wz2wj1

Car is away for the winter & I 've been thinking about my next mod. I've read alot about gearing. Seems to be the biggest BANG for the BUCK. I have 2.59's now. I don't race the car & it's not my daily driver. But it always nice to be able to go fast. What would be a good gear to go to? 3.07 or 3.54. I want to be able to tell that something was done , but not loose to much MPG's. Is this something i can do myself? What should i look for; gears, or the whole unit? How can you tell if a used set is good, other than taking the sellers word? Is there a thread that explains how to change gears or is it better to find someone who's done this before?

thanks for any advice
George

vader86

While you would notice a difference between the 2.59 and 3.07 in the LT1, it would not be comparable to the difference in going to 3.54.

The hwy mpg should drop ~2-3mpg though.

Swapping gears is not something a newbie should try, try to find people with experience to do this job. If not done perfectly, the gears will whine.

It would be nice to get an entire D44 unit and swap it out for the current D36. But I believe youll have to swap out the 2 series carrier for the 3-series gearing anyway.

bstirn

I went with 3.73s with an auto and still get 19 mpg around town . I dropped nearly .5 second 1/4 time and It will still go 150 mph . I bought a whole new rear end there Is hardly no whine at all

:chevy

wz2wj1

Where would be a good place to buy a rear end and how much should i expect to pay for say the 3.54? And what would a good price be on the labor to install it?

thanks for the help
george

greggo's 94LT1

Couple things:
1) you have a dana 36 & you'll have to make changes in the carier to handle a 3xx gear unless you buy Richmond's new series.
2) Richmond has a new replacement out 3:07 or 3:54 that will work in your 2 series carrier (just bought them myself 3:54's for the same change as you) for $318 from Summit Racing for the ring & pinion.
3) you HAVE to get a gear shop to install them or the gears will whine if you don't dial them in correctly (if they whine...you can never get them to stop)
4) I'm having mine installed at a reputable gear shop in Dallas for $300. Well worth the $$ because it's tons of work the get the rear end in and out.
**as far as buying used...you never know what you are getting until you have them installed & if they whine...it's too late and all that labor down the tubes.

wz2wj1

That doesn't sound to bad of a price.I live about 40 miles from the summit shop in akron, ohio. Are you saying all i need is the new ring & pinion for a 3.54 and it will fit in my 2.59 case? Is there anything else that has to be done after the swap except telling the comp about the change. I have a hypertech programmer. If so sounds like i know what to ask for; for christmas this year.
Do you have a PN for the part from summit?
thanks
George

greggo's 94LT1

Don't have a part #. Just explain to them that you have an auto (designates the Dana 36) and that you have 2:59's. The only 3xx gears available for the 2xx cariers are the 3:07's & the 3:54's & they are designed to work in the Dana 36 with gears 2:73 & lower (which you have). All you need is the ring & pinion & please find someone qualified to put them & it should save you a ton of heartache.

Admiral Blue

Good luck with the switch. Like everyone said above, make sure it's done by a reputable person/shop that has done gear changes on these cars.

Go with the 3.54 at the least. I went from the stock 2.59 to the 3.54 gears and dropped from 13.5 to 13.1. That was with balding radials...now with the wider Nittos, I'd hope for a little better.

I lost 2-3 mpg, but I don't even think about it. You won't either. It's a whole new car. I sometimes wish I would've went with 3.73s.


Jeff




[Modified by Admiral Blue, 12:22 AM 10/18/2003]

wz2wj1

I went to Summit web site and found the conversion set and for the price you said. Do i need the instalation kit they refer to?

thanks again for all you;re help

george

tuband

I almost went for 3.07 gears (easier to find) but after a year long search located a complete pumpkin with 3.31 gears which is what I wanted. The 3.54s and 3.73s are great choices also, but wasn't the best choice for me.

btw, I actually gained mpg as well as a definite increase in performance.

greggo's 94LT1

The kits consist of bearings, bolts, seals, threadlocks, etc. (Things that any good shop would have already). You probably won't even need to have the bearings replaced (they are on the 3rd member & shouldn't need replacing...unless you want to). Now, the only thing that's in the kit that you are going to need is the "crush sleeve" which goes on the new pinion gear (check with the shop you are going to use & they can probably get that part for you).

BowTieBlood

Gears = :party:

jodyeastman

I went with the Richmond 3.75. It's great and I have no whine. For the bearings and stuff I went with precision performance. It's only about $100.00 for those parts and then you know it's all new with the new gear.

wz2wj1

I found the gears a little cheaper see info below, but i haven't found anybody to install them for a reasonable price.

Richmond gear # 49-0143-1 fits 2.73 and lower carrier $299.95



Darryl Sage

sage@fullthrottleraceparts.com



george :cheers:


[Modified by wz2wj1, 11:18 PM 11/1/2003]