everything for a gear swap
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Postmaster
Joined: Jan 2008
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From: Kansas City MO
everything for a gear swap
Hello all, I have been offline for a while. I am fairly familiar with the upper end of my 60, I did manage to do a successful ARP stud install in my garage(I have only three pics of it though). I have only changed the fluid in the diffs, and never dissassembled a diff before so please forgive my ignorance in this subject. But I am now wanting to swap my 4.10 gears for 3.73's. I have a 2006 6.0 DRW 4x4 crew cab auto. If I understand I have the Dana 60 in the rear and the 80 in the front. Is there a place that I can purchase the whole kit to do this swap. Oh yeah, I am doing this because I really need the empty milege, I haul campers for a living and I could use every dollar I can get. I already get about 8-9 mpg loaded and only average about 14.5 empty(that is at 70mph average) I have gotten as high as 19 empty but I diddn't break 55mph when I did it. I don't know about you but doing 55 all day while people are screaming by me doesn't sound appealing. I would be happy with getting around 18 at about 65mph(if that is possible). Once again I would like to know if there is a complete kit for a gear ratio swap? Thanks in advance
Posting Guru
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 2,424
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From: Albemarle, NC
You have an 80 in the REAR, 60 in the front. But yeah there are a couple places that you can get everything you need to do the install. Randy's ring and pinion comes to mind.
Installing gears is not as easy as just swapping out parts. There are several VERY critical steps and measurments that MUST be taken. You will need a quite expensive pinion depth measuring tool, a dial indicator etc. Alot of people (including myself) can do it by checking the contact pattern, but thats not the way to go on your first setup. That takes alot of trial and error over the years.
Installing gears is not as easy as just swapping out parts. There are several VERY critical steps and measurments that MUST be taken. You will need a quite expensive pinion depth measuring tool, a dial indicator etc. Alot of people (including myself) can do it by checking the contact pattern, but thats not the way to go on your first setup. That takes alot of trial and error over the years.
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Postmaster
Joined: Jan 2008
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From: Kansas City MO
Thanks for your concern about me not having the resources to complete the task at hand. However I was actually inquiring about anyone who has done this swap and where they bought their parts and how was the quality of the parts? And did they have to run to the parts store for anything that wasn't included. I will not be doing this alone, I have to learn sometime.
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Postmaster
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 3,174
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From: Kansas City MO
Right on, I was wanting to have all the needed parts there when my friend comes by to help with the install. Do you know if the 06 dually with 4.10 has a ford 10.5" ring in the rear? This info is only from what I am reading. I am having a hard time figuring out what parts I need, I couldn't find a drop down menu that lists the specific vehicle. Did they put different axles in different trucks of the same model? Sorry if I came across as rude, I think my ego is bigger than my truck.lol
Posting Guru
Joined: Apr 2008
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From: Albemarle, NC
Every dually I have seen has had an 80, but from reading on here some say that it was possible to get a ford 10.5'' so to be honest I dont know how to tell the difference if you cant tell by looking. Someone might chime in, or if you can post a pic I would be able to tell.
Lead Driver
Joined: Jun 2007
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From: Corvallis, OR
I did my gears last winter and it is NOT a task the weekend mechanic should tackle unless they are very capable. I purchased the Differentials book from Randy's Ring and Pinion for reference. For $22 you should order it, read, and decide if you really want to do this yourself. Also, unless you run over 70mph A LOT, you won't notice much, if any, mileage improvement. It will take a lot of miles for the gear swap to pay for itself. With all that being said, Randy's Ring and Pinion ( ringpinion.com ) is an excellent source for parts and knowledge. Honestly though, I wouldn't bother swapping just from 4.10s to 3.73s, you won't see the dramatic improvement you're looking for. I went from 3.73s to 4.30s and noticed just a slight increase in low end and no change in highway mileage running 65mph.
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Postmaster
Joined: Jan 2008
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From: Kansas City MO
Well thanks for the info, however I haul campers with this for a living and average about 140k a year. My frequent fueler statement from the J monthly averages about 1000 gallons a month. I have a close friend that is extremely fluent in auto mechanics (he just finished rebuilding his Super Bird and assures me it is no problem and he has all the tools needed, I have a pic of it but if someone would tell me how to cut/copy it to here I could show it, it is nice). How do you think my truck would handle 3.55's. I feel I have plenty of power after the mods done to it. I would like to go as high as possible. I already get ****-poor milege loaded. I would be happy if my empty milege would go up (I get about 13-15 running the speed limit and I can get as high as 18-19 running NO MORE than 55 without the cruise). I would be very happy getting about 18-19 running 65-70 empty(half of most my miles are empty). My job is a constant struggle to get the most milege and longevity out of my equipment. Dang, sorry for the novel, So what do you think about the 3.55's in a 06 dually?
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Lead Driver
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 6,757
Likes: 5
From: Corvallis, OR
I bought the gears and install kits on ebay for $550 from a guy that ended up not swapping before selling the truck. New price would be around $800-900.
Keep this in mine, as much mileage as you gain empty, you'll probably lose loaded. For what you do with your truck, 4.10s sound like the best gearing.
Keep this in mine, as much mileage as you gain empty, you'll probably lose loaded. For what you do with your truck, 4.10s sound like the best gearing.
Posting Guru
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 2,424
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From: Albemarle, NC
I bought the gears and install kits on ebay for $550 from a guy that ended up not swapping before selling the truck. New price would be around $800-900.
Keep this in mine, as much mileage as you gain empty, you'll probably lose loaded. For what you do with your truck, 4.10s sound like the best gearing.
Keep this in mine, as much mileage as you gain empty, you'll probably lose loaded. For what you do with your truck, 4.10s sound like the best gearing.
Agreed. I think its gonna be a wash MPG wise, not to mention you will never recoop your investment on the gears.
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