Hey guys...I'm putting some 3.73's in my car and my buddy, helping with the install, said I'll possibly need to balance the driveshaft afterwards. He said he had to in both installs on Fox Bodies. I have a 96 GT. Is there anyone else who has had to do this? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated...Thanks
Installing gears...Need some help!!
- Thread starter Grnstang
- Start date
1low03gt
20+ Year Stangneter 
When i did gears in my ol' fox,didn't have any issues with the driveshaft needing to be balanced,then when i did gears in my '03 GT,which is twice,once for 3.73's,then 4.10's,didn't have to balance the driveshaft either,same goes for all my buddies that have had gear swaps,then when i got the aluminum driveshaft,no issues there either with balance.So basically you should be alright.This is the first time i've ever heard of this to tell you the truth.Money grab maybe....
03ghoststang
Well-Known Member
just mark both the flange on the driveshaft and the flange on the pinion, that way when you are done it will placed back on the same spot and you shouldnt have any vibrations.. thats what i do on every gear install i do
Bearings
Hey thanks for the replies guys....Also just curious, but my car only has 95k and my friend also says I probably won't need the bearing kit. I just bought the basic install kit. Do you think I'll be okay with that? He says if the bearings look bad when we pull em, then we'll do the bearings and other than that not to worry about it.
Hey thanks for the replies guys....Also just curious, but my car only has 95k and my friend also says I probably won't need the bearing kit. I just bought the basic install kit. Do you think I'll be okay with that? He says if the bearings look bad when we pull em, then we'll do the bearings and other than that not to worry about it.
+1 Great advice. 3.73s were my first mod - car had 112k - marked the driveshaft as Ghost said and I've never had a problem. As for the bearings, I'd change them - makes sense if you already have it apart. Plus, its a good feeling knowing you have all new components back there.
03ghoststang
Well-Known Member
Hey thanks for the replies guys....Also just curious, but my car only has 95k and my friend also says I probably won't need the bearing kit. I just bought the basic install kit. Do you think I'll be okay with that? He says if the bearings look bad when we pull em, then we'll do the bearings and other than that not to worry about it.
i would do them either way just so you wont have to do the job twice if one of them goes bad....
With gears at any given moment the driveshaft is more likely to be spinning faster.
Marking the old position and reassembling it the same way it was will help.
However, if there was already a slight driveshaft vibration that could barely be felt it will be more pronounced after a gear install.
To summarize your friend was correct you may need to have the driveshaft balanced after the install.
Marking the old position and reassembling it the same way it was will help.
However, if there was already a slight driveshaft vibration that could barely be felt it will be more pronounced after a gear install.
To summarize your friend was correct you may need to have the driveshaft balanced after the install.
goshia
New Member
Hey thanks for the replies guys....Also just curious, but my car only has 95k and my friend also says I probably won't need the bearing kit. I just bought the basic install kit. Do you think I'll be okay with that? He says if the bearings look bad when we pull em, then we'll do the bearings and other than that not to worry about it.
Replace the bearings, I did on mine when I changed gears with only 22K on the car. It is not that money to just do it.
Thanks for the advice
Hey guys...Thanks again for all the help. I really appreciate it and that pretty much answers my questions for now. Guess I'll be doing the bearings also. Can't wait to get those gears in! Everyone keeps talking about how awesome they are, and going from factory 2.73's to 3.73's, I think sounds like a huge improvement. Thanks again guys.
Grnstang
Hey guys...Thanks again for all the help. I really appreciate it and that pretty much answers my questions for now. Guess I'll be doing the bearings also. Can't wait to get those gears in! Everyone keeps talking about how awesome they are, and going from factory 2.73's to 3.73's, I think sounds like a huge improvement. Thanks again guys.
Grnstang
03ghoststang
Well-Known Member
it will be on my 5.0L i made the same jump and its completely a different car..... let us know how the install goes or if you have any more Q's
BlackGT4.6
New Member
replacing the bearings is a good Idea. Balancing the drive shaft should not be necessary but it is possible.
