nastee383

I finally (after 2 months) got around to removing my rearend that broke last time I went racing. The obvious damage is a section of the ring gear was stripped and the pinion was a little chewed up, probably because of the stripped ring gear. The ring and pinion is a RICHMOND. I thought that was one of the best :skep: Maybe it is. I suppose anything will break if you abuse it enough. The good news (I hope) is that everything else appears to be OK. I've got pictures but since Photopoint (I think that was the name) went under I don't have a host for my photos. Anyway, any suggestions for a good place to rebuild would be appreciated. I WILL NOT send it anywhere near Delray Beach, Fl.!!!! :nonod:

vettedreams

Do it yourself! That"s what I"m doing to mine now. My ring gear bolts broke in two, the ring & pinion are perfect though. I think Jeg"s sells a video on this procedure, it"s a good feeling you get from doing it yourself :yesnod:

79VetteMike

Hey Nastee,
Try Maksymuk's here in Ft Walton. His shop is off of Racetrack Road. I'd be interested in hearing what you decide.

nastee383

I went there about 3 years ago when I was originally looking for someone to do a rebuild/gear change. He acted as if I was BOTHERING him. So I don't care how good he is or how much I have to pay someone else. He will NEVER get a penny of my money. :nonod: Who knows, I may get inspired and try to do it myself.

nastee383

I'm going to do some more reading on the subject and I may decide to do it myself as long as it doesn't take alot of specialized tools that I don't have. A rearend is just one of those things I don't want to have to do over again because I messed up a clearance or a mearsurement.

Tominator

Are you sticking with the same ratio rear end?

Alwyn678

Wow that sucks I amazed hat it broke :cry :cry

nastee383

I had thought about going to 3.55's but I'll probably stay with the same ratio.

nastee383

Don't be amazed, N2O and sticky BFG Drag Radials can have that effect! :lol:

dually4wd

Hey Nastee; It's not very hard to set up gears yourself as long as you are patient, have a dial gauge and an in/lb torque wrench for the pinion preload. I could set it up if need be, or I could give you a few pointers and you could give it a shot. Drop back by one afternoon if you want and we can get into details. We started using Lucas additive in the race cars, and gear life is much longer now; you may want to try some too. Seeya later, Rick.

vettedreams

I"l take some advice on ring & pinion line upif you don"t mind, thanks! :D

dually4wd

Hey vettedreams,
Half the battle is having the right tools. Get the pinion preload correct with a good contact pattern and backlash within specs and you're :cool:

GrandSportC3

I had my rearend done at VAN STEEL in Clearwater...

:cheers:

Olivier

79VetteMike

Mine must be broken also-it has a crack in it. :conehead

GrandSportC3

a crack like that?



:cheers:

Olivier

vettedreams

Thanks for the reply dually4wd, I never took the pinion out, looked to good to mess with so I won"t have to worry about that, at least I hope. What is the torque setting for the ring gear bolts, and how much backlash should I have? Is backlash actually the play in the ring gear? and what is the correct procedure to measure this? I do have a dial indicator with mag. base. Thanks again

Gordonm

The ring gear bolts should be torqued to 50 foot pounds. The backlash is set at .003 to .010 with .005 to .008 preferred. The back lash is measured with a dial indicator. Measure the back and forth motion of the ring gear with the pinion not moving. Make sure you measure with the indicator in line with the movement of the ring gear. It looks like the carrier made it there. Got the chack also. Good luck with it. Better in your car than sitting on my work bench


[Modified by Gordonm, 7:54 PM 2/14/2003]

vettedreams

Thanks again Gordon, feel bad for those sales that don"t go so good, read about them all the time! I"ll let you know how this comes out, it"s going to rain here, cann"t roof so I"ll play mechanic.

dually4wd

That's good info from Gordonm. Where the range in backlash comes into play is when you try to achieve the best patern. You want the drive side and coast side paterns to be even with each other and generally slightly toward the root or inner part of the tooth. Pinion depth changes the patern from inner to outer (root to toe), and backlash changes depth of contact. Once you mess with it a little, it's not that complicated.

vettedreams

How do you adjust the backlash, I"ve got about .008 to much, then again the ring gear doen"t have the bolts in it yet, just did a trial fit for now.