Rear end work & misc

KStromberg

KStromberg

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How much should I pay for this??:

Removal and Rebuild diff. with new 4.30 gears (assume posi is fine)
New rear wheel bearings
New 255lph fuel pump

I'm convinced that the current issue has to do with tons of slop on the ring gear as was stated by the mechanic that has recently done work and showed me this issue on the hoist last fall, therefore I believe it. (Rocked it anyways and I think it took its toll) It definitely seems to be coming from the differential area.

Anyhow, he's a real cool guy, ASE certified, graduated Wyotech and works out of his garage and has a large customer base. (No comparison to the shoddy mechanic of 2010) I trust his judgement but he is quoting me $900 for just the diff. work not including the rear wheel bearings or fuel pump.

Is this a fair price including parts? I am currently shopping around the local area and byu word of mouth to see if anyone can do it cheaper, but at the same time I know I would get quality work from this guy and he has done 300+ diffs with no complaints EVER.

If I have to swallow the pill, I will. This is just the beginning of what needs to get done to this car to make it track-worthy and I need to get on the ball. Opinions??


FWIW, slowmarkviii I know that you offered to help me remove the differential but I am not too sure how easy it would be for us without a hoist working on our backs and then having to deal with the exhaust welds since you stated that you have no welder. (My exhaust is FAIL flangeless:rolleyes:) I trust that we could somehow get it done, but I don't want to have to put you through that hell either.
 
Sounds a bit high for a gear swap.... Wait.. He's buying the gear too? Better but a tad high.
 
If it includes all the parts from fluid to bearings everything its a good price.
He would probably cut $100 maybe $150 if you pulled the diff.
If you want to see how every thing comes apart come over my 97 is in the air with the tank dropped.

Are your rear bearings bad or just old
 
Dropping the rear isnt that hard. with your exhaust though you would have to cut it and clamp it back up till you can get it welded. The shop that did my rear charged $450 for labor, bearings, and the bolts that hold the ring gear on. If you have any questions about taking out the pumpkin just ask.
 
wheel bearings are a bit of work since you ahe to get the knuckles off and dissasemble everything. It can be a PIA.
 
Here's what I bought:

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/RAT-3028K/

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/RAT-11001/

I was referred to a guy on a local forum here in the Charleston area. He is widely regarded as the guy to go to in the area for any gear install, and has been doing it for a long time. These are the parts he recommended for me. The Ratech 3028k kit includes all of the bearings, all of the seals, all of the shims...He also recommended the Ratech smart crush sleeve which I bought and included, but I can't remember what was special about it. It was just something he preferred to use.

I found some 5k mile 4.10 gears locally for $50, and bought a brand new Traction-lok for about $160. Add to that, the $140 for the install kit and sleeve listed above. Then he did the install for $250. I still had the stock differential that I had removed from the car way back in 2007, so I just took that to him, with the parts. He set it all up in his workshop in a day. That brings my total to about $600. I installed the differential myself with the car on jackstands, and with my exhaust still installed. As long as your differential will fit between the exhaust pipes, you might be able to leave it hanging...Mine was a squeeze, but it fit.

If you remove the differential yourself, you should be able to save yourself some labor time. Ask him to quote you a price that way, and see if the price difference is worth it to you...

I just finished installing the differential this weekend and drove it to work today. It's awesome!
 
beerdog said:
wheel bearings are a bit of work since you ahe to get the knuckles off and dissasemble everything. It can be a PIA.
Click to expand...

I did my wheel bearings in the garage. I was able to remove the old ones AND install the new ones using a set of bearing pullers and some various sockets....


It really wasn't that hard.
 
mossbergman said:
Dropping the rear isnt that hard. with your exhaust though you would have to cut it and clamp it back up till you can get it welded. The shop that did my rear charged $450 for labor, bearings, and the bolts that hold the ring gear on. If you have any questions about taking out the pumpkin just ask.
Click to expand...

Excuse me? Cut the exhaust??? Because WHY?

Disconnect O2 sensor clips
Remove 4 nuts (15mm) at the Cats...remove 2 nuts (15mm) at the trans mount hanger, use Wd40 or PB-Blaster in the rubber hanger slightly behind fuel tank, remove 2 (13mm) bolts, 1 each muffler hanger ...drop entire exhaust
 
Sapperfire said:
Excuse me? Cut the exhaust??? Because WHY?

Disconnect O2 sensor clips
Remove 4 nuts (15mm) at the Cats...remove 2 nuts (15mm) at the trans mount hanger, use Wd40 or PB-Blaster in the rubber hanger slightly behind fuel tank, remove 2 (13mm) bolts, 1 each muffler hanger ...drop entire exhaust
Click to expand...

I wish, i would have done that. the azzhats who put up my exhaust put no flanges in, making it 1 piece from the front cats to the tailpipes. it sucked
 
They're all like that...not that big of a deal...yeah its a little heavy done by yourself...but ...that's what being a MAN is about isn't it?
 
Well...unless you've got a legitimate excuse ..like being in a wheel chair or something of the sort-which is understandable..

That being said, there's no reason a capable healthy person can't remove the entire exhaust by ones self

20120501_140919.jpg
 
You dont need to remove it or cut it, dropping the rear part will give you enough room. I did mine in my driveway with jackstands and didnt take it off, just dropped the back section down. I did the pumpkin and driveshaft a few times this way.
 
The car has been delivered to the surgeon. He will handle all of my issues. I have no hoist nor tools to tackle the job. I'm getting mixed opinions on what is the going rate for this particular surgery, but I know for damn sure there isn't any $50/hr mechanics out this way. Yeah, sucks to be me I guess.

He originally put it in the area of about $900 for everything including parts and labor. Oddly enough, one of the best renowned driveline shops in the area that my other buddy recommended to me, quoted me over $1200 for the same job. I'm getting the same quality work from this guy for less, so it's a no-brainer. And there's yet another reason why I wish I lived out east sometimes. Tracks, Carlisle, cheaper mechanics, DLF < hahaha
 
Sapperfire said:
Well...unless you've got a legitimate excuse ..like being in a wheel chair or something of the sort-which is understandable..

That being said, there's no reason a capable healthy person can't remove the entire exhaust by ones self

20120501_140919.jpg
Click to expand...

Removing the exhaust is suprisingly easy to do by yourself. It seems like something that would be very hard,but it is not. This assumes you can get the bolts removed.
 
Loose and broken ring gear bolts have been found in the differential of the Lincoln. How many times must I put up with shoddy work?!! :mad: I've had plenty of people around me (obviously the ones who are not into cars) say that my car is a money pit, but once again I've proven that it's not the car but the dumbasses who put it together. I would challenge anybody to prove to me that my driving habits with my car are the reason for this. I can start back in 2010 and go to the present time and show people why. But just go ahead and search my threads on the forums.:rolleyes: Sold a junkyard tranny that gave up 3 months later, burnt o2 sensor wires, 4.10 gears set up most likely by an eyeballometer that were wrecked, mysterious wrenches laying in the valley of the gas tank, loose torque converter bolts that wrecked a flex plate, tranny linkage that wasn't even tight, and now this and maybe some other things that I have forgot about. At least it is in good hands.

Here is the damage:

Ringgearbolts.jpg


Housing.jpg


If I didn't have to deal with all of these problems, I'd be running low 13s already. I guarantee it. I would have had plenty of time to make it happen with all of this down time. :mad:

The gears and posi unit may be salvageable. Results pending......
 
You probably could have bought a lift with all the coin you've wasted.
 
izackary said:
Is this from work the new guy did the other day??
Click to expand...

No sir! I bought a new center section with new gears and posi unit as a result of the 4.10s going to chit from the guy in 2010 who used his trusty "eyeballometer". I bought these and had them installed last May. The problem is, I didn't know what was going on inside. So the blame here goes to the shop who put this differential together before I bought it from this other guy who had different plans for his car. Obviously, whoever put it together can't grasp the concept of a torque wrench, or loctite. It amazes me the dumb people in this world who actually get paid to do what they do.

Broc has been tremendous with my car from day one, which was last fall. I'm in good hands now.
 
Hmm well I hope all goes better this time around! If/when I regear, I might look for an experienced gear head in the 4x4 community, if I can get one willing to work under this thing. I did that for my Explorer when I shredded the ring gear and upgraded to 4.56s. My theory is they are overly meticulous because they apply (usually) high amounts of torque off the transfer cases to big fat tires, usually out in the middle of nowhere, not on a drag strip with AAA next door. So chances are you may get better quality work.
 
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