overdrive on any long distance where I get over 65mph.