I've been told that if I have never done gears before to not even try them. I asked him, "So I've rebuilt 4 engines, but you don't think I should do gears?" And he said yes. So now I'm asking for the board's opinion. What do you think. Also, when I go to 4.10's in my M6, should I replace the clutches too? Thanks!

 

Who's "he"? I don't believe there is anything magical about doing gears, but if I had the money and I "knew" that the installer was an expert and did quality work, I opt for having them do it. JMHO

 

I did mine myself and have been launching off them with DRs for most of the summer. Just set them up on the tight side of the spec. I had a friend come over and help with setting the backlash, but that was mostly because he had a dial indicator and I didn't. Plus he showed some little tricks that saved time. I really don't see what the big deal is about people saying gears are so hard (unless mechanics say it just to make money). If you have a big torque wrench, a small torque wrench, an impact wrench, calipers or micrometers, and a dial indicator, you are set. There are many measurements to be taken and may steps that you have to follow to get things right, but its no harder than building a bottom end.

 

I've helped my Dad install gears in both my '81 and my '02 Z28, as well as in his '73. It's really not that difficult, just that you need all the right tools and a good supply of shims to be able to play around with the backlash to get it set just right. Oh yeah, and a little patience, 'cause it can get frustrating when you put it all together, just to find out that the backlash is ~2 thousandths above spec, so you've gotta pull it all back apart and try to guess how much shimming will get it where it needs to be!