hey guys. I just traded an atv for my new mud toy. its an 87 f150 with a 429 cobra jet and 40 inch super swampers. the guy drove it from 2 hours away to get it here so i know he trusts it.. anyways I was showing off to some buddies and doing a burnout when the rearend gave. i shattered the spider gears that where on the pin. anyways I went to a local wrecker to get another rear. the rear he gave me doesn't look the same but my outer bearing races fit on his bearings and the axle spiders are the same spline count. I got the carrier out and realized my pinion chipped a tooth as well. his ring gear has one less tooth than mine so it puts his at about a 3.55 and mine is a 3.64. can i run 2 different ratios (front and rear) as long as i'm not in 4x4? and if not does anybody have a cheap dealer for ring and pinions? this is my first diff job and i might be a little out of my league here...any help is greatly appreciated..

 

the teeth count on the pinions are different too. there is no 3.64 gear. I'd get a full rebuild from www.ringpinion.com, and some kind of locker if you can afford it. That big block makes tons of power and those tires are tough to turn. The 8.8 is pretty strong but stock diffs will shatter like that.

Yes you can run 2 different ratios when not in 4WD, but why if you have to get new parts anyway?

 

well i searched for a ratio calculator and with my 11 tooth pinion and 40 tooth ring it says 3.64 or maybe 3.65. and with my 39 tooth ring its 3.55. which is stock if i'm right.

 

i might just get a "spool" are they reliable? i will be driving it on the road about 1 mile before i hit the trail. might not turn well in the mud though with a fully locked rear

 

Spools are about as reliable as the sunrise...that mile on pavement is gonna suck if you have to turn at all though.

 

Just noticed you said it had a 429 and 40" swampers...it's time for an axle swap, bud. Your stock stuff won't hold up long under that kind of stress.