seanbo98

Hi I am looking at purchasing some 3.55 gears off craigslist. They have about 5,000 miles on them and at least in looking them over they seem to be in very good condition. Is there any issue with purchasing used rear end gears or should I be alright?
Thanks in advance

64bit

buy new gears. its worth the money.

84CopperGT

Don't do it. It's not worth the risk. If they go it can take the entire rear end with it, maybe even the transmission.

yourmom6990

They may be in pristine condition, but how much are you really saving? Spending the extra cash is worth the peace of mind.

bluebeastsrt

Brand new gears can be had for under $200 bucks this time of year with the x-mas sales places are having.

seanbo98

Ok thanks for the advice guys. I was afraid it would be a bad idea especially since they were only 45 bucks.

mjr46

they're not a bad idea and gauranteed they are fine........problem is, you need them set up the exact same way they were in the car they came out of, meaning gotta get the waer pattern back in the same location....being off even a few thousands in shim can cause it to whine outside the original wear pattern

seanbo98

What parts can be purchased used. Could heads and intakes be purchased safely used if given a thorough inspection? What about cams?

dawson1112

Problem with gears is just as mjr says above, they are already broke in and matching the wear pattern will prove to be difficult at best. Even using the exact shims will not give you a perfect set up due to the machining tolerances of the rear differential housings. Im not to sure what the ford tolerances were on machining the rear differential case, but Im guessing +/- .003 is more than enough to cause your gears to whine if the pattern is not matched.

Heads are common items to get used with no real problems as long as you can inspect them for warping , and have them rebuilt with new springs, valve guides/seals.

Cams are also often purchased used, as long as there is not visible scoring or bluing of lobes or bosses. I wouldn't go the used cam rout myself but it is done often.

seanbo98

Ok great thanks for the thorough explanation.