The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts Spicer 6041 Auxiliary

The tranny is bigger than the truck so I decided Big Bolts would be the place to start.I have a 73 GMC 1 ton that I put a 2 ton aux box in. I'm having a problem with ground clearance. I don't want to raise the truck. If I reclock the aux box about 60 degrees I can gain 4 to 6 inches.
Does anyone have any idea how far I can rotate a 6041 spicer before I create lubrication problems?
Those who wonder why I need so much tranny in a pickup have never got off the highway and drove mountain roads. At times 7 to 1 granny is barely enough to start an empty pickup moving. Mine weighs in at 6000 empty.

that,s an interesting set up.

All those trips to Omaha over the years and still I've missed the mountains, amazing!

I have a Spicer 7041 that I'd like to put in my 1 Ton, but don't think there is room. I can respect the desire to have an additional 2.37 reduction below the 7.06. One heck of a creeper gear!

Does yours have the vent on top? It'll dribble out the vent if you clock it wrong / too much.

Barring the vent, I don't see why you couldn't clock it 90 degrees. Of course it'll make your shift linkage a little... funky, not to mention your mounts.

The only real room issue is your short wheel base.
That means using cv joints or a drive shaft that probably costs more than the truck did.
Your is 2" longer and 100lbs heavier and possibly taller than mine is. My reduction is 2.14. The good creeper is not what I need. It is truely the ability to move period. Ever get stuck in the middle of a hill because you do not have what it takes to make the grade? 216 0r 454 becomes irrelevent at altitudes above 10,000 feet because they both become gutless.
Getting back to the tranny, My vent I think is the same as yours. Right rear corner on top. A simple pipe elbow solves that because even at 90 degrees its still at the top. 90 degrees would make the mounts even easier. 2 eyes on top of the frame rails, between the cab and box for a 1 inch bar that will go thru the mount hole on the back corner. Then bend a bar to fit thru the bottom. The front mount being rotational just sits on any standard cross member. Any spicer manual I've seen states that the main shaft seals will leak if overfilled.
Clocking at 90 degrees would be the same as severely overfilled.
Clocking at 90 degrees would actually make the shift linkage easier. Instaed of being on top the rods would be on the left side just like any standard floor shifter. The factory type shifter puts the rods and shifter directly above the driveline. Since the top of the aux box would be up against the floor. The shifter and its mounting bracket would actually have to be above the floor. These need no special shifter. Any 3 speed floor shifter works. Factory installed van shifters work great if you can find one. I dumped the bench seat and but in buckets to make room for mine.
If I clock the aux box at 90 degrees the seals are in lube always, at about 60 degrees they would be above the lube. My biggest concern is getting enough lube at the counter shaft. Some spicer boxes have the counter shaft completely under lube. Yours and mine would normally be filled to mid shaft. If the lube level on the counter shaft is lower, wouldn't that be somewhat like running without sufficient lubrication?

Your knowledge of the spicer auxiliary tranny's is above mine. I've not installed mine, and don't know if I can do it.

The 7041 is a beast. It's too big for my application. My wheel base is fairly long and I could run a normal drive shaft from the aux to the axle.

With 7.06 first, 2.31 aux (not the 2.37 I said above), and 5.14 in the axle... I'd have an 84:1 reduction. That's a lot of gear down!

My vent is the same as yours, and your elbow should work great. Yes the front mount will be easy due to the rotation of the mount (forgot about that). My shift linkage is on the passenger side, not the top as yours is, so clocking would make it difficult. I have the shifter that came with the aux, so I know mine will work.

I don't know how much of a concern the lube would be. Your certainly aware of the situation and what will happen. Sorry I don't have advice.

If I install mine, I'll likely just live with it hanging down low. I've got 19.5 tires and that helps a little. I could always put an inch or two lift to gain back what I lose.

Keep us informed.

Even if you put an elbow and extension on the vent it may not work. The hole it all screws in to in the case can't be submerged, if is, when the oil warms up it will push it out the vent. the vent needs to be in air space, even if you do have an extension on it.

Drill a hole and tap it for a vent at high point.I am not up on that box but my take is as long as the gears that spin at high speed hit the oil and oil is lower than in and out seals. I would try it. Not that I know but my thoughts are look inside move the gears a bit ,if it looks like it will work do it then you know for sure and get what you want or find out. Hopes this helps ,it's 2-3 minutes of typing for me. :hammering:

1916 signal you are not the only one. I have so much to write about my 64 but I am going to wait for some more time.
elizabeth968 moving the vent sounds like a good idea to me. Open the box and look for oil troths that direct oil to bearings you should be able to tell if they will function at the angle that you want to mount it.

I appreciate all the replies. I'll try to get something in here for all of them. If you rotate the bottom of the spicer aux box to the right the vent is never in danger of getting any closer than 6 inches above the oil.
Installing one of these is not really that difficult. Yes the size is intimidating. If you mount it upright its a lot easier than it may look. The front can rest on many stock cross members. The back just needs a crossmember on top of the frame with 2 threaded pins for hanging. Drive shafts are always simple unless you have a short wheelbase and steep driveline angels. I think the most difficult part is securing a tranny jack that will handle the weight and the akward shape. If one of these babies roll off the jack it will break the average concrete garage floor.
My concern with lubrication goes a little beyond anything I can check around home. These boxes use motor for lube which means more airation to rob the shafts of lube. Over the short haul no problem. I'm taking 6,000 pounds of truck + 4,500 pounds of trailer running at least 65 mph for 8 to 10 hours.

I think HevyHauler has an excellent Idea. Never thought of anything like that. I've never taken one of these apart before but I have seen the inside. I don't think the main bearings have any oil troths but the counter shaft is almost guaranteed to have one behind each thrust washer.