my rear end blew up!

JPstealth said:

OK so the rear end on my stang decided to die on me.. it sounded awful. turns out i need new gears installation kit/bearings which i bought and now they are saying carrier? My question is what is the carrier exactly? is the entire rear end where it houses all this stuff?

Click to expand...

The carrier is that part of the assembly to which the ring gear bolts. It carries the differential (the side and spider gears and, in the case of a car like a MGT with a Traction Lok, the clutch packs too.) The pic at the link you supplied shows the carrier.

It's doubtful you need a new carrier unless the old one was damaged by whatever went wrong with yours.

The same carrier can be used with pretty much all gear ratios from 2.73 all the way to 4.10 and beyond. It's just a matter of setting it up correctly.

If you're making tons of HP and/or race the thing with full slicks, you might consider an upgrade to a carrier with 31-spline axles or a more robust limited slip (or even a locker) but otherwise, for a DD, the stock part is fine.

i have never heard of it really called a carrier but i am no mechanic by any means either. He also suggested i need one to match the 4.10 gears that I got but was'nt enitrely sure. this is a pretty reputable transmission shop but isnt performance oritented.

Click to expand...

I'd be suspicious of this shop. Can he tell you exactly what's wrong with the current carrier that he thinks it needs replacement?

I got a brand new Ford Racing rear end with factory installed 3.73 gear set (you can get 4.10 also) for $700. The only thing I reused were my stock axles. Everything else was brand new and I put it in myself with no issues. Might be a cheaper route.

Gears: $200
Carrier: $280

Labor for my gear install the first time was $300. Right there is $780. It looks like you already bought most of it already though.