cranda

Can I just buy the gears or need an entirely new rear end?

cranda

I decoded my VIN and got these numbers:


Axle Ratio (:1) - Front 3.55, 3.73 (3.55 min/3.73max)Axle Ratio (:1) - Rear 3.55, 3.73 (3.55 min/3.73max)


What does it mean by min/max? What do I actually have installed in my truck now? Can I buy 4.88 gears that will fit inside the casing or need new casing?

cranda

Just watched a video no a 2-wheel drive for the rear...I think I'll hire this job out. Thanks for the advice. If I would have realized this affected my tranny and engine this much it would have been done a long time ago.

Z7What

Crawl under the truck and snap a picture of the tab on one of the bolts for the rearend cover. Or look on the vin sticker in the door jam and under axle code look see what the code is. Then Google "Ford Axle Code XX" and see what it tells you.

BTW gears are a must IMHO for anything larger than 35s. Will prolong the life of the tranny by a lot and will make up for the power lose of the taller tires.

And most backyards mechanics do NOT attempt to do gears themselves. It's best to pay someone that knows what there doing!

And yes they make 4.88s that fit right in.

Wayne

Z7What

Rear
http://www.ringpinion.com/b2c/Produc...nd_Pinion_Sets

Front
http://www.ringpinion.com/b2c/Produc...nd_Pinion_Sets

They even sell 5.13s.

Wayne

cranda

Thanks for the help Z7. I don't even want to attempt installing the super charger until the gear issue is taken care of. I'd love to tackle this myself but am going to make some phone calls tomorrow to see what labor is going to cost on front and rear 4.88s.

Z7What

Be sure to be sitting down when you call. It can get expensive. When I geared my white truck above back in 03. Parts and Labor was $1200 and that was be bringing the front pumpkin to the shop so that cut down on labor of having him having to pull it out. The rear was done with the axle on the truck.

Wayne

cranda

I called a specialty rear end transmission shop and they wanted $2200 to do front and rear. Ford Shop wants the same amount (parts and labor). Pretty much 8 hours labor on front and 8 hours labor on rear. Ford shop mentioned Randy's website so if I get the parts myself I might be able to save a little money. I think I'm going to leave it to the pros and get it done. Hard part will be looking at the super charger and waiting for the gears to get done.

chayes627

You'll notice a HUGE difference!

cranda

Do you guys know if I Could get away with upgrading the rear gears to 4.88s and doing the front at a later time? I rarely use 4x4 and could put off switching to 4x4 until the fronts are in. Is that even a possibility? Jus trying to possibly break up the expense.