What do I need for a gear swap?

2003GT · 06-27-2003

Im switching out the gears in my mustang. Can I buy just the ring and pinion or do I need to buy other things also? I only have 5k miles on my car. I went to a mustang shop about an hour away from my house and we were talking and he told me he would charge 700 for gears and install. I told him to blow me. The gears alone were 209, I found em at a bunch of websites for around 139. Im a mechanic but im still pretty new to it. Im good with diesels not gas and Ive never done a gear swap. I know i have the ability to do it myself with a good set of instructions and a trip to the auto hobby shop! Im getting 3:73 and please dont scream 4:10 to me. This is my daily driver and I take a lot of 2-3 hour trips so I think the 3:73 will be better for me. Anywatys back to the question, What will I need for this gear swap?

GTRaptor · 06-27-2003

Pinion & carrier shims, ring gear bolts, gasket, crush sleeve, pinion nut, pinion seal.
If want to rebuild it as new also get carrier bearings & pinion gear.

Place a dial indicator on the ring-gear tooth, rocking the ring gear back and fourth. An acceptable amount of backlash is between 0.005 and 0.009 inch.
Increasing the thickness of the pinion shim places the pinion gear closer (deeper) to the ring gear.

2003GT · 06-28-2003

Will all this come with the gears when I order them, or do I need to find all this also?

blackfang · 06-28-2003

Most gear kits come with the pinion gear and ring gear, and shims. If I was you I would get the ring, pinion, crush sleeve, shims gear oil, friction modifier, and a speedcaL to recalibrate your speedo.

I would hold off with the bearing kit, and ring bolts being the rear is fairly new. As for the gasket, I would use a sealant being it is around the same price and can hold better.

I bought my gears from www.GEFRacing.com

My speedcal, 4.30 ring & pinion, rebuild kit, crush sleeve, shims, Mobil 1, friction modifier and install cost 500 bucks total including labor and shipping.

Remember when doing this always index the d/s that way you can re-install it the exact same way it was and will help reduce any vibrations you may ancounter.

2003GT · 06-29-2003

Thanks, Gefracing is actually the site I am going to order from. Whered you find the speedcal? Also will I be ok With just new subframe connectors for the suspension with these gears for now?

blackfang · 06-29-2003

www.dallasmustang.com has the speedcal as well as brothers performance.

As for SFC's go with Maximum Motorsport or Griffs and get the weld in kind only.

hmarv347 · 06-29-2003

2003gt...do you have a 5 speed. If you do then the recal will work for you, if you have an auto you will need a chip. This will cost another $250 over the gear cost.

2003GT · 07-05-2003

I have a 5 speed. I already have a diablo chip that I will get reburned after the gear swap (hopefully monday). I got the weld in sfc from ford racing also. Hope thats a recommended brand. Do you think I will need to swap out the lower control arms or change from my stock tires with 3:73's? Also how long is the break in on new gears? Also should I put a little lower viscosity gear oil in or a synthetic brand or something, what do you guys reccomend?

__________________________
2003 GT 5 spd 5,200 miles
MAC CAI, Magnaflow Cat-Back, Diablo sportchip, 3:73 and SFC in the mail :-)

rla2005 · 07-05-2003

As paraphrased from the install manual I got from:

http://www.randysringandpinion.com/home.shtml

Breakin:

Drive 15-20 miles and let differential cool before proceeding. Wait 500 miles before towing. Change the fluid after 500 miles to remove any wear particles and phosphorus coating.

I used the recommended viscosity lube and followed those instructions implicitedly when I did the gear change on the wife's '97 5-speed GT last fall. I also opted for 3.73's. I performed the swap in my garage with hand tools and LONG extensions. Getting the proper preload on the pinion nut is a nut buster without airtools, but very doable. I used a 3 foot breaker bar and a 3 foot piece of angle iron. I would change all the bearings in the differential. OEM bearings are known to have a short life. The pinion bearing destroyed itself in the wife's car, which started that whole project. Granted the car had 68K miles on it, but the carrier bearings were replaced at 62K (dealer repair). Since you already will have the differential apart, get new bearings and seals.

Randy
1993 F-150 Lightning
1997 GT
2000 Windstar

ItsaV6iswear! · 06-18-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2003GT

Thanks, Gefracing is actually the site I am going to order from. Whered you find the speedcal? Also will I be ok With just new subframe connectors for the suspension with these gears for now?

you can just go to a ford dealership locally and get it for the same price and not pay the $22+ in shipping