i just some some 373's to put into the 02 ss. shes an a4 n i figured going any higher would be a bad idea. i was just wondering how complicated it really is to perform your own install. any input would help...like tools and such as well...thanks!

 

i'm not sure of your skill level, but i will tell you right now that you probably arent gonna want to do it yourself. i'll let some one give you all the details that knows exactly what their talkin about though.

 

i would have my gears professionally installed also

 

I don't think it is all that hard, but it requires a lot of tools, most of which are expensive, especially if you are only doing it once or twice.

 

No...the work is not difficult. You dont need tons of expensive tools. In fact they are tools that you should have anyway as you can use them again for other thigns. What IS difficult for some people is the theory. This is one of those jobs that you have to be able to think and comprehend what you are seeing.

Being able to read a gear pattern, and understand what changes you need to make to both the pinion and the carrier will really make or break the job. Its not "common sense" sometimes when it comes to making your adjustments.

Tools... You need a dial indicator, and a magnetic base. Ide say thats the only special tool you really need. Expensive...not hardly. Harbor freight...thats where I got mine. Plus you can use that for doing valvetrain work and some other things. I suggest some big brass punches and a brass hammer, also from H.F. A press helps, but isnt 100% needed. A bearing remover can be a help...but I never use one. I never reuse bearings that I pull off, so I just destroy them and take them off. You'll need a beam style torque wrench in IN-LBS. And a bigger torque wrench that can go up to like 250ft-lbs. The in-lbs wrench I got at NAPA. If you dont have a big torque wrench, autozone rents one for free... Thats it as far as tools that the average joe might not have. And its all stuff you can get use out of again.

Be VERY clean and VERY organized. A piece of grit or a burr under or between shims can ruin your day. Spend lots of time reading and understand set up patterns, and get to know what you need to do if something is out of spec. Things will go much smoother.

Bottom line... if you are only going to do one gear change ever...just pay someone else to do it. If you are going to do it several times, or think you might need to help someone else do it, go for it. Its just like anything else. Do some research, and then dig in. Plenty of step by step write ups online that will help you do the actual work. I work on a lot of jeeps...so I learned to re-gear to save money. Ive done probably a dozen jeep axles and a few 8.8 mustang axles.

I wont get into a detailed desc. because there are plenty of write ups on here and on the net. Some guys will tell you its easier than that...some will tell you its harder... Its what you feel comfortable digging into.


J.

 

http://www.keliente.com/gears.htm

 

Yup...her site is a goodie. Also, if you go on the gear manufacturer's websites they have some decent tutorials as well. Yukon gears comes to mind as having some good reading.

Somewhere on here there was a thread about DIY gear changes, and I think I posted a few links for reference... ill see if I can find it and link it up. I just remembered it.

J.

EDIT: Found the thread I was thinking of. There isnt a ton of stuff...but here it is anyway. There are a couple links in there.

https://ls1tech.com/forums/showthrea...ighlight=yukon

 

My gear swap package arrived from Thunder Racing yesterday. I was gonna have a shop do it, until I talked to the guy and just didn't get a good vibe from him. Then I was gonna do it with help from someone else who is a little more mechanically inclined than myself, but it would have been the first time either one of us did it. Kept looking and found a shop that I feel comfortable with and so he's gonna do it tomorrow. If I was gonna do it more than once, or if I hadn't found a guy that I feel I can trust working on my car, then I would have tried it. The write up by keliente seems to be very good, but if I recall it doesn't talk too much about gear pattern or some of the other particulars that can contribute to noisy rear ends. It's been a little bit since I read it, so I could be wrong about that.

 

I let the Proffesionals do mine. Mine never whine....I hear that all the time....My shop does ONLY Gears and Rears.

 

Installing gears is not something for a person do do as their 1st time project, drop the extra cash and get it done right, if it isn't done right it'll make noise and the gears will fail, which will lead you to buy new gears and have someone else install it and in the end cost a lot more money.

 

I did my first gear swap on a 12-bolt last week-end. I read the install article, watched the Richmond video and understood the mechanics. I purchased $150 in tools (dial indicator, magnetic base, bearing puller, race puller, race installation tool, slide hammer). For this rear end I installed all new bearings including axle bearings, new ring and pinion, and new limited slip. I was very maticulous and cleaned everything. I had the pinion in and out twice to adjust the shim thickness, and had the carrier in and out a dozen times. I finally ended up with the perfect pattern and backlash within specs. Total time - 8.5 hours with the diff out of the car (I had it on saw horses - makes it much easier to work on). After being through it once, I expect to take about 6 hours when I put the 4:10s in my TA next month. As others said, if you are mechanically inclined it is not difficult, but you must have patience. You must be willing to pull the carrier and pinoin, adjust the shims as many times as needed to get the correct pattern and backlash. This is not one area you want to skimp on time.

 

Right on mach! Good post... Glad you were able to get through it! The first one is rough. They get easier...

J.