Well, I found a shop that I was reasonably comfortable with to do the 3.55 to 4.10 swap. I picked the truck up today. I've only driven about 15 miles back to the house. First impressions are very good. Of course I was taking it easy. It felt like someone shaved a few hundred pounds off the truck. Much more responsive. I left it in overdrive the whole way back. I normally turn the overdrive off going that route. It's mostly through town, 35 and 45 limits. There is one pretty good grade I have to climb. Before, I didn't even think about leaving the overdrive on for that hill. But with the 4.10's it was an effortless climb. With the 3.55's I tried leaving OD on a few times just to see if I could make it to the top without having to shift to drive. Even with an approach speed of 55 (10mph over the limit) I could never get to the top without it down shifting. I would carefully "milk" the throttle to keep it from down shifting, and would steadily lose speed until it had to shift. Today I hit the bottom at the speed limit in OD and cruised right up without a grunt! In fact, half way up I gave it a little throttle and actually gained speed without shifting into drive. I think I'm going to like this mod alot!

Oh, Yeah. Precision gears for both differentials from Reider Racing, pinion kit for the rear, mini kit for the front including shipping = $480.96. Installation = $680.81. Five quarts of LE 607 gear lube = $45.00. And one little thingie of Ford friction modifier = $3.82. For a grand total of, $1210.59.

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98 F-150 XLT 4X4 ORP Super Cab Short Bed, 4.6, Auto, 4.10's, Magnacharger supercharger, Superchip, Gibson single cat-back, 80/100w German head lamps, Warn HS9500i winch with semi hidden mount, Wrangler dual battery kit with red & yellow top Optima batteries, Torsion bars cranked up 2.5 turns. Needs one more door.

 

Good post. I have been considering the same upgrade for my 4 X 2.
Have you found a gear to make the speedo needle read accurately?

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97 F-150, 2WD, Reg Cab,Flareside,Dk Toreador Red, Windsor 4.6, Magnecor 8.5mm wires, Bosch Plat +4s, 3.55 LS, EGR Bug Deflector, ******* Bed Cover, Bed Liner, XL Full Length Running Boards, Air Aid Kit, Gibson Single Out Cat Back, Superchips, TransGo Shift Kit, Hellwig Rear Sway Bar, Hellwig 2500# Overload Springs,Energy Suspension Polyurethane Front Sway Bar Bushings, 265 70 16 tires, Rancho RS9000 shocks

 

T Ellenberger,

The amount of ratio change expressed as a percentage rounded off to the nearest tenth is 13.4%. My original speedo drive gear was a 19 tooth. The closest speedo drive gear to that amount would be a 22 tooth. Unfortunately, Ford only makes gears up to 21 tooth. I was told at the local Mustang performance store that no aftermarket company makes a 22 tooth. You can get 21 or 23. Just my luck! To be on the safe side I went with the 21. It's only about a 10.5% change. Assuming the speedo was accurate to start with (which is probably not a safe assumption) I should be running a couple of mph slower than the speedo is reading. That will have to do for now.

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98 F-150 XLT 4X4 ORP Super Cab Short Bed, 4.6, Auto, 4.10's, Magnacharger supercharger, Superchip, Gibson single cat-back, 80/100w German head lamps, Warn HS9500i winch with semi hidden mount, Wrangler dual battery kit with red & yellow top Optima batteries, Torsion bars cranked up 2.5 turns. Needs one more door.



[This message has been edited by 98fword (edited 08-29-2000).]

 

Here's the latest.

Today I went through two measured miles. I locked the speedo on 60 and timed from one mark to the other. It took exactly 60 seconds on both occasions. It looks like I was running a little faster than the speedo was reading before the gear change.
Also, for those of you planning simular changes. Expect the noise factor to increase slightly with the higher ratio. 4.10's aren't real bad, but the fellow that did the install on mine said you can really hear the 4.30's and 4.56's. Fewer teeth engaged at any one time. The more teeth that are engaged at one time equates to smoother meshing and unmeshing. And that means a quieter differential. Assuming it's set up properly to start with. I got Precision Gear ring and pinions for both front and back. The tech told me from his experience those tend to be a little noisier than say SVO or Motive. Which are also very good products. Something for you guys to think about.
BTW, I guess it's a good thing I did this when I did. There was a good size chunk missing out of the outer race of the inner pinion bearing. I doubt it would have lasted much longer. The truck just turned over 19K miles! Makes you wonder.
Out of the mods I've done to date, this one *feels* the best of all. The supercharger is good but takes a few hundred rpm to start kicking in. The gear change is instant. You can tell a big difference as soon as you step on the peddle, at any speed. I'm very pleased.


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98 F-150 XLT 4X4 ORP Super Cab Short Bed, 4.6, Auto, 4.10's, Magnacharger supercharger, Superchip, Gibson single cat-back, 80/100w German head lamps, Warn HS9500i winch with semi hidden mount, Wrangler dual battery kit with red & yellow top Optima batteries, Torsion bars cranked up 2.5 turns. Needs one more door.

 

98-

Nice post!! So nice that now I've got that bug starting to crawl up my leg. Have you got any sites that we can look at for info and pricing?? How long did you have your truck in the shop for the swap?

Also, are you going to get your chip modded again for the gearing change??

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'98 EB Expy
5.4L 3.73 LS
Trail.Tow & Skidplate Pkg.

DA MODS....

** Pro-M 80mm MAF w/Filter & SC cal.
** WMS Velocity Tube
** 75mm Edelbrock/BBK TB
** Magnason/Eaton M90 Supercharger
** Autometer Boost Gauge w/ A-pillar mounted pod
** Cust. Prog. Superchip
** JBA Jet Black Ceramic Coated Headers
** Stage 8 Locking Header Bolts
** Gibson Sweptside Catback
** IPD Rear Anti-Swaybar
** Bilstein Shocks
** Manik Grill/Brush and Rear Taillight Guards
** PIAA 520 Foglights
** Clear Corner Lens
** Stull Billet Grill and Bumper Insert
** Ford Molded Mud Guards
** Ford Hood Guard
** "EXPEDITION" Receiver Cover

COMING UP NEXT IN THE FUTURE....
** Brembo Crossed Drilled Brake Kit
** F1 Cobra style hood

"Its Sooo Big...Its Gotta to be Blown!"




[This message has been edited by Way2Big (edited 08-27-2000).]

 

98-
Was the problem in front or rear? When I had the Expedition changed, the front was toast @ 36,000.


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1997 4x4 Expedition- 4.6L, true dual exhaust w/glass-packs, K&N air filter, SuperChip, airbox mods, Edelbrock shocks, 285/75R16 BFG ATs, 2000 "XLT" wheels, 4.10 gears, Auburn LS, Clarion In-dash CD player, Smitty Bilt push bars and nerf bars.

2000 4x2 F150 XLT Reg. Cab LWB- 5.4L, Tow Pkg, 3.55LS, CD player,Remote Keyless Entry, Sliding back glass, Special Appearance Pkg., tinted windows, Line-X bedliner, K&N air filter, SuperChip, airbox mods, 285/60R16 Goodyear Eagle GT IIs and Prime #155 wheels.

http://members.visualcities.com/NoMo

 

Way2,

Go to www.reiderracing.com. They're about as good as any. The shop had my truck for two days. They actually had about eleven hours in the job. I told them several times that to do whatever it took to make sure it was right. If it meant taking a couple of extra hours or parts that I didn't provide, so be it, add it to the bill.
As far as the chip is concerned, I don't know if there is anything to do there. I've recalibrated the speedo. And I don't see how the chip or computer would know any difference. But maybe Mike T. could clear that issue up for us, one way or the other.

nomo,

The bad race in mine was in the rear.

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98 F-150 XLT 4X4 ORP Super Cab Short Bed, 4.6, Auto, 4.10's, Magnacharger supercharger, Superchip, Gibson single cat-back, 80/100w German head lamps, Warn HS9500i winch with semi hidden mount, Wrangler dual battery kit with red & yellow top Optima batteries, Torsion bars cranked up 2.5 turns. Needs one more door.

 

98fword,
When you say you re-calibrated the speedo, do you mean changing the speedo gear only, or was there something else involved? I have a '97 4x2 that I want to swap gears in, and I have a 3.55 rear with 30" tires. Should I have the 19-tooth gear in mine also? I wonder if there was a difference from the factory since you had a 4x4 with larger diameter tires. I also want to keep my speedo/odometer correct. I've been told it will mess with your computer if you don't (gear change program, fuel injectors, etc). Also I've been told that on a '97 the speedo/odometer is mechanical (speedo gear), whereas on '98 and up it is electronic. Do you know if this is true? Thanks in advance for the assistance.

 

Fordman3,

All that was involved with recalibrating the speedo on mine was changing the drive gear. A very simple process. On the driver's side of the tail shaft housing, near the top is the speedo drive gear assembly. It's held in by one 10mm nut. It'll have a wire harness running to it with a connector at the assembly. It's not the old style speedo cable that you may have seen on older vehicles. Just take the 10mm nut off and pull the whole assembly out. You don't need to disconnect anything else. The drive gear is held on by a C clip of sorts. I was able to slide it off by using my fingers. You may want to use a small flat blade screwdriver though. I actually drove my truck after the 4.10's were installed with the old speedo gear and didn't notice any oddities other than the speedo being off quite a bit. I believe it's on the 99 and up trucks that you can't calibrate the speedo by changing the drive gear. Just calculate the amount of change in ratio as a percentage and do the same with the drive gear. In my case I went from 3.55 to 4.10:1. Divide 4.1 into 3.55=approx. .866. Subtract that from 1.000=.134 or 13.4%. I had a 19 tooth drive gear. I divided 22 into 19=approx. .864. Subtract that from 1.000=.136 or 13.6%. As I stated earlier, a 22 tooth was not available. So, to be on the safe side I went with the 21. As it turns out, that was actually closer than the 22 tooth would have been. You may want to pull it out and take it with you to the dealer. They have both right and left hand pitch gears. Mine was right hand. I don't know if all these trannys have right hand or not. They're so simple to remove and install I would take the few minutes to do it and carry it with you. Once I had mine out I just put the assembly back in and snugged the nut back up to make sure nothing found a new home in my tranny. The gears all have the number of teeth moulded into the plastic and are all color coded. 19 is pink, 21 is red. I'm not sure what the other colors are.
Hope this sheds some light on the subject for you.

------------------
98 F-150 XLT 4X4 ORP Super Cab Short Bed, 4.6, Auto, 4.10's, Magnacharger supercharger, Superchip, Gibson single cat-back, 80/100w German head lamps, Warn HS9500i winch with semi hidden mount, Wrangler dual battery kit with red & yellow top Optima batteries, Torsion bars cranked up 2.5 turns. Needs one more door.

 

98-

When you get a chance let me know what your rpms are at 65 & 75mph. I'm curious as to how much higher rpm's I would be getting down the highway. Did you replace the front gear set also? I'm following "JD" topic on the Engines forum and they were talking about this. All that talk has got me a bit confused to be honest.

Also what other brands were you considering & what was the key reasons as to why you went with what you installed.

Thanks!!



[This message has been edited by Way2Big (edited 08-28-2000).]

 

98fword,
I work for LE and in your first posting you mentioned that you used the LE gear oil #607. Where did you get it? and how long have you known about LE? Are you happy with the product and is your truck the only truck you use it in? LE has been a well kept secret and used in only the trucking industry or industrial plants. It's been kept secret even in the racing industry. LE has never been in the retail market but you can find it if you try or know about it.

Sincerely, Kevin

 

Way2,

I haven't run it up to 75 yet. But at 70 I'm turning 2100 and at 60 it's 1800 and change. This is definately the ratio this truck should have come from the factory with. I went with Precision Gear ring and pinions per a recommendation from a tech at Reider Racing. He touted them as being the only gear that is NASCAR approved. Sounded good to me. Not having alot of prior experience with all the different manufacturer's gears I figured they should be about as good as any. I just wanted a very high quality set. I don't want to have to do this again anytime soon. And I do believe these are very high quality gears. At the same time SVO and Motive make excellent gears also. And according to the wrench that did the install, may be slightly quieter. But by all means do yourself a favor and use Lubrication Engineers gear oil to help protect your investment! I'm not a rep. I know from personal experience that it's the finest oil made, period. We used it in our national champion, 13 record holding pro-modified Harley. I cannot say enough good things about this oil! I don't have any experience with Amsoil and the others. So I can't say anything good or bad there. But I can definately attest to the quality of LE. The internal engine and transmission componants on that bike were pushed well past the limits often. They came out looking virtually new. The only time we had an oil related failure is when the Royal Purple rep talked us into using their stuff for one race. We immediately burnt a cam bearing. We switched back to LE and had not a single problem from then on. Sure, we broke some parts, but they were not oil related breakages. That's one thing we never had to worry about. Use it and you'll never regret it!
Yes, I replaced the front set also. I'll have to go to discussion your following. I'm not familiar with the conversation there.

------------------
98 F-150 XLT 4X4 ORP Super Cab Short Bed, 4.6, Auto, 4.10's, Magnacharger supercharger, Superchip, Gibson single cat-back, 80/100w German head lamps, Warn HS9500i winch with semi hidden mount, Wrangler dual battery kit with red & yellow top Optima batteries, Torsion bars cranked up 2.5 turns. Needs one more door.

 

Oil Man,

Sorry. You made your post while I was compiling my last one.
I first learned of LE back in the late 80's/early 90's. At the time I was helping a guy build a top fuel Harley. When my partner and I struck out on our own with our Pro-modified bike we used LE in the engine and tranny on it. As I stated in my previous post, I cannot say enough good things about that oil. In fact, we had our transmission built/converted to automatic by a fellow in Florida, who at the time, was recommending Redline and Belray for his trannys. We said O.K. and put LE in instead. About half way through the season we sent the tranny back to "freshen it up". Nothing broken, just wanted to go through it and make sure everything was alright, new bearings, etc. When he got the tranny he called and asked what kind of oil we were using? We asked why, was there something wrong? He said no, that he had *never* gotten one of his transmissions back that looked this good! And that it looked virtually new! We told him we were using LE. He said he hadn't heard of it. But he was going to start recommending that instead.
Back when we were racing we used to get it at a supply store in Durham, NC (close by). They have since gone out of business. I haven't been able to find it until recently. I found their internet site. www.le-inc.com and called the number listed there. They were able to give me the info on the distributor in my area. This stuff is well worth hunting down. Now that I know where to get it locally I'll be switching my engine oil from Mobil 1 to LE the next change.
BTW. I also use it in my street bike. It's a stroked, fairly high compression shovel head (air cooled, iron cylenders) and has a tendency to run on the hot side. Especially on summer days in traffic. The LE knocks about 20 degrees off the operating temp. Anyone that owns a Harley knows what I'm talking about when I say they "clunk" into gear. Put LE in your tranny and feel for yourself what a dramatic difference it makes. I could go on and on. But I'll bet if you invest in one quart of 607 for your tranny, you'll soon follow with LE for your engine and chain case. I know this may sound like an ad for LE, but if I know of something that will be benefitial to folks that frequent this board, I will say so. And like wise for anything detrimental.

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98 F-150 XLT 4X4 ORP Super Cab Short Bed, 4.6, Auto, 4.10's, Magnacharger supercharger, Superchip, Gibson single cat-back, 80/100w German head lamps, Warn HS9500i winch with semi hidden mount, Wrangler dual battery kit with red & yellow top Optima batteries, Torsion bars cranked up 2.5 turns. Needs one more door.

 

98fword,
I have been looking at 4.10 gears for towing. I would think your rpms would have went up more than that. Is my speedo off or what? My truck runs 2,000rpm at 70 now and thats with 3.55 gears. What size tires do you have? I have a 4x2 with 255/70/16 tires.

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1997 F150 XLT
Debut sport truck
Ext. cab short bed
4.6l 3.55 tow pack *leather *K&N filter *Gibson swept side
*power rear slider
*soft tonneau
*full running boards
*timbren rubber springs *tekonsha brake control.
*bugflector II
*superchip
*rancho RS9000

http://community.webtv.net/rexor29/F150
















[This message has been edited by ALLFORD (edited 08-29-2000).]

 

98-

Thanks for all your info!

Then again damnit, there goes more money into my truck, she's going to kill me!
One more thing, was the kit all together, front and back, or seperate? Was there anything else besides lube that you needed that wasn't included in the kits? What size tires do you have on?

Thanks again!


[This message has been edited by Way2Big (edited 08-29-2000).]