3.08-3.73 Ring and Pinion Swap

[Liberator]

I understand the need for proper pinion depth and backlash, however, I'm wondering how important these settings are on a front 10 bolt that is only used off-road. The gear change is only being done to match the newly swapped 14FF gears. Will incorrect settings severely weaken the ring and pinion? Or could I just slap that sucker together and get away with the part time use without all the work?

 

[Seventy4Blazer]

you will get bad wear, but only used on the trail it will just take longer.

1974 Chevy Blazer Cheyanne. lots of plans for it....
but it is on 33's now, with saggy old springs. i am in so cali if ya got any parts for me.

 

[Blazer_Boy]

Well its sorta of like asking if your surgeon could just do some half-a$$ed stiches on you and hope the hold after and operation. If the contact pattern is off it could be possible to chip gears easier because its hitting on a smaller area. Those expensive gears will be a waste then. It also kinda sucks being reminded about it every time you pull the t-case into 4. Setting the pattern isnt to hard, books can tell you where to add shims by how your contact pattern looks. Chaning all the bearings in everything sounds like a real pain though but somebody with time, tools, and some mechanical ability should be able to do an r&p setup. Smart friends help to, haha. If all else fails I'm sure a shop would help you set them for a reasonable amount. Good luck, and don't be a cheap skate or lazy because it will haunt you.

<a target="_blank" href=http://www.geocities.com/bigkern76>http://www.geocities.com/bigkern76</a>

 

[Liberator]

The ring and pinion was free. I scrounged it from another 10 bolt. I'm not planning on changing any bearings. Just bolting in the ring and pinion and reshimming. I just want to save some money by not purchasing the installation kit!