I'm going to soon be redoing my rear-end due to a loud whining noise that is absolutely driving me crazy. I have 33 inch tires and have the stock 3:55 gears and the truck is an absolute dog and I hate putting that stress on the transmission. I'm looking to change the gears to 4:10, I spoke to someone at summit racing and he told me that the Dana 44 that I have in the front only has 3 carriers in it and to change to 4:10 gears that would require 4. Now is it worth it or even possible to change the carriers? Or can I just remove the ring and pinion gear, put in new ones and call it a day?
For the rear, the chrysler 9.25 I'll probably bring that to a shop or do it myself to get rebuilt and 4:10 gears installed. Now if I'm not mistaken, there are no further measurements require to change the gearing from 3:55 to 4:10 in that is there? Thank you for your time.

 

For the 44, you'll need the thick cut gears,or change the carrier. The 9.25 is no problem.

If you can DIY, do it, it's a hell of a lot cheaper even if you have to buy a few tools you may not have. And then you'll know its done right also.

 

I did this in my 96. Arde is right on point. I also put Detroit lockers quick lock in the 9.25. Wouldn't recommend it if you are going to be hauling/towing big loads but it was nice when I was offroad. This is a big job, and would recommend replacing all ball joints and bearings while your at it.

 

I've been researching what you said about the "thick cut" gear sets because that would be something I would way rather go that way, and it seems the gear ratio for most of them are 4:11, is there a reason I can't find 4:10? or am I researching the wrong thing. I will most likely tackle this project with a friend, and am very interested in doing it.

Now, 98RamCrazy, when you said you put Detroit lockers quick lock in the 9.25, do you mean you changed it to an axle when you can lock it when you need it? If so, how much did that cost you, and if you could post a link of it, that would be great, that sounds like a great product I would be more than interested in, since I don't tow too often. I would prefer a lockable rear-end for the occasional offroad use.

 

I know there are other place's to buy them, but here is where I would start, and most likely end up.

http://www.ringpinion.com/

 

4:11 would match up to a 4:10 in the rear just fine.

I do not advise doing this yourself unless you are a very experienced mechanic. Many people have done it themselves "oh yeah, you just put them in there nice and snug..." only to have major malfunctions down the road later. You need to set the backlash properly, for example. That requires a special tool typically just for that purpose, and you have to know how to use it. If you don't do it right, it may be 5 miles or thousands of miles down the road, you will cause way more damage and possibly cause an accident.

They are not simple bolt in parts. There is a reason auto shops almost everywhere charge $400 in pure labor to install one set of gears in the rear, and $400-$600 for the front.

+1 for Randy's Ring & Pinion. Good site.

 

The quick lock I installed replaced the spider gears in the stock rear carrier. Its a "ratcheting" locker. Means its allways locked up unless the load on the inside tire gets over a certain point then it "ratchets" when your turning. It keeps you from blowing up your carrier. When running big wide tires this is a consideration.

The quick lock wasn't expensive but again you definatly need to research how it works and how it will affect how you drive onroad. Off road it is so nice though. No bs open dif one wheel spinning and the other doing nothing.

As jasonw said it isn't typical weekend warrior type of job, you need dial indicators with mag bases and a needle style torque wrench and access to a nice big press. Now I will never dicourage someone from wrenching on your own stuff but it is going to take some time to get everything just right so it doesn't blow on you in a week. If its your daily driver you should consider letting someone with experience do the job.

Also, sorry for the delay in responding, I was doing the brakes on my 94 and head gaskets and plenum gaskets on my 98.

 

Oh, I wasn't sure how critical it had to be and wasn't sure if the 4:11 would match up to the 4:10 I would install in the rear.
Yea, I will most likely bring it to a shop, I don't really want to mess with that kind of stuff. When I said I would attempt it myself is because I have a buddy who use to be a mechanic and has every tool in the world in his garage. If I'm gonna do it though, might as well do it right, no shortcuts, this truck means too much to me.

Hmm.. I'll have to do more research on that right now.. I saw one I believe for $400, I'm thinking I might be better off spending a couple extra dollars and getting a real Detroit locker of some sort, I'm still in the process of researching my possibilities at the moment.
I don't do a whole lot of offroading at the moment, but it is a great possibility I will in the next couple of years, and might as well do it now all at once than down the road and spend more money.
No problem on the delay, I'm a little late myself. I'll probably be doing a plenum gasket on my 98 this week as well.