gears
 

rear spider gears are shot, already have all the parts i need to do the swap, I've never done gears before, I'm somewhat mechanically inclined, should i attempt to do these myself or have someone do them? if it was anything else i would have already tore them apart and got it done, just kinda nervous about doing them

Re: gears
 

im guessing that no one else likes doing gears???

Re: gears
 

Patience, grasshopper.

I think you could do it.

The fear with rear gears stems mostly from ring & pinion swaps and setup. It's not rocket science but you have to know what you are doing and easier explained in person.

In your case you will be removing the diff carrier, swapping the spider gears and going right back together in the same configuration. You should be ok as long as you don't drop or move any of the carrier shims and go back together the same way it came apart.

The spider gears are "rolled" out and then back in position using the differential action but you should be able to figure it out once you have the parts in hand.

K

Re: gears
 

Keith, I got a new carrier for the rear, and going to 4.56 gears...I've decided to tackle this project

Re: gears
 

10-4.

Be advised your degree of difficulty has just gone up about 10 fold.

You'll need to set the pinion depth as indicated on the new gearset and then shim the carrier for the correct back lash.

You'll also need to do the ratio change in the front (since front and rear need to match).

K

Re: gears
 

Oh man...don't say that

Re: gears
 

Yep. It's true.

K

Re: gears
 

Still doing it, for the price it cost to get done I can go and get all the tools to do it myself

Re: gears
 

Read everything you can find and let me know if you have any questions after you get started.

K

Re: gears
 

Will do, I really appreciate it

Re: gears
 

i just went and got all the tools i need for the gear swap

Re: gears
 

Was there many??

Re: gears
 

A press and clamping dial indicator...bought a drill press just cause

Re: gears
 

The spider gear install that started this is a quick, easy thing that can be done w/o even removing the carrier from the housing.....a ring and pinion swap is a whole different program. Plus, like Keith said, you gotta do the front too.

I always recommend against a novice doing this. A lot of patience and careful measuring is required and "close" is not good enough, it has to be exact. If the pattern is off, even slightly, it will be noisy and wear prematurely.

BTW, your list of tools is missing a few things. You also need a press and the appropriate pullers to remove/install the bearings and some way to measure the pinion depth. The pinion bearing will need to be removed and re-installed at few times to get the shim right. A torque wrench will be needed too.
Just to add to the fun, the front also throws in the challenge of removing the spindles from the knuckles. There is nifty little puller for that. While the spindles are off, don't forget about the bearings inside of them .....yes another tool there. Look at the axle joints while it is apart too, they get stiff over time and most are not grease-able.

All in all, it's better to pay a pro and get the peace of mind that comes with the warranty.
Either way, be sure to use a good synthetic lube and with gears that low, be sure to break them in. The first trip should be no more than a mile, then let it fully cool. You will be amazed at how hot it will get that quickly. Second trip can be 5 miles or so, cooling again. One more time at 15-20 miles and cool....after that, you are good to go.

Re: gears
 

Summit sells a nifty depth checker tool, that uses a dial caliper. Buy an extra pinion bearing, and sand the bore with a drum sander so it will slip on. Once you get the depth set, use the other bearing and check again. As said above, " Close is not close enough"

Re: gears
 

i got a press today, i should be able to get the bearing off with this, and get the new one on, i did infact forget to mention that i got the torque wrench for the rolling torque, the other tools i can rent, i was going to pay someone to do it but went over budget and would rather spend a couple days learning something new and saving money, had i of not went over budget id of paid someone to do it...dont get me wrong, i do have a buddy thats done this a few times helping me and it was cheaper getting the tools to do this myself than to pay someone to do it

Re: gears
 

i think you will be ok.

Re: gears
 

Check, check and check again. When in doubt, look it up on the net. And clean, clean, clean. If the last diff ate the spiders you will have crap all over the place. Brake cleaner and brushes. Dont forget the area in between the pinion bearings and the holes in the housing that deliver the oil to the pinion bearings.

Re: gears
 

and check, haha, but I'm sure ill need about ten bottles of cleaner, i don't think these have ever been gone through, only thing holding me back is i need to get the garage in order...i can't find anything!!! kinda getting stoked about this swap, I'm going to put my motor in my truck today to get some measurements for the fuel lines...then I'm going to start on my gears

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wouldn't you know, the very first bolt was broken, the 8mm bolt holding the pin in!!!! i got it tho

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so when i thought i had 3.08 gears i actually had 2.73's!!!! no wonder those spider gears are shot!!!

Re: gears
 

What was wrong with spiders, and how did you know back in the original post?

K

Re: gears
 

With the spider gears they were missing 6 teeth or so, well to be honest I was going off what the PO said...

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You never know what your going to find in there until you take off the cover..I thought I had 2:73 turned out to be 2:56..And one of the c-clips was all chewed up.

Re: gears
 

True story man, I believe with going from 2.73's to 4.56's along with a Ls swap from a tired stock 350 will be just a little bit of a improvement

Re: gears
 

The gear ratio itself has absolutely nothing to do with the spider gears. Wear, breakage, etc may indicate abuse or neglect, but ratio does not matter.

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My buddy brought up a good point, my front may have different gears, but everything you said is true, I have neglected the gears some, actually never done anything to them...but I'll tell ya that's gonna change!

Re: gears
 

just wanted to keep ya posted a bit, but yesterday i was able to get everything out, i took forever cleaning out the rear housing, and but the time i was able to get the rear dif it was getting dark and what not, but taking my time gathering thought and advice definitely made this easier so far...so far haha...after i get my coffee in my I'm going to give it a go and get it done...would have been a little farther but the very first bolt i went to take out was broken and the only way to get it out was cutting up the old dif oh well