have 3.73 gears with 315's. I'm thinking of going to a set of 4.10 / 4.11 This would most likely get rid of some of the bogging (do highway and less than 10,000lb tows on occasion). Is there a thread that has documented the required steps, cost, and time for a front and rear gear change? I like to fully understand what I am about to get myself into before I proceed. As with past projects, this site has allowed me to plan and execute aftermarket upgrades based upon people sharing their experience. I see much talk about what gears are right for what people, but no document material on the final execution. Any info out there?

ya, i would also like to see it if anybody has a good walk through cause im trying to decide whether or not to regear when i do my lift and ive never done gears so i have no idea what im getting into

This site has a pretty good write up on the 14 bolt.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/articles/tech/billavista/PR-ARB/articles/14b_Gear_Setup

This isn't a job I would try to tackle without some expensive tools and a knowledgeable assistant. It's just too much to screw up if not exactly right, and the repairs would be costly as well. The rear is relatively easy compared to the front. I've never messed with an IFS differential, so I can't help you there.

After looking at the link above, the job looks doable, but my ambition level is not as high. I have to agree, this may be one of those jobs that is better left to the experts. Could be real expensive to make a mistake on this job. Might even be cheaper to find a decent 410 setup at a bone yard. Bump this one lower on the priority. Guess I'll start saving for the tranny upgrade.... Should have enough saved by the time the -03 DA is ready to be traded in...Ha!

Wise decision in my mind.....................

I changed the gears in my '87 K5 10-bolt.

Not all that hard but can be time consuming for the beginner. Plus a lot of grunting getting the carrier in an out several times. I did mine with the axle installed, so it was a lot of working on your back. A lift would be a great thing, but it can be done on a creeper.

I purchased a dial indicator, inch pound wrench, pinnion set up bearings and one of those pinnion depth gauge tools from Summit Racing.

I could never get the depth gauge to work correctly, so it was just a lot of assembly and dis-assembly to get the right tooth pattern. Mastering that gauge would really help.

Still, I was able to get it done with no noise and nothing blew up.

The set-up bearings were the best purchase, you can make your own out of the old bearings or buy extra cone bearings and make your own. This allows you to remove the pinnion shims without pressing on or off the bearings. Of course every type of rear axle is different, not all need pinnion set-up bearings.

I would have no qualms of doing it again, kinda satisfying actually.

I repeatedly changed the gears on my drag race car and had little issues getting them set up right. However, they were special gears made from a softer alloy to withstand the stress of hard launches. Even if a slight error was made during the set-up, the gears would wear a new pattern and be fine. My method was to mess with backspacing and pinion depth until I could spin the ring gear and have it spin the pinion freely in both directions. At that point I would start checking the pattern, and it was usually right.

Street gears are a different story. They are made of a harder alloy and are more durable. However, they are also much less forgiving and MUST be set up right the first time. When you consider the torque many of us are putting through the tranny, it makes getting them set up right the first time even more critical.

When I considered all that, even though I have changed gear sets many times and I rarely have someone else do work on my truck, it made more sense to let someone with experience on HDs do the swap.

YMMV............

afp1,

On a daily driver, that I need to get to work, I would do the same. The K5 is more of a toy so it can sit for weeks. I did the K5 just to say i did it.

Of course, I am lucky to have Randy's 40 miles away if I need an expert.

I was wondering if the K5 wasn't a toy. I know a K5 would be at the top of the list for me for a true off-road rig.

The gears in our trucks are a PITA. I tried to do my gear instal. It worked but there was a noise under acceleration. I found out I could not put the carrier bearing w/ a 2ton press (the hard way).
My gears were not perfect so I had to take it to a shop to seperate the carrier bearing and reset it. They also had to take the chunk in and out a couple of times to get it right.
In addition, the thing weighs a ton, and the crush washer needs a high torque impact.
Oh, I forgot that I bent bolts on a steering wheel puller and had to take off the balancer w/ a 7ton puller to get the yoke off. I also found out the hard way that you cannot put the balancer back on the yoke.
If your truck feels sluggish I would suggest getting a better chip or tuner. It will save you $$$ and you will enjoy your truck much better. I kept the 3.73's only upgraded to the randys ring/pinion YUKON gear w/ the no questions asked warrenty. I have a 6"lift and 35"tires and have zero problems towing anything!
Now I just need to find another shop to replace my front locker w/ my new eaton E locker. The shop that redid my rear is closed!

I don't have a huge issue with the rig being sluggish Toyo open country 315 / 75 16's. You look at all the projects out here and start to get caught up in the moment. At this point, I think focus on beefing up the tranny will be my best next project. Just need to save up some ($$$).

Experience is what separates good diff installs from bad.

Just my opinion, but I wouldn't do it on my daily driver as reliability and noise come into play... on a race car, trail truck, maybe. But there is precision involved in loading a reliable, quiet differential.

I would leave the gear setups to the experts that do it everyday. They know what to look for. I had 4.88s put in 6 months ago and they helped out a lot on towing. They had to replace my bearings in the rear and showed me the old ones, so besure to prepare for the worst. I think with gears, oil, etc front and rear was about $1500. About half was parts and rest was labor.