rear end help!!!!!!!!

[j302]

okay! i have done my intake and exhaust, i still am not completely satisfied! i own a 91 5.0 and it has 134k miles, i think my rear end is worn out. so i am gonna rebuild the traction lok and add new bearings to it all to get the best of my performance, i think i should replace gears to performance gears that same time too and am not quite sure what gears to get.... i know that ill get a better launch with 4:10, but a friend told me that 3:73 are better if i drive it on the highway alot and ill still get good performance. what would you guys suggest for me? will i notice a big difference?

[HiFlow5 0]

4.10's won't do anything unless you have the traction to make the car hook.

General rule of thumb for fox's is;
Manual=3.73's
auto=4.10's

[Donbinnc]

Originally Posted by j302

okay! i have done my intake and exhaust, i still am not completely satisfied! i own a 91 5.0 and it has 134k miles, i think my rear end is worn out. so i am gonna rebuild the traction lok and add new bearings to it all to get the best of my performance, i think i should replace gears to performance gears that same time too and am not quite sure what gears to get.... i know that ill get a better launch with 4:10, but a friend told me that 3:73 are better if i drive it on the highway alot and ill still get good performance. what would you guys suggest for me? will i notice a big difference?

I just had my son's 95 gt rearend done. It has 66K miles on it. Went from the stock 3.27 to 3.73 and there is a definate difference. Why 3.73's? Hiflow recommended it mainly. But I also felt that since it was a daily driver and some highway miles involved the cruising speed would be more desirable. I don't believe 4.10's are good for long highway trips. I heard that you get a lot of noise and of course with gas hitting 2 bucks a gallon. Crappy fuel milage. I had a reliable professional mechanic do the work with me there assisting. He mention maybe going with 3.90's but not sure if that gear size is available for the 8.8 fords. Maybe Hiflow can elaberate on that. I got the gear from a rearend dealer at car show $135.00. The gear is made by Strange. Got the Bearing, shim kit and trak lok replacement kits from Summit Racing. Got a print-out of instructions to make the changes from www.corral.com, I think. Everything went smooth and the car has great crisp excelleration. I also went from the manufacturers trak lok set up of six frictions to the alternating method of eight frictions. A little tighter getting the S-spring back in but it went. Had to reshim for backlash so be sure you have plenty of shims to work with. All said and done it cost me about $750 total and quite pleased. Good luck.

[j302]

yeah, well i got the 373s and i got a trak lok rebuild kit and rear end kit installed and the end works really awesome! i get really good response now and the first gear is really quick! i love it! now im sortof thinking about getting a shift kit and a aluminum driveshaft.....wat do u think?

[MrBB]

I have a 1966 Mustang, and I am unsure about what gears are in it. Is there a way to identify which ones I have. It has a 200 straight 6, but it used to have a 289 in it. I think it came stock with a straight 6 because of the 4 lug drums. Also, what size is it. 8, 8.8, or 9?

[351wStang]

It's probably a 9". You can pull the rear end cover off and count the teeth to tell what gear ratio you have. # of teeth on ring / # of teeth on pinion. Ex. 4.10:1 gears have 41 teeth on ring and 10 teeth on pinion.

[Mercracer]

Originally Posted by MrBB

I have a 1966 Mustang, and I am unsure about what gears are in it. Is there a way to identify which ones I have. It has a 200 straight 6, but it used to have a 289 in it. I think it came stock with a straight 6 because of the 4 lug drums. Also, what size is it. 8, 8.8, or 9?

If it is 4 lug, it is smaller than a 8" rear end. Absolutely useless with a V-8 and any power.

[Mercracer]

Originally Posted by 351wStang

It's probably a 9". You can pull the rear end cover off and count the teeth to tell what gear ratio you have. # of teeth on ring / # of teeth on pinion. Ex. 4.10:1 gears have 41 teeth on ring and 10 teeth on pinion.

Neither a 8" nor a 9" have rear covers. They have removable 3rd members. His 6cyl axle would have a cover though as it is a small integral carrier design.

[351wStang]

Removable 3rd member as in the pinion and yolk?

[duplox]

Yeah, in a 9" all the guts of the center section comes right out. ring, pinion, differential, yolk.. everything. You just bolt all that(called the 'carrier' or '3rd member') into the housing, stick the axle shafts through, and you're done. Thats a big reason why they're so popular for racing... Differential blown? Just pull the axle shafts out a couple inches, unbolt the 3rd member and driveshaft, take out the 3rd member, put a new one in, reattach the driveshaft and slide the axle shafts back in and you're off! Also changing gears or a differential is a whole lot easier. Just take out the 3rd member and work on it on a bench(they make special stands for 9" 3rd members, as well as special jack attachments for removing them). Its really a nice design.
Here's the 3rd member in the axle:
http://www.4x4wire.com/ford/reviews/.../axledrain.jpg
and out of the axle:
http://www.4x4wire.com/ford/reviews/arb9in/pattern.jpg