took my 95 4door auto sidekick out on its first major wheeling trip yesterday and promptly broke the aluminum third member. this thing is open open with 29's so my first question is whether or not this is common. i know calmini sells the steel center section but i broke the third member. so i'd like to upgrade to steel. what i found searching this site so far is that i need an xl7 center and a 5 speed gv third, i just have a couple questions about this, javascript:void(0);

                                  A. were the gv center sections steel and if they were can i use a complete
                                      gv front or do i have to use the xl7 center.

                                  B. can i just swap sidekick 5.13 gears into the gv third? the articles i have seen
                                      on this site were using some samurai parts due to different spline axles and
                                      locker use and what not. i just want to stay open and switch to steel
                                      housings.

You have 2 options...

1) Go with the XL7/GV steel axle housing and third member, and have your 5.13 diff gears swapped into them by a shop. This is the best way, but it is also the most expensive.

2) Go with the XL7/GV steel axle housing, but just take a 5.13 Sidekick third member and drop it in there. No setup required. It won't be as strong because you are still using an aluminum third, but at least the housing is steel...it's a start.

Hey misfit,  were you doing any really rough wheeling?  The reason I ask is I'm running 30s on 2" lift with all stock drivetrain, I think I wheel pretty light but if you broke yours with 29s I'd like to know what to avoid.

i wasn't really wheeling too awfully hard, but i used to have a sas 4runner on 38's and dual cases so sometimes i forget i downsized. but seriously i had one front wheel in a rut and the other i was crawling up a about an 18 inch rock and it spun and i backed up hit it a little harder not even half throttle and it bounced maybe 3 inches and boom no more third. As far as using a steel housing and an aluminum third will that really help much since i broke the third member? i was actually thinking of using a steel third member and swapping the gears and using the aluminum housing. my dad can set the gears up so i'm not worried about the expense of that. thanks for the input.

Well that doesn't sound too much rougher than what I do sometimes,  I guess it's just a matter of losing traction and getting it back real quick.  BTW I don't think the entire housing is weak, just the carrier where the pinion shaft goes in.  It's the third that really needs upgraded.  In my reading I've only seen cases of the third breaking.  I want to do the same upgrade to mine but I still haven't figured out  exactly what parts are needed, same question you have I guess.


Another topic for the upcoming newbie/faq section  maybe??

Yeah, usually the Third Member Housing breaks. From Stress or Serious Load, like backing up and mashing it.

I've seen the Front Housing Crack more than Break. The Housing is Fragile and bumping into things will crack it if you don't have a skidplate.

If you can afford it, replace them both with Steel. 

I have gone to steel twice, once in a 93, and now I'm building up a 2nd Gen 03. I had read so often of their breakage that I knew what I wanted. The reason they break is the design of the 3rd's bushing placement. When driving forward (in 4wd) the diff wants to spin in the opposite direction, which is downward against the bumpstop type bushing. We run into probs tho when we choose to back-up, say, out of a hole. Now the diff wants to spin upward and there's not much there to stop it. Puting a steel strap over the top of the diff's nose is also very helpful. G[quoing for the overkill (naturally!), I did both.
ote author=misfittoy link=topic=25075.msg205617#msg205617 date=1240750327]
took my 95 4door auto sidekick out on its first major wheeling trip yesterday and promptly broke the aluminum third member. this thing is open open with 29's so my first question is whether or not this is common. i know calmini sells the steel center section but i broke the third member. so i'd like to upgrade to steel. what i found searching this site so far is that i need an xl7 center and a 5 speed gv third, i just have a couple questions about this, javascript:void(0);

                                  A. were the gv center sections steel and if they were can i use a complete
                                      gv front or do i have to use the xl7 center.

                                  B. can i just swap sidekick 5.13 gears into the gv third? the articles i have seen
                                      on this site were using some samurai parts due to different spline axles and
                                      locker use and what not. i just want to stay open and switch to steel
                                      housings.
[/quote]
I sent my stuff (steel 3rd, ring & pinion + misc.) to Brent at Trail Tough. Not only for the diff set up, but also because I wanted a locker in it. This required some Sammy parts. The air type hub lock diaphram in the guts offsets the diff a little. I can't remember which way, but you cannot use the GV axle or short shaft if you have a locker. I also had to swap over to manual locking hubs.

I went with the XL7 steel front third. Calmini Anvil housing, 5:83 ring and pinions and in an attempt to do the setup only once I added ARB lockers front and rear.  I don't even want to think what the total investment is but I hope it holds up. 

I went with the XL7 steel front third. Calmini Anvil housing, 5:83 ring and pinions and in an attempt to do the setup only once I added ARB lockers front and rear.  I don't even want to think what the total investment is but I hope it holds up. 

I have the Same Set-Up except I do not have ARB, I have Detroits.

This Set-Up is the Shizzle!

If you add 4.23 to 1 Transfer Case Gears, you will be Creeping on 32's.

*Chris Farley as the Bus Driver on Billy Madison, talking about Veronica Vaughn*

"I knows from Experience...Duuude."

http://www.youtube.com/user/zuksofhazzard   

Quote from: skitime on April 30, 2009, 04:46:10 PM

I went with the XL7 steel front third. Calmini Anvil housing, 5:83 ring and pinions and in an attempt to do the setup only once I added ARB lockers front and rear.  I don't even want to think what the total investment is but I hope it holds up. 

I have the Same Set-Up except I do not have ARB, I have Detroits.

This Set-Up is the Shizzle!

If you add 4.23 to 1 Transfer Case Gears, you will be Creeping on 32's.

*Chris Farley as the Bus Driver on Billy Madison, talking about Veronica Vaughn*

"I knows from Experience...Duuude."

http://www.youtube.com/user/zuksofhazzard   

I got the Trail Tough Rockmonster 4.24:1 transfer case gears already but I am running 31s.  I wanted to retain the snap of a stock Tracker and 31s put it back to stock with the 5:83 diff gears.   Your are right it is a sweet setup or Shizzle! It makes offroading almost too easy.