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I see lots of used ring & pinons for sale on eBay. I was under the impression that installing a used ring and pinon was a waste of time becuase you could never get them to run quietly and because they would quickly wear out the bearings.
Am I mistaken? What experiences has anyone had with used Ring & Pinons?
Summit racing sells new ring and pinions for about 130 bucks. I see no reason at this price to even mess around with used ones. Who knows what kind of abuse they have been through. As long as the lash is set correctly they shouldn't make a humming sound as long as the gears aren't damaged.
I swapped 4.10s into my '91 F-150, now TTB-equipped, LS front and rear, '78 NP435/NP205/Advance Adapters OD truck--formerly a 2wd, 3.55 LS, Mazda 5psd OD vehicle.
While it was still a 2wd, I dropped to a 4.10 rear to tow a 6,000-lb. RV trailer around the Ozarks, and kept the original, perfect condition, 3.55 R&P with the idea of selling it.
Then I swapped in the TTB, and refurbished the pig with a brand-new Dana 4.10 R&P and Trac-Lok, bearings, the works.
With the NP435 granny-low, I don't really need the 4.10 ratio to get the load moving in extreme situations anymore; if I really get into problems I can always drop into 2Lo, which effectively doubles any of the 4-spd. ratios (yeah, I Twin-Sticked the 205, too.)
The 4.10, while nice offroad and around town, could be more fuel efficient if replaced with 3.55s. If someone wanted to trade thier perfect-condition front Dana 44 IFS high-pinion 3.55 gears for my 4.10s, well...there's a good reason for installing used gears!
I have to side with ratsmoker here, given the time and effort to properly install gears and setup proper contact, it's just not worth it. If they were dirt cheap, I'd question the quality. Almost as bad as installing a used clutch, it's just too much work to get it installed properly.
Yeah, I gotta agree with both of you...when I bought that '86 TTB front end, I went even a step further--since Dana built the axle, the only R&P I'd allow was a Dana, and the same for the rear--Ford built the axle, I spec'd Ford R&P only.
I'll probably wind up buying a fresh Dana 3.54 for the front, though the 4.10 has basically no miles on it, just some light trailriding. Going to have to buy a carrier, too; 3.73 is the highest the carrier for the 4.10 goes.
I see lots of used ring & pinons for sale on eBay. I was under the impression that installing a used ring and pinon was a waste of time becuase you could never get them to run quietly and because they would quickly wear out the bearings.
Am I mistaken? What experiences has anyone had with used Ring & Pinons?
I don't think there is anything wrong with using used r&P
You have to use good judgement here. Obviously you don't want one with badly worn contact areas or that the bearing races have spun on. The only problem with buying them from e-bay is that you can't hold them in your hand before you buy them. I've used several used ring gears and pinions and yes even done the dreaded mismatch. It's all in the setup and application. A mismatched set will make a little noise until it's seated. But I've never heard a peep out of a used matched set.