1994 Ford F150 4X4 302 E40D with 3.55 gears 2 1/2" lift and 32" tires. I want to change to 4.10 gears so I can use overdrive, right now the only time I can use it is if I'm going downhill with a tailwind. Anyway I've called around and the cheapest I can get it done is $650 (labor) with me supplying all the parts. I've very mechanically inclined and have access to all the needed tools. I've done ground up restorations on cars, rebuilt engines, steering columns, ect. but never a rear end. Everytime I mention changing a ring and pinion to somebody it looks like I punched them in the gut. I know that it has to be set up correctly but is it really that impossible to do? I'm looking for some feedback from those of you who tried this on your own. Did you have success, or is this job absolutely left to those with experience?

 

If you have the right tools and follow the instructions, it's not too difficult. I did mine as a one-only and it worked out ok.

Winford

 

What year pickup did you change gears in? If it was the twin I beam years did that cause you any difficulty? About how long did it take you?

 

I did the front and rear in my Ranger no prob. Took me 3 days to do it right by myslelf. And that was about 11 hours a day. A R&P swap is easy to do. I don't understand why everyone thinks it's voodoo. It is just a pain sometimes. After you swap the gears out you have to torque verything down to spec. Then check the backlash, if it's wrong ya pull the whole thing apart and add or remove a shim, put it all back together again and repeat until it's right. The worst part is pulling and pressing the bearing on and off 10 times. So what I did was hone out the old bearings .0001" and "slipped" them on and off for the initial setup phase. Once the backlash and wear pattern are correct I put the new bearings on torque it all to spec and check it all one more time. The only reason I think people are leery about it is cuz patience runs out and people take the "good enough for me" approach. With gears you absolutely cannot do this. I have done several other swaps for people and helped out a loser buddy on another. He took the good enough appraoch AGAINST my recommendations and came back to me 3 months later when the gears were all f**ked up. Just like any real project.... DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME!!!! You should have no probs.

 

I did the same as rabidranger. I had the bearings pressed off, honed them out so they wouldslip over the carrier and pinion nice and used them to shim correct, then had the new bearings pressed on.
I think it took longest to hone the bearings out, I thought they would never come to size!
This was the first time I did gears, I talked to alot of people who had the same reaction. I got that alot when I talked about converting 2x4 to 4x4 too. After I did it, I couild only figure most people aren't that patient to do them.
I did mine in two evenings, My rear end (sterling 10.25) took about 3 hours after the bearing ordeal, the front (stock f150 dana 44)maybe a little longer. the shims on the dana go in-between the carrier and bearing so you have a good bit of trial and error.
I got my gears from drivetrain direct and got a real good deal, (and were good parts also). there was a pretty nice installation guide that came with them.
No real special tools besided a good magnetic indicator and torque wrench are needed.
when first starting shimming it is kind of easier to put pinion shims in big bunches (.060) or so to get a feel of where the initial setting is at then fine tune from there. I had a hard time "reading" the pattern until i went to extreme to see the difference.
When going from 3.55 to 4.10's you need to change both carriers.
Get the gears with the install kit, have your old bearings pressed off. Unless you press them yourself, tell the shop to be careful not to damage them, the carrier bearings don't come off easy, no room to get a clamp in there, they butchered mine and took me a while to straighten the race so I cound use it as a guide.
As rabidranger said, patience will pay off, do it right the first time, it doesn't cost anything but time to do it right.
Good luck, post if you run into problems or questions.
Aaron

 

Thanks Guys, one question. What did you use to hone out your old bearings or did you have it done at the shop?

 

If its only an F150 you don't need to change the carrier in the 8.8 rear end unless you want to put in a locker or limited slip. On the front dana 44 TTB you will need a carrier change. I went to a junk yard and got a differential assemble out of a light duty F250 that bolted right in with the 4.10 ratio already in it. I had a friend who races mustangs(same rear Axel)help me with the rear end.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 13-May-02 AT 06:47 AM (EST)]Since the shims go BETWEEN the bearings and the carrier thay have to be pressed on and off each time you want to make an adjustment to the shim stack. So it is way easier to have a set of bearings that SLIP on and off instead of being pressed on and off each time. Saves MAJOR time and headaches.

Edit:

DoubleA, did you have the full float or semi float 10.25? If the full, do you have any tips for a gear swap to it? I am gonna be doin mine soon and have not done a 10.25 full floater yet...

 

Mattv
I used a wheel cylinder hone until I got disgusted and then I used a carbide grinding tool (not very precice but it worked)

Rabidranger,
My 10.25 was a full floater, nothing special or very different, the shims go between the carrier bearing races and housing, so I was able to leave the bearings on the carrier and just re-shim it.
The pinion bearing is the one I honed to slip over to make shim changes on the rear end.

If I wouldn't have had to change the rear carrier, I would have went to 4.56's

 

I've been thinking about doing by own gear swap but I am kinda new to how bearings work...what are yall using to press the bearings on and off? Also how will I know when I have the backlash and wear patterns setup correct?
Thanks for any help

 

For removing and replacing the bearings in a differential I found that a small hydraulic press, a two jaw puller, a plate bearing puller and a brass punch where essential. Having a seal puller, a set of bearing/seal drives and a slide hammer was also very helpful. Also, I would not have been able to complete the job (96 F150 4x4, installed 3.73 gears and truetracs) without a shop manual, a dial indicator and a good micrometer + lots of friendly advice.

Kent

 

88B_RONC,

You will need to do some online research to find out what the backlash needs to be for your specific axle, you use the dial indicator to check for it though. I am thinking it should be in the 0.005 - 0.015 range if my memeory of my own swaps is correct. The wear pattern you will need a chart for, any GOOD gear vendor will have a ton laying around to give you when you buy the gears. I personally like Rieder Racing.