A few questions to whom have installed gears. How much trouble did you have when shimming the rear. Did you just use the factory shims in the places they came from? Or did you have to totally re-shim it? Also, is the ring gear rivited or bolted? I know on many chevy 10 bolt rears they are bolted, but when i looked up the time amount to do the gears, it is calling for 6.2 hours...And I can not see where 6 hours are going.. How long does it take you? Also if you have any more ideas that woud help my istall, they would be grealty appreciated. Thanks... BlueZ

 

My advice.....leave it to the pros
hundreths of an inch off and your gears will be whining.

No replies yet, because no one really does them himself, though I am sure there are a few people that have tried it

 

Sorry to burst your bubble, 2002 NBM Bird, but I'm one of those LS1ers that believes in doing my own work on my car. I've installed two sets of gears in my SS.

To answer your questions. The ring gear is bolted on. But just remember that the ring gear bolts are reverse threaded, so set your impact to tighten when removing them. It can be a pain getting the pinion shimmed right. The problem is getting the bearing on and off of the pinion. The stock shims will put you really close to the correct pinion depth but you'll still need to check the pinion depth either by using a pinion depth tool or using the marking compound to check the wear pattern. You'll also need a dial indicator for setting the proper backlash. Setting the backlash is not near as difficult as getting the pinion depth correct. Shimming the carrier is far easier.

The first time I ever did this was with the rear in the car laying on my back seeing things for the first time and taking my time it took me about 5 hours. The second time it only took me about 2 hours. If you have the rear out of the car it is much easier. I'd highly recommend dropping the rear since it only takes about an hour to drop the rear out and then you can take your time and you'll see how things look much better.

 

Hey,
thanks for the posts. I do have one big advantage.... A lift!! so that is in my favor. once again, thanks

 

You didn't burst any bubbles, actually made me happier.

I am also one of the LS1ers who like to do things themselves, but when I posted a similar question, everyone said to keep it to the pros, because even the slightest mistake can make your rear whine.

 

Damn, if you've got a lift to use, you've got it made. With a lift and air tools you can do this in 2 hours easy. Good luck!

2002 NBM Bird, when I first asked about doing gears myself I ran into the same negative comments. Finally, I just said screw it. It seems like the people saying this crap were the same people that were afraid to change their own plugs too. As long as you have patience and aren't easily intimidated by a challenge, you can do a gear swap. Trust me, it's really easy to get pissed when you're laying on your back and check the contact pattern and realize that you have to reshim the pinion! The funniest thing is that I originally decided to get my gears installed by someone that I was told was good at gear swaps. Well, my gears were horribly loud and I actually pulled them out and reset them myself and they were much quieter. Goes to show that if you want a job done right, do it yourself.

 

LOL, i've got some patience, I tried cutting through my exhaust with a butter knife.......Nah just kidding, but thats what it felt like with a hand saw, finally I found my Sawzall and I cut through that in about 45 seconds