swapping gears

TSWG00 said:

I know a lot of people that use to do the gear installs themselfs and the gears would end up going TU at in less than a year because they didn't get the shims in correct hehe. I would reccamend having a shop do it. Lucky for me I know someone who is a pro at it I'm going to get 3:73:1's but I'm also thinking about getting a new Limited Slip don't want a clutch one looking for something that is clutchless.

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I am not trying to you, BTW. Just making a point.

Whomever you are speaking of probably did one of the following things:

1. Left the stock shims on the pinion & carrier because they were too scared/cheap/ignorant to use an indicator or a caliper. (ignorant = didn't know how to use it BTW)

2. Didn't see the MULTIPLE warnings about keeping the main caps on the side they came off of and orientented in the same manner (has arrows).

3.Didn't put friction modifier in with the gear oil.

4. They reused the old crush collar or didn't put the correct pre-load on the Pinion because they were too cheap to buy or borrow a inch-pound torque wrench.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to install FRPP gears into a 8.8" rear end. There are so many install articles about the subject that I can't imagine how someone could actually screw it up.

People are so scared of what they don't understand. I felt the same way, but once I read through 3 different install articles, multiple times each, I had a firm understanding of what I was doing.

It just really bothers me when people say that installing gears is "so hard" or "leave it professionals". If I can do it in under 4 hours on my first time, I bet I could do it again in under 2 1/2. I am not saying that it won't take you 4-8 hours to do it yourself, as not all installs are exactly the same. I ran into problems, and I solved them.

If something comes up that is "unexpected", then you probably didn't read through the install articles or my write-up on the bottom of my sig. There is a lot of information on that thread I made, and I feel it would be invaluable to someone who has read through the install articles, and still has a few questions. (How to setup the dial indicator for example, is not covered in the articles, but I did in my thread)

I bought all new bearings (2 carrier & 1 pinion), diff. shaft, locking bolt, pinion seal, etc. Any of those could have been broken, and if I didn't buy them before hand, I would have been in trouble (running around to parts stores). I planned on replacing my locking bolt & pinion seal no matter what the factory ones looked like. They are cheap and prone to breaking, as outlined in the articles.
Scott