How hard is it to change the gears in a rear end? I'm thinking about going to 4.10s or 3.73s and was wondering if this could be a Saturday project for me? I've done a lot of mechanical work in the past on my vehicles and on my motorcycles and I think I could probably handle it with a good set of instructions...

 

You need a few special tools to properly set up a ring and pinion up.

You'll need a pinion depth gauge set, this consists of a dummy carrier that bolts up in place of the real carrier and a couple of cones and rods that go in place of the pinion gear so you can determine which pinion shims to use.

You'll need an inch pound beam type torque wrench to measure pinion bearing preload; some kind of bar you can hold the pinion flange with as you tighten the pinion nut to pull the crush sleeve down, and a big gnarly pull handle to do that. It takes a fair amount of force to pull the crush sleeve down.

You'll need a dial indicator, and a selection of carrier shims to measure and adjust carrier backlash.

It takes some knowhow and a few specialized tools to properly set up a new ring and pinion. If done incorrectly, at best you'll get some gear whine, at worst some serious damage to the rear axle can occur (like bearings welding themselves to gears). This really isn't a job for someone who's "always wanted to do one."

 

Looks like too many special tools needed and a little indepth for someone with no experience...I guess I'll have to pay someone...

Anybody has input on a price to install the gears?

 

A good price would be around 500 for the rear, it's going to be hard to find for that but it's a good quote. If you are 4wd it's going to cost you around 1100 for both the front and rear. It's even cheaper if you take the diffs down yourself, bring it in as benchwork.