Swapping gears to new axle.

What do I need to do, to swap my ring and pinion gears from my 87 D30 to my 96 D30? Can I move the whole carrier? Will I need to get any new parts or are all the old parts going to be transferable?

Also, I have a D44 that I'm swapping over. The fluid was run low and last I checked the fluid was filled with metal. I plan on getting an overhaul kit and having a shop put that in so the gears get set right. Is there anything else I should think about getting for the D44?

I'm running 4.56s and 33s. I'm hoping to swap the axles and tires onto my 96 next month. Along with put the 4.5" Rusty's springs in it and RE drop brackets.

if you don't know how to setup gears (which i'm guess you don't, otherwise you wouldn't have asked this question), then you SHOULD NOT swap the gears. you could just take your 87 D30 and install it in the 96. then you don't have to worry about messing up the gears. and make sure you have the rear properly setup by a shop or mechanic who knows how to do it and has the right tools.

I think my 87 D30 may be bent. I guess I'll inspect it a little better to try and figure out why the tires are cambered in at the top.

you cant just swap carriers, each axle is different by 10th or 10ths of an inch and the gears wont mesh the way they are supposed to. i have swapped over used gears before and its not worth it. they will never be set right. your best bet is to get a rebuild kit for the 96, new gears and seals and look around for someone to gear it for you. most shops charge about 200 an axle if you pull the axles out yourself.

its a great learning experience to set up your own gears if you have or know someone who has the tools but it is not a 2 hour job your first time. it will most likely take a weekend to do correctly. look in the tech section on pirate for a write up.

el_roy1985 said:

What do I need to do, to swap my ring and pinion gears from my 87 D30 to my 96 D30? Can I move the whole carrier? Will I need to get any new parts or are all the old parts going to be transferable?

Also, I have a D44 that I'm swapping over. The fluid was run low and last I checked the fluid was filled with metal. I plan on getting an overhaul kit and having a shop put that in so the gears get set right. Is there anything else I should think about getting for the D44?

I'm running 4.56s and 33s. I'm hoping to swap the axles and tires onto my 96 next month. Along with put the 4.5" Rusty's springs in it and RE drop brackets.

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If you want to do something like this, you'd need a rebuild set with new shims and bearings. Carriers can be moved from one axle to another (the same type axle), you just have to set up each axle for backlash and proper gear mesh when you do it.

Swap the 87 d30 into your 96. Use your 96 shafts since they are one piece shafts and dont use the vaccum disco. Also the 96 shafts should have the bigger 297 u -joints. You will need to use the pre 91- style calipers unless u want to swap your knuckles over as well.