I am wanting to install my 3.73s myself. Anyone have any suggestions or a how to page? Thanks!

 

No, its usually something people leave up to the professionals to do.

 

agreed, setting up rear ends is one thing most people aren't usually capable of doing perfectly (at least not the first time) and with a rear you NEED to be perfect.

the shimming and tolerances are incredibly precise. if you don't get it just right, the rear will A) produce an annoying whine or B) fly apart.

believe me, letting a pro set up your rear is money well spent.

 

when i had a place called classic auto install a set of 3.73 gears in my 96 v6 camaro they whined so horrible and made so much noise, i took it to a chevy dealer and the ring gear had a chunk broke off so i ordered a new set of gm gears and had the gm dealer install them and they whined also, so me and my friend went up the street to talk to a guy who owns a couple race cars and trucks and he explained how to do this to my friend who never installed gears, so he and i did this and there wa sno whine and no bad noises. i know when i get my install kit i will have my friend do this rather than pay over 300.00 for some 16-18 kid working at a dealership who doesnt know their rear froma hole in the ground

 

Installing them yourself will in most case result in a failed rear. When people ask if they can do this installation, that means they have NO idea whats is involved and this is not a install for the learning curve. Just my opinion.

 

its easy BUT TIME consuming, you also need few special tools to get the job done right. (pinion deapth tool, dial indicator with a magnetic base, gear paint, bearing puller etc)

 

Okay thanks for all the responses guys! I will just let someone else do it for me since I have to let them do my converter too

 

^^^ Good call............half of the "job" is having those specific tools. You can't guarantee that you've done it right without them. Also, while the shim behind the pinion bearing usually works with whatever the factory shim was, the shims on either side of the carrier are almost never right (if you try to use the factory shims) so you need a good assortment of shims to get the backlash set just right. THAT is the hardest part of doing a gear install (I've helped my Dad - mechanic - do several gear changes now, in my '81 Z28, my '02 Z28, and recently in his '73 Camaro).

I wouldn't recommend doing it yourself if you've never at least watched how it's done.

 

Or, you can get lucky and run the stock shims and have no problems. I've done this twice now and actually have had no problems yet. I had a guy install my first set, and he did all the "measuring" and it took along time. After a couple of weeks, they started whining, and eventually busted. I put a set of 3:42's in my car and they stood up to a 1.53 60' and several 1.7 60's. Now, the 3:73's in my car (3:42's were just temp until I got the $ to buy the 3:73's) sound perfect and are wearing nice. I've heard a lot of people say that the stock shims work great and I've heard they don't. Just luck of the draw I guess.

Good luck,
Benji

 

True, it is time consuming, but it is also easy. I did my own, and it holds up great. I've been launching off drag radials for awhile now, and there has been no increase of noise. Really all you need is a big torque wrench, and small torque wrench, the dial indicator, micrometers or calipers, and normal tools. The gear paint comes with an installation kit. You have to get a machine shop to press the bearings on and off the carrier and the pinion, but other than that, its all easy work. Pouding the races out and in is tedious, but really if you have patience, it is worth doing it yourself. I really should have made a writeup while I was doing it, but it didn't occur to me at the time. I know you already made the decision to have it done at a shop, but I'm just writing this for someone's sake that searches for the topic.