Hey guys i did a lot on eninge mods lately and now my gears are straingin i have 2.73 and i was just curious how hard it is to install 3.73 its a 95 trans am the shop quoted like 1250 and thats nuts id rather mess up than pay that lol

 

where do you live?

 

gears are one of those things...if you have to ask...don't bother doing it yourself. If they're not setup exactly right, they will whine like crazy, and develop a wear pattern so even if theyre setup properly, the will continue to whine.

 

Spend the 2300-2500$ for a 12-bolt

You'll save money in the long run. I wish I had. 1 Limited slip carrier, 2 sets ring gears, 1 stud girdle cover, 2 sets install kits/bearings, 2 sets wheel bearings, 1 solid pinion spacer, 2x labor for install = darn close to a 12-bolt.

I'm very mechanically inclined, but I won't touch 'em, I let the pros do it.

 

if you follow the directions closely, read them twice ... ask the people on this site for help , and you can do it.
it's not hard , it's more of a precision thing, but with the marking paint ,you can see if it's right... to a point

 

[QUOTE=Blue89Bird]gears are one of those things...if you have to ask...don't bother doing it yourself.[QUOTE]
i wouldnt exactly go that far
but its no walk in the park
without ever even looking inside a rear end previously i installed and set up a set of 4.11s and a new carrier
but i did ALOT of researching and found some specifics on taking the measurements for backlash and such
but it took me a good 20 hours including running back and forth to look at my little checklists and such to get it done
id say if you can afford it get a 12 bolt or let someone else do the install
if ya have no other choice than to install yourself then go for it just be smart

 

[QUOTE=FryedClutch][QUOTE=Blue89Bird]gears are one of those things...if you have to ask...don't bother doing it yourself.
you can probably do your next set of gears in less than half that time now

 

Just finished my 2.73 to 3.73 swap. Did it with a friend who has installed gears in a few cars before. It's a very precision thing as LT4orbust said. The hardest part for me was getting the pinion preload correct and the fact I had to keep removing and placing back the pinion to get it right. Be prepared to take your carrier and pinion to have the bearing races removed, unless you have a bearing puller. I actually had to use a cutting wheel to remove a race because I had no puller and no way to have them pressed off. Also make sure you have someone to help you and take lots of breaks and take your time and recheck everyting. Took me almost 10 hours. Your also going to need a pinion depth checker, a vernier caliper and a magnetic backlash checker.