jdphillips73

thanks for your reply... i am on vacation in 2 weeks for 9 days... so I AM gonna try this. Anyone else that has done this, please chime in.

thewarmachine

I say do it. It's not like you're an idiot. The guys at shops don't have magic dust. Just do you research. Good luck!!!

harperfam

I am fairly mechanically inclined (I have worked in a garage, rebuilt motors, etc.) and considered doing my own gears, but I am sure glad I didn't. My car has been in the shop for 5 days and the gears have been taken out and shimmed five times now and it still isn't right. This is a very experienced garage. The mechanic said gears are a true pain in the a$$. For every five or six that go in perfect the first time you will have one that will drive you insane. Can it be done?Sure.But is it worth a few hundred dollars and several hairs off your head? Not for me.

jdphillips73

Thanks for your reply.

Anyone else who has actually done it?

jbs07stang

I have done it with a friend. Be sure to mark the bearing caps on the carrier before removing them. They must be put back exactly like they came off or they will break when torqued down. Also, if I were doing it, I would use the original shim that is behind the pinion bearing as a starting point. You may get lucky and use all of the factory shims on the pinion and the carrier and have the proper setup. That is the way mine worked out. One more critical point is the bearing preload on the pinion. You have to crush the crush sleeve in order to get it set properly. If preload on the bearing is not right it can cause a whine. You may also want a master install kit in case you need shims other than the factory shims.

odiaz

This is one mod that I would not even think about doing my self. Even if I managed to succesfully complete it and anythinge were to go wrong, I would not have any recourse. My ford dealer will install gears and warranty them I thnk that'sthe route I am going to go.

If there is any doubt in your mind at all, read these instructions on how to do them yourself. After reading these, I was convinced this is not something for the average guy working on jackstands.

http://www.cherod.com/mustang/HowTo/Gears.htm

Mustang Matt

I have done it myself and would just like to echo what 281GT and jbs07stang said. Just because you've never done something before is no reason not to try it. Just do a lot of research and if you can get ahold of a shop manual or something like that itwill help. It took me a coupletimes to get it right but in the end I'm glad I did it and it's something I wouldn't hesitate to do again. If you're using Ford gears you can try reusing the factory pinion shim. I've been told that Ford gears are all machined to close enough tolerances that whatever pinion shim is currently in the housing should work for other Ford gearsets. Also the pinion preload is improtant as well. You should really have 0-50 inch-pound torque wrench. When you torque the pinion nut to 140ft/lbs you then put the inch pound torque wrench on it and see how much resistance it takes to turn it. For used bearings I think you want it to be 8-16 inch pounds and new bearings are 16-29 inch pounds I think. What you can also do is when you reassemble the first time put it together without the crush sleeve, put the old pinion nut on and snug it down until you get the correct resistance on your pinion bearings and then use the marking compund to check the pattern. If the pattern is off you can then take it back apart and change pinion shims and you won't have wasted a crush sleeve. then when you get the pattern set up like it should be then take the pinion out and install crush sleeve and do your final assembly. let me know if you have any questions.

MN Moose

The caps have arrows on them indicating which ones go where. Just remember the arrows are supposed to point outwards.

Anyways, i'm 18 years old and i changed the gears and put in a traction lock in the rear end of my car with the help of my 17 year old friend. Nothing pisses me off more than people saying you can't do something when they have never tried it theirselves. Anyways, look in my mustang blog, i think there is a few pics and tips in there but i'm not 100% sure.

I have a few guides bookmarked on my other computer. I can send them to you if you'd like.

157dB

If you feel the need to ask, stay away from the project.
Gears are not for shadetrees to mess with.
Have it professionally done with some sort of guarantee
that the gears wont shell within 1500 miles.

MN Moose

Case in point, this guy. Have you ever attempted to install rear end gears? Or have you even seen it done for that matter? He didn't ask if he "should try it", he is asking for tips from anyone who has done it.