need gear help!

[GONZO]

i have an 85 blazer and the rear axle's ring and pinion decided they did not want to play nice together anymore. now i have chunks of metal and part of a busted drive shaft.
now my question. i've been calling around and i got quotes of $600-$750 to put in new ring and pinion. i will be going to 4.10:1 (not sure what is in it right now) also considering installing a locker (as long as it is apart!). does this sound about the right price range for a r&p install (have not mentioned locker to the shop yet)?
on the $750 quote only $250 was labor the rest was parts (no locker). anyone know where i can get some parts cheap?
next question
one shop mentioned 2 differant qualities of gears out there and the cheaper one caused some noise in the cabin. is this true?
any help is much appreciated!

<font color=blue>85 k5 Blazer 4x4
99 Trans am 30th anniversary
79 Trans am

 

[BigBurban]

You can get aftermarket gears for around $150-$170 that will most likely make some noise or Geniune GM (Motive gears are also GM manufactured, but cheaper http://www.motivegear.com/home.html) for around $200 which will make little if any noise, assuming they're set up correctly. Most master install kits can be had for $80-$90, so I'd definitely say they're high.

BTW- since they're setting up new gears and removing the carrier anyway, they shouldn't charge you much if anything to install the locker... As long as we're not talking air locker.

<font color=blue>~BigBurban</font color=blue>

 

[CBLAZER81]

I paid around $1300 (i think) for my gears and lockers,front and rear.I installed them myself.
It's very labor intensive to do it right,so in my opinion the labor charges don't sound that bad if you're using a good shop.I figure $30-$40 an hour at a shop.
<font color=red>Just a reminder...</font color=red>If you're changing the gear ratio in the rear,you'll HAVE to do the front too...Unless you're planning to keep it in 2wd all the time.

 

[6.2Blazer]

Plan on paying about $200-$250 for the ring and pinion and setup parts (bearings, etc...). I had two different shops install new ring and pinions in my Blazer, and both charged around $150-$200 and both were highly recommend and experienced 4x4 shops. I also had aftermarket posi units installed at the same time and this shouldn't change the labor charge.
Factory gears and parts are very, very expensive. The rear end went out on my truck when it was stolen so I got a estimate from a dealer for the parts to satisfy the insurance company. The estimate was over $2000 with only about $200-$250 of that labor charges (this did include a new Gov-Lok). I was thinking that the gears themselves were something like $400-$500??

 

[GONZO]

here is the latest update.
i called around and all the shops are around the same price for the installation labor. $250 to install.
now my problem is it really worth the extra money for the oem gears?
i can get oem gears for $230 then another $80.99 for the master install kit. this is through west coast differentials. toatal front and rear comes to $722
or
i can get a package from drivetrain wharehouse for $399. this includes front and rear ring and pinion + install kit. the gears are made by a company called genuine gear. the package is $100 more for precision gear parts.

so is the oem worth that much more?

also i've decided on a powertrax lock right for the rear axle. any good?

<font color=blue>85 k5 Blazer 4x4
99 Trans am 30th anniversary
79 Trans am