Ordering gears

[99z28monster]

With the cost of a shop installing gears being crazy high I figure I will have them installed at home. So I need your help on what the hell I need to get when I order. I want to run 4.88s on a half ton 94 with sf14 rear. All I have heard of is some damn master kit and ring and pinion. Please I am a newb to this break it down so my dumbass will understand just what all I need. I hate buying stuff just to find out that there is something else that was needed but never mentioned. Also any suggestions on the best place to order from and brand of gear. It would be nice if there is a master kit that includes front/rear gears and everything else to start and finish the job. Thanks.

 

[Aloicious]

you could call the guys at randy's ring and pinion, they're pretty helpful last time I talked to them (which was several years ago). I'm still working on doing my gear swap, so I'm not finished yet, and I don't have front gears so I don't know if anything is different with them.
off the top of my head, for the rear differential if you're re-using your current carrier, the parts and supplies you'll need are (at least) the ring and pinion gears, a complete install kit, some black RTV, ~2-3 qts of your gear oil of choice (I don't now how much fluid the 14 bolts take), and a good amount of brake cleaner. (if you want too you could also get some axle seals and bearings to freshen it up a bit).

now, the other part. there are some tools needed to get the job done right, you'll need a dial caliper with a magnetic base to measure the backlash, you also should have a non-click style low inch-lb torque wrench to measure the pinion bearing rotational pre-load, some kind of a press to remove the old, and install the new carrier bearings, and theres also a tool you can get to measure the perfect center of the ring gear for shimming the pinion, its name escapes me at the moment, but if you can't get it, thats the one tool you probably don't need, you'll be testing the pinion and changing its shimming based on the wear pattern testing.

if you have an extra $16 laying around, this DVD is a good thing to watch before you get started. it explains alot in good detail, it was really helpful to me, I've watched it a couple times, and I'll do it again before I start the actual install, since this is my first R&P install as well.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/RMG-VIDEOCD/

as far as brand goes, I like richmond, and some of the guys I respect the most also recommend them. here is a thread I started when I first was researching it all out.
http://www.pacificp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9506&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=richmond&start=0

hope that helps, hopefully someone else will chime in if I forgot anything. I just finished a 13 hour graveyard shift, so the likelyhood of me forgetting something is pretty high.

 

[Mike]

He covered it pretty well, I like Yukon gears they are also very good.

Installing gears is easy and hard at the same time. When I have done it I had to borrow unusual tools and had help from someone who knew the process. A first timer doing it on his own should find someone who knows how to help him. It is not impossible, just expensive to make a mistake.

Gears go for about 250 and the install kits about 200. Don't forget gear oil and gaskets and RTV and axle bearings and (hub and pinion) seals. All that adds a few $$

 

[99z28monster]

I am confused by the minor major and master install kits. Do I really need all that extra crap?

 

[Cajun4x4]

He covered it pretty well, I like Yukon gears they are also very good.

Installing gears is easy and hard at the same time. When I have done it I had to borrow unusual tools and had help from someone who knew the process. A first timer doing it on his own should find someone who knows how to help him. It is not impossible, just expensive to make a mistake.

Gears go for about 250 and the install kits about 200. Don't forget gear oil and gaskets and RTV and axle bearings and (hub and pinion) seals. All that adds a few $$

i completely agree... having someone that has setup gears in the past is a very good idea, its a really easy process to do, you just need the right tools and knowledge to get it done. most of the tools you need will only cost like 50-70 bucks, read the gearing tech article on pirate it helps a lot. ive set up 5 gear sets and all of them are still on the road with no problems and im actually about to do a couple more. if you can find a buddy that has a 20ton press try to borrow it rather than spending 150 or so on one

Aloicious - the tool your referring to is called a pinion depth tool, extremely expensive, and from what i hear makes setup a fawking dream, but of course its not needed

OP a master install kit is what you want, it comes with all the bearings, seals, shims, crush sleave and gear marking compound that you will need

 

[99z28monster]

Thanks guys for the info. Will I need anything special to run the 4.88s? I seem to remember reading somewhere about certain carriers only fitting certain gear ratios.

 

[Cajun4x4]

i dont remember if a 14sf has a carrier break or not... if it doesnt then there isnt any specific gear you need, if there is like on a 14ff then you will need thick gears

 

[99z28monster]

noob question but what is a carrier break?

 

[Cajun4x4]

some axles have carriers designed to have different offsets where the ring gear bolts up and different ring gear thicknesses, some axles are designed to use the same carrier all the way through the gear ratio range... but when an axle has a carrier break its usually at the 4.10/4.56 line

 

[6chevy9]

these guys got you covered pretty good. the only thing i didnt see mentioned was a tq wrench that will hit around 500 ft lbs. i think the spec is around 300 somthing for the yoke to set the crush sleve then you need the inch lb as mentioned to measure the drag. its quite a prosses installing gears and is a huge help to have a friend that knows what to do. i was completly lost my first time and needed help. as far as gears i also run the yukon and im happy with them. idk about your axle but i know my 12bolt withe the carrier i have will fit a 513. aslo be easy on it the first 500 miles and change the fluid right around that time. it may have been 1000 not sure. but alot of driving on and off the throttle to wear the gears in on both sides of the teeth.