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gears

Mpeckham22

NAXJA Forum User
Location
MA/NC
im confused on why it is so difficult to regear your own axles... im going to be gearing to 4.56 or 4.88 on 35's... im browsing for already geared axles.. but what makes it 'nearly impossible' to do on your own? i have searched a bit but im still sorta in the dark..
 
I thought about this myself - but i"m sure it's one of those things where I'd like to watch someone do it once, and after that I would tackle it myself.
 
well, no i dont think i can, at least not on my first try at all.. i might try to find someone in my area willing to help.. otherwise just get already geared axles.
 
After watching a local club member do the gears on a d30 for me, what most non-shop semi-professionals charge is a great deal! It can be a lot of work.
 
It can be a lot of work but is also one of the more rewarding things you can do by yourself on your rig... At least it's satisfying the first time. I taught myself about this time last year. However I wouldn't attempt it unless you have a solid mechanical background. I came from 10 years as a heavy duty diesel mechanic and I have a high mechanical aptitude, gave the pirate guide a read through a couple times and went at it. Still took me several tries/hours to get it right. I'll be replacing the ring and pinion in my Dana 30 this weekend and will most likely will be posting a check my pattern thread, haha
 
One thing I learned is Have the right tools... If you don't, then don't try. If you have the Chrysler 8.25 and you get that tall of a gear you will need to shave off a portion of the ring gear tooth to get the center pin in. Not sure if this is the same on the dana 35 if anyone knows?
 
It's really not all that bad. The right tools, common sense, and time is really all you need.
Do a couple and then you can whip them out pretty quick.
 
the work itself isn't all that hard its just time consuming, precise, and requires a lot of patience, plus the tools themselves will cost as much as the labor to get them installed..

I would have a QUALIFIED shop do them, if you mess them up or just don't get them perfect you WILL have noisy gears and run the possibility of them jamming and locking up (worst case). If they end up being noisy you have to start all over again, if a pattern is worn into them though you most likely will never get them right again so you will need new gears. Set up gears are also something you should have as well as a press, if you have the guts then try it yourself but I sure as hell would be pissed if my pinion gear collided with the ring gear wrong at 60 mph locking up an axle and causing an accident, my xj is a DD though.
 
Set up gears are also something you should have as well as a press, if you have the guts then try it yourself but I sure as hell would be pissed if my pinion gear collided with the ring gear wrong at 60 mph locking up an axle and causing an accident, my xj is a DD though.

I think you mean set up bearings, not gears and the competent home mechanic can do set up his gears at home, and would know there's a problem before what you describe would happen.
 
The many years and countless blown up "professional installs" I've redone tells me that anybody can indeed bolt a ring & pinion into a differential...but it takes skill and experience and attention to detail to install correctly, with a perfect pattern, with sufficiently tight bearing preloads and backlash specs.
 
And OMF'ingG...if another person reccomends 4.88's with 31-33's as the best thing since sliced bread, I'm gonna puke :doh:

yeah that just sounds like way too over geared... sounds like it would be bad for the tranny or something.. looking into finding someone willing to help me for food and drink etc
 
And OMF'ingG...if another person reccomends 4.88's with 31-33's as the best thing since sliced bread, I'm gonna puke :doh:

i absolutely loved my 5.38's with 35's.

i can only imagine it being very similar to 4.88's and 33's
 
Sure off the line with 4.88s and 33s was nice.

Cruising on the highway wasn't the greatest.

I tend to do anywhere from 70-80 on the highway regularly (as in everyday).

At 70 mph I was approaching 2700 rpm.

Maybe some people do 60 mph all the time and that's fine, but I don't.

It always just felt like I was spinning it too much. Not that it ever did any damage.
 
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