i have an 8 inch rear end just waiting for me to get started on. of course i will need rims, tires, new leafs, new shocks, drums and brakes... but heck i can at least get started on it.... so here we go i can take it all apart....simple enough......but to do a gear swap....is it as simple as take the gears off and the pinion out....replace them with new gear and pinion and put it all back together..put the axles in and finish the brakes? give me some direction...please... i am tired of being slow....hehehe.... i am also going to look out for a mustang 2 or pinto for the 3.4 gears....make it easier...but if i cant find them i will do my 8 inch instead thanks
http://www.mustangmonthly.com/howto/41618/ Try this website. I used it last month when I swapped my gears. It was not a hard job, but knowledge of backlash adjustment and measurement, as well as pinion depth, are essential. This was my first, so I learned it as I went along. Use lock-tite on all internal bolts, and correct torques. The main bolt at the front of the diff is supposed to be something like 240 ft/lbs, probably the only difficult torque to achieve on the entire project. Keep everything real clean, test with grease on the teeth for mesh, measure, test, measure again, be sure it is all pretty close to specs. When separating the diff from the housing, if it is stock, it will have brass washer/gaskets that are bound down into the holes around the bolts, and cause the two pieces to be jammed together. These are a major hassle to remove. Get as much of them out of the holes as possible. I still had to use an air-hammer to separate the diff from the housing. This bunged up the surfaces a bit, which required a little extra work to get them flat and straight again. Also, the bearings will need to be cut off, most likely. I tried to pull them off, but they just broke to pieces, leaving the races behind. If you have acetylene, you might be able to heat them enough to move, but all I have is a propane torch. Took me one day to do the entire job, and on the track that afternoon by 7:00 after 2 hours break-in (3 drives for 20 minutes with 30 minute cool-downs between). I put a spool in, so it was a little easier, I think. But, i had a little more play than I should have had, and coupled with the spool, I have a slight whine when decelerating. Quiet while driving and accelerating, the most important things. Overall, easy job for someone with moderate mechanical skills and some help from friends if needed. Sorry this response got so long, just wanted to tell you what to look forward to to save you the hassle later.
thanks....i read that article....very informative......i dont have a press for the bearings and waht not...but i do have an auto skills center i can use on the air force base near me.... YAY for prior military....i think my biggest down fall will be getting all the pieces together for the rear end build.... gears, leafs, shock tires, rims ...etc...its a lot of money for a imple upgrade...ho hum....
I did not have a press either. I used deep sockets and old bearing races, with a 3 lb sledghammer as a makeshift press. If I wasn't already asking for a MIG welder for my birthday, a press would be a pretty neat addition to my garage. Is the air force garage well equipped? Using it to just work on the gears/differential would be nice, the rest is garage work. That is what is cool about the ford rears, just pull the guts out, work on them at the workbench, and plug it back into the car when finished. Much easier than working in the back of the rearend housing.
the shop has alot of equipment...i did the engine transplant there.... left the car in there overnight for 4 days... the total cost for using their shop is $14 a day for a flat bay...and its got a/c.....lift runs 3.50 per half hour or 20 a day.... they have tire changers..... brake lathers.... press... and pretty much any tool you could need.... i usually take my own tools there so i know that the tools work...thats the prob when a lot of people use the same tools all the time...they wear out fast...
That is a really cool setup! At least you veterans get SOME kind of benefit after serving our country! I am spoiled, as I used to work in a machine shop with tools up to 100" boring mill down to small lathes and boring mills, 200 ton press, and a small 2 ton press, all the tools, cranes, forklifts, machines, welders, plasma torch, acetylene, liquid Nitrogen (for shrinking bearings and sleeves before installation (it was also cool to put a small amount into a plastic coke bottle and toss into the driveway...BOOM!)), and scrap steel, stainless, and bronze for any project. Worked there to pay my way through college. Now I sit at this computer 6 hours a day, and have to use a hammer and socket as a press... Aaaah. The benefits of a college degree or two.
Fellow wing nut? DM was what brought me to Tucson in 76. You ex Air Force? I did some work in that shop long, long ago.
i did 10 years AF and then i joined the Army National Guard after 9-11-01....spent 3 years inthe guard...and then i was activated during OEF and i was sent to KY for a year....thats where i found the maverick....so one good thing came out of the activation
