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#1
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Rear Gear Swap-How Hard?
I put my 8 3/4 up on the bench last night and dismantled the whole thing. Only to find it is a 3.23 sure grip. Im not sure I will be happy with 3.23's so I was thinking now is the time to upgrade. Im thinking 3.91's. My question is should I take it to a rear end shop or tackle it myself. How hard is it? what is involved? thanks,
-Mike |
#2
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Unless you have the tools to set the pinion depth I would take it to a shop that knows how to set-up rear ends. If it is a 489 case get the solid pinion spacer and shim pack.
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#3
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I'm definitely with Jim on this one. It requires specialized tools and considerable expertise or you end up with an expensive 2 piece boat anchor! The number etched in the end of the pinion gear is the distance from that face to the center of the ring gear. The jig for this measurement is very costly and is the only way to do the job. Then you have to set the bearing preload on the pinion bearings w/o the seal installed. The backlash adjustment is relatively straightforward but then the preload on the carrier bearings is somewhat of a judgement thing. (read that as experience) Take it to a pro!
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#4
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If I were you I would keep the whole third member in one piece and hang on to it. A 3.23 SG is a great unit for road trips and it has some good acceleration for street duty too. The 3.91 's won't cut it for long distance hauls on the freeway and your mileage will suffer. It's real easy to swap out third members and it's always nice to have an extra set of gears around. In fact I got the idea from my buddy who regullary runs 4.10's around town here in his 70' roadrunner and switches to a 3.23 when we goes to the nats in August. I'm doing the same thing with my Super Bee, but I don't have a Sure Grip 3.23.
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#5
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The need for a pinion depth setter is highly overrated. All of the major gear manufacturers specify using the gear contact pattern as the final measure of correct gear installation.
In other words, if the pinion is installed at the precise dimension etched on the gear face and the contact pattern is off, you must adjust the depth/backlash to correct the pattern. In this instance, the depth setter gets you close and saves time and labor but isn't definately needed. With nothing more than a dial indicator, torque wrench and marking compound a novice can set up gears as well as a pro but it will probably take a little longer Excellent videos are available from some of the gear makers, I recommend getting one and becoming a "pro". |
#6
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setting up a Rear is way to easy, if you have the right tools to do the job, some common sense, and you have to be willing to not settle for close enough. if you have to pull it apart 15 times to set the depth right, then do it. don't let the pattern be a little bit off, and call that good enough.
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