I have seen a lot of references by posters as to buying parts via Frank Belk but I have not seen anything that tells how/where to contact Frank. Could I be advised as how to do this.
I have seen a lot of references by posters as to buying parts via Frank Belk but I have not seen anything that tells how/where to contact Frank. Could I be advised as how to do this.
If you SSR is an auto and you want to upgrade to the 14bolt rear end with the 4:10 gear raito, good news. The Trailblazer SS rear end is a bolt in. The drive shaft will need to be shortened and the rear yoke/u joint changed. also if you have the Hotchkis sway bar you should order the new one. The rear end comes complete with rotors and calipers which are the same as the SSR. I reinstalled my drilled/slotted/painted rotors and calipers on the new rear end. You will also need to order the U joint strap, the one off the 10 bolt will not work. The stock 10 bolt doesn't have any sensors on it, so the 2 sensors on the TBSS are not used. Also The T/C should work like stock. The P/N is 15796955 with a list price of $2785. Got mine from Frank Belk for $2145. Plus tax -- (Thanks again Frank)
How did this upgrade work out for you? I had to search way back to find this post but many of the new members seem very interested in going to 4.10s seems to me that your upgrade would be of interest too.
I know this is an old thread that M&M just brought back to life, but I do have a question,
What the advantage of a 14 bolt rear end with 4:10 gears vs. a 10 bolt rear rear end with 4:10 gears.
I can see a big cost increase with the 14 bolt rear end ... so what am I missing here?
The 10 bolt rear end is pretty marginal for performance use in a 4800 pound vehicle. The 14 bolt is supposedly much stronger (It is sued in many of the heavier duty GM vehicles).
BUT . . .
That 14 bolt rear end also sucks away a LOT of horsepower. This is why the difference in real wheel horsepower for the manual tranmission SSRs (which come with the 14 bolt axle) and the automatics is so small. Normally, a manual transmission and rear axle combo sucks away about 15% of the power, while an automatic transmission and rear axle combo sucks away more like 22% to as much as 25%. In the case of the manual transmission SSRs, the loss is significantly greater.
GM really had no choice. Their own testing, especially on rapid downshifts, showed that the weaker axle simply wouldn't cut it with the manual transmission.
With the automatic and manua both, GM cheated and "reduced" the power generated by the engine, via reprogramming, after they started getting warranty claims. This is why the "torque meter" on the center console peaked at a lower setting after the "improved programming".
My SSR: 05, Silver Auto, Line-X Bed, X-Member and Plate
Jim G:
GM really had no choice. Their own testing, especially on rapid downshifts, showed that the weaker axle simply wouldn't cut it with the manual transmission.
Hmmm. I have the 05 auto and like to downshift before corner entry, the engine breaking is great and the power is always on BUT....your message suggests this may not be good for the 10 bolt durability????
Jim G:
GM really had no choice. Their own testing, especially on rapid downshifts, showed that the weaker axle simply wouldn't cut it with the manual transmission.
Hmmm. I have the 05 auto and like to downshift before corner entry, the engine breaking is great and the power is always on BUT....your message suggests this may not be good for the 10 bolt durability????
The automatics, between the torque converter and the sloppy factory shifting, don't generate shock loads large enough to break things. The manual clutch however can be manipulated fast and ard enough to do damage.
My SSR: 05, Silver Auto, Line-X Bed, X-Member and Plate
Thanks Jim:
This leads me to another question though. With a tune and recalibration of transmission shift times could this set up cause concern? Also, I recall seeing something on You Tube with a steering wheel aftermarket shift selector for the 4L65E, and that looked like a cool feature. Now if this setup was installed and shift transition times shortened could that also generate a potentially negative shock to the 10 bolt differential?
This leads me to another question though. With a tune and recalibration of transmission shift times could this set up cause concern? Also, I recall seeing something on You Tube with a steering wheel aftermarket shift selector for the 4L65E, and that looked like a cool feature. Now if this setup was installed and shift transition times shortened could that also generate a potentially negative shock to the 10 bolt differential?
Yes, sharpening the shifts, taken beyond "moderate", can cause some nasty torque spikes in the drivetrain.
In fact, after Greg Ducato's team at Phoenix Transmission "built" the 4L60 in my own SSR, I attached a computer while driving and noted (and posted here) that Greg's magic got the shift times down to a time bracket that would put some dual clutch gearboxes to shame. The shofts were SO crisp, that the rear tires were chirping on NORMAL shifts aroudn town, and the 2nd to 3rd shift under WOT broke the tires loose. Greg and I discussed it, and I felt that the combination of heavy vehicle weight and fragile rear axle was just ASKING for trouble, so we backed off the crispness just a bit.
My SSR: 05, Silver Auto, Line-X Bed, X-Member and Plate
Thats great information Jim. I have been looking into Paddle Shift for the SSR for the downshift feature and getting the ECM and TCM tune also. Something to look out for, maybe just saved $2K in a new rear end
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trailblazer SS 4.10 rear gear
Linear Mode
