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install price? (gears)

L

little red cheroke

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Nashville TN
$1300 front and rear for everything. HP 30 and 8.25. current ratio is 3.55 so that price is with the new D30 carrier. i really wish i could do this my self but its my DD and i have no experience with gears. is it usually cheaper to do the install with the axles out of the jeep? is installing a set of gears really as hard as everyone makes it out to be? i have some mechanical skills....should i really be scared of doing this on my DD?

thanks much
 
good lord...I recommend buying your gears and master install kits on your own and then price out the labor at various places. On average, the labor per axle should be between $200 - $350 (at most).

If you have never done gears before, i'd recommend that someone with experience do them unless you have plenty of time and the right tools. getting the shims and backlash set properly is the tricky part and if you do it yourself, buy plenty of crush sleeves just in case.
 
Yeah thats what I am doing above - I talked to shops first to make sure they will install gears you don't buy from them first. Seems like every place I went to for my dodge, there prices for gears were about 100 bucks more. The place I am using now - quoted 250 for one axle, 200 an axle if you do two.
 
Make sure you go to a place that knows what they are doing. I made the mistake of price shopping a bit, and found a guy at a shop that would give me a good rate. Needless to say it turned into a HUGE disaster. The rear gears were set up terribly wrong, blew up. I ended up having to pay somebody else to fix his mistakes, plus lost out on those parts and that labor. Like I said, big mess.

Ask around locally and see what people recomend. I think its worth paying a few extra dollars just to make sure it gets done right.
 
for 1300 you could just about swap in 2 dana 44's... have you checked your local 4x4 place>? thats where i got mine done and was very well priced even when i brought in my own set up...pretty much just paid for about 2-3 hours labor (1 axle)
 
aparke4 said:
for 1300 you could just about swap in 2 dana 44's... have you checked your local 4x4 place>? thats where i got mine done and was very well priced even when i brought in my own set up...pretty much just paid for about 2-3 hours labor (1 axle)
Click to expand...


that price is for my local 4x4 shop...

so sounds like itd be a lottt cheaper to buy the gears on my own and get them to install at the shop.

best place to buy gears? if had great experience with 4x4rockshop.com but they dont sell gears for the 8.25

what all do i need?

D30 gears/carrier/master install kit

8.25 gears/master install kit....will i need a new carrier for the 8.25?
 
You can buy the tools at harbor freight for less than 300. Go with dana spicer gears and carrier and your setup will be very close to start with. Your first one will take more time and money than you will want to spend but once you do it you will see how easy it is. Talk to people who have broken ring and pinion gears and they almost allways tell you sombody did the install for them. I think an individual, even his first time will take the time to set one up better. I would definatly pull your rear end to do it on a bench for your first one and you can decide how to do the front. Another school of thought that I mostly agree with is "Never put a penny into stock axels". I just put an 8.8 in a XJ. Junkyard complete with disc breaks 300 bucks plus spring pearches and u-bolts. So for an extra say 400 you will have built a rear end you will be proud of. Jegs can get you Ford gears to make set-up a breeze. My pinion was dead on and I just needed to set backlash. The 8.8 has the shims on the outside of the carrier so you don't even have to pull the carrier bearings. In fact I would bet you can have nappa press your old pinion bearings and shims onto a new Ford pinion and you won't even need a press for the rear 8.8. Ford started using synthetic gear lube in the late 90's on so used bearings are ussually in great shape.
 
little red cheroke said:
that price is for my local 4x4 shop...

so sounds like itd be a lottt cheaper to buy the gears on my own and get them to install at the shop.

best place to buy gears? if had great experience with 4x4rockshop.com but they dont sell gears for the 8.25

what all do i need?

D30 gears/carrier/master install kit

8.25 gears/master install kit....will i need a new carrier for the 8.25?
Click to expand...

Yes.

www.ring-pinion.com is a start.

Master install kits, tools to do the job, lube, parts cleaner, other stuff.

You don't need a new carrier for the 8.25.
 
Stumpalump said:
You can buy the tools at harbor freight for less than 300. Go with dana spicer gears and carrier and your setup will be very close to start with. Your first one will take more time and money than you will want to spend but once you do it you will see how easy it is. Talk to people who have broken ring and pinion gears and they almost allways tell you sombody did the install for them. I think an individual, even his first time will take the time to set one up better. I would definatly pull your rear end to do it on a bench for your first one and you can decide how to do the front. Another school of thought that I mostly agree with is "Never put a penny into stock axels". I just put an 8.8 in a XJ. Junkyard complete with disc breaks 300 bucks plus spring pearches and u-bolts. So for an extra say 400 you will have built a rear end you will be proud of. Jegs can get you Ford gears to make set-up a breeze. My pinion was dead on and I just needed to set backlash. The 8.8 has the shims on the outside of the carrier so you don't even have to pull the carrier bearings. In fact I would bet you can have nappa press your old pinion bearings and shims onto a new Ford pinion and you won't even need a press for the rear 8.8. Ford started using synthetic gear lube in the late 90's on so used bearings are ussually in great shape.
Click to expand...

i know where i can get my hands on one w/ discs for $75
 
Jump on it and get gears from jegs. I'll help you set your ring and pinion if you are near Denver. I travle for my job and may even be in a city near you and could help you out. Measure your old spring pad centers and take a little time befor you tack your perches and your home free. You don't need to buy aftermarket e-brake cable just use a small cable clamp. Lot's of stuff online to walk you right thru.
 
I bought my gears from the vendors forum, and they were pretty cheap,

for the install, it will be much cheaper if you pull the axles yourself, but sometimes not worth the hassle, and I also saved a lot of money by pullin the front shafts myself, makes less work for them. I payed 150 instead of 400 just for pulling the shafts, and that was with the axle still under the vehicle.
 
aparke4 said:
for 1300 you could just about swap in 2 dana 44's... have you checked your local 4x4 place>? thats where i got mine done and was very well priced even when i brought in my own set up...pretty much just paid for about 2-3 hours labor (1 axle)
Click to expand...

Was this housing out of the rig? Axles removed? Did you see the finish pattern? You know the backlash and all bearing preloads are good/in spec.?

2-3 hours???? Who decided that Off Road shops should do this stuff at a loss????

Yeah, it physically takes probably 3 hours to press a bearing on the pinion and bolt the ring gear to a carrier and bolt these things into a housing...but it takes a bit longer to do it right, and have it last, and be able to stand behind it so you don't come back in 3-6 months with noise, broken gears, and bad bearings.

And you may be able to swap 2 D44's in for that much yourself, but good luck having a good shop do it for that much.


On average, the labor per axle should be between $200 - $350 (at most).
Click to expand...

What labor rate is this based on? How many hours are you saying it should take???
 
I paid 300 per axle labor. My gears and master install kits were about the same. Cost me 1200. Yeah I could have saved by doing it myself but I wasn't confident enough to try it. To me it was worth it because I know there done right.
 
bobnoxious said:
Was this housing out of the rig? Axles removed? Did you see the finish pattern? You know the backlash and all bearing preloads are good/in spec.?

2-3 hours???? Who decided that Off Road shops should do this stuff at a loss????

Yeah, it physically takes probably 3 hours to press a bearing on the pinion and bolt the ring gear to a carrier and bolt these things into a housing...but it takes a bit longer to do it right, and have it last, and be able to stand behind it so you don't come back in 3-6 months with noise, broken gears, and bad bearings.

And you may be able to swap 2 D44's in for that much yourself, but good luck having a good shop do it for that much.




What labor rate is this based on? How many hours are you saying it should take???
Click to expand...

rear end was still in the jeep...front end is and empty housing on a bench. still looking into what i want to do at this point. i dont mind spending a little extra. i want to do it right the frist time. still looking at the 8.8
 
bobnoxious said:
Was this housing out of the rig? Axles removed? Did you see the finish pattern? You know the backlash and all bearing preloads are good/in spec.?

2-3 hours???? Who decided that Off Road shops should do this stuff at a loss????

Yeah, it physically takes probably 3 hours to press a bearing on the pinion and bolt the ring gear to a carrier and bolt these things into a housing...but it takes a bit longer to do it right, and have it last, and be able to stand behind it so you don't come back in 3-6 months with noise, broken gears, and bad bearings.

What labor rate is this based on? How many hours are you saying it should take???
Click to expand...


You may need to deal with more gear installers. I've had mine done by professionals in 3 hours or less a few times, once, under the rig IN MY DRIVEWAY, having to drive back to his shop for presswork (blew a pinion and got towed home.. installer likes me i guess, so he did a house call).

Locally, housing out of the rig I pay 150-275 depending on circumstance, $100 for a 9". That's providing my own parts, and an empty, clean housing.
 
bobnoxious said:
What labor rate is this based on? How many hours are you saying it should take???
Click to expand...

cal said:
You may need to deal with more gear installers. I've had mine done by professionals in 3 hours or less a few times, once, under the rig IN MY DRIVEWAY, having to drive back to his shop for presswork (blew a pinion and got towed home.. installer likes me i guess, so he did a house call).

Locally, housing out of the rig I pay 150-275 depending on circumstance, $100 for a 9". That's providing my own parts, and an empty, clean housing.
Click to expand...

The most-recommended professional gear installer in my area quoted me $300 labor per axle -- that's with me driving it over there, pulling it into his shop, and walking away without me personally doing a thing to help.
 
cal said:
You may need to deal with more gear installers...
Click to expand...

I am a gear installer. It's what I do for a living. Quit making assumptions about people.

I need to stand behind my work for longer than a week. I photo EVERY gear set-up/pattern I do. I take the pinion back out however many times I need to in order to get the right pattern, get the right pinion preload, and to do it all right (I don't just slam it together with the old shims and call it "good"). I actually clean all the parts (in a real genuine parts cleaning tank), and closely inspect all the parts to be re-used to insure they're actually re-usable. I actually clean all the crap out of the old housing (metal, mud, etc). I check the housing for straightness. Of course, in order to actually get the od gears out, I need to remove/disassemble the brakes and axle/wheel bearings, so I'm usually dealing with FUBAR stuff here too.

I guess you get what you pay for...God knows I'm constantly re-doing set-ups from "other" places where the customer got exactly what they payed for...gears that failed very soon.
 
My mech told me $400 for both 30/35 gears, shafts and lockers. He does alot of the Funk Master Flex cars and lot of hot rods and classics. I trust him since he has worked on my parents cars for 33 years.
 
Sorry I forgot to add that I am dropping off 30/35 out of jeep. Cheaper that way.
 
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