installing 3.73 gears, does the pinion bearning have to be press fit or can i somehow get it on without a press? is anything anything else for installing gears i should know besides the crush sleeve and measuring pinion depth ect. (i got those covered. in pound tq and dial idicator)

 

I'm assuming you have pinion and carrier shims, along withmarking compound to read the pattern?

 

si senor

 

Press fit......

 

it does have to get pressed on there.. as far as i know

 

put the pinion in the freezer, and the bearing in the oven @200 degrees


worked for me

 

It's supposed to be pressed on and off. I was able to get mine off with a clam-shell style bearing puller without any trouble (removed it 3 times before I got the correct pattern). I was able to reinstall it using a piece of steel pipe(with a few raps from a hammer) thatslipped over the pinion and engaged the bearing. It worked for me, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. It's always best to use the proper tool for the job. I was ina hurry because it was my Son's daily driver and only transportation. He destroyed the stock 3.55s (35" mud tires, a healthy 358 windsor, and an 18 year old!) and I needed it back on the road quickly. I set thebacklash a little tight, but after 2000 miles,backlash is perfect, it runsquiet, and the pattern lookedgood when we changed the lube last week.

 

that sounds like a good idea. ill have to keep that one in mind.

 

If you have new bearings keep the old ones to set up the pinion depth with. I have two pinion bearings I use to do it. I have just the inner race of one to press the new bearing/old bearing onto the new pinion and then a dummy bearing (middle enlaged witha dremel tool) to slip on and off the pinion to set the depth.

What adder said will work.

 

I used a die grinder to eat out the inside of a new/test bearing so I can slide bearing on and off to read set up rear quick..and in set up process I don't use crush..just snug it down very lightly to a slight drag then set back lash and run pattern and add or subtract shim accordingly.....when pattern is correct then I set it all up with crush and then recheck all