changing the gears ??

thundrburd

Registered User
Ok, this probally isnt doable by myself but I am going to ask just in case, I wanted to put 373 gears in my 95 sc , how hard is it to do, I dont know a whole lot about cars , but I am learning, and i'm not an idiot, so I learn fast and can figure alot of stuff out on my own, but I was just wondering if you have to have special tools, knowledge , etc. any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks

Tony
 
I Know Mechanics That Have Been Wrenching For 20 Years That Wont Touch A Rear End... It Requires Very Minute Measurments And Settings That Require Training, Tools, And Patience That Most People Wouldnt Have... I Got Mine Installed With All New Bearings And Seals After I Took The Rear End Out Of The Car For $80 In Labor. Ask Around And Find Someone Reputable. The Worst Thing Is Spending Big Money On Gears And Hearing Them Whine Afterwards...
 
well, I just called a local place, and I dont know if he was confused or what, but he said it would be about 1100.00 to change the gears, that just seems a little rediculous to me
 
I'd recommend getting a trak loc in there wis the 373s. As you probably know your 95sc has an open rearend while your swapping gears put a posi rear in there
 
yeah, I was planning on doing that, but I dont know about spending 1100 right now for that, and dont you have to do something with the tranny when you change the gears to make it to where the speedo is right ??
does anyone know how much changing the gears and putting a trac lock in would run ?? if it is going to be 1100 I will have to wait on that, but that just sounds really expensive , thanks

Tony
 
$80 in labor is nuts I hope you were really nice to him. I generally charge $250 in labor to build one of these rears. $1100 in a properly built rear isn't very hard to do. The good cast iron shims are about $20 a piece and they are the cheapest part.
Alan
 
Tony,

What place did you call? I know of a really good local place to have the work that you're looking to do done, but it won't be any cheaper than the price you've already been quoted.

Setting up gears not only takes experience, but it also requires some rather expensive specialized tools. However, if you get a centersection (a.k.a. pumpkin) already set up with the gears and Trac-Loc, it would be super easy to swap it in.

A couple people to talk to about having a centersection set up would be Alan (dirtyd0g here and on tccoa) and Teeps on tccoa. I believe that they both do gear work.

-Rod
 
Alan, you type faster than me. :D

Oh, and Tony, all you'll need to do to the transmission is change the speedo gear (really easy to do) to keep the speedometer accurate.

-Rod
 
rod, how much is it to get a new pumpkin for it ?? if it is cheaper, than I am all for it, but I really cant spend 1100 for gears right now, but if I can get it for a few hundred I would think about it, basically the cheaper the better, and where is the speedo gear that you have to change ? thanks

Tony
 
Rod, I called driveshafts unlimited, but he didnt seem to know to much about the 95 sc's and his book didnt even go up to 95 so, I dont know , he said that was just a ballpark estimate
 
You used to be able to buy a brand new assembled aluminum pumpkin with trak-lok and 3.73's from Ford Racing for around $700. Not sure if they're still available or how much they are. Might be worth checking into.
 
Tony,

You'd have to check with Alan or Teeps to see how much they would charge to setup a pumpkin. I was able to get deals on all of my pumpkins, so I can't say for sure how much someone would charge for one. I definitely wouldn't expect to get one for a few hundred dollars though.

The speedo gear is located in the tailshaft of the transmission.

The FRPP centersections are no longer available.

-Rod
 
well I guess I will have to wait to get them, I certainly dont have a grand laying around to spend, but they will be in the future plans, what about getting a used pumpkin with everything , would you not recommend it or do you think it would be alright ? thanks

Tony
 
1100 is about the going price if you are not providing parts. I have gotten several quotes for that price. I stopped by D & M auto here in San Anotonio, and they told me that it would be 200 if I provided the parts.

A lot of companies will not let you bring in parts because some people do not know what they are buying.

stephen
 
If you can get ahold of a used pumpkin with 3.73's and a Trac-Loc, that was set up correctly, I'd jump on it. You'll definitely want to check it out (or have it checked out) before buying it though. I bought the FRPP centersection that is in my 94 LX used with 24,000 miles on it, and I've put another 40,000 miles on it without any problems. I just made sure to check the pattern before buying it and installing it.

-Rod
 
so I guess if I could find one on this site, It might not be a good idea if I cant see it first, my only problem is I dont know a whole lot about these cars yet, and I certanly dont know anything about the rear ends of these cars
 
The frpp's definately had problems I think they had blind people assembling some of them. Nonetheless the parts alone are worth the cost as long as they aren't destroyed. 1100 is a bit steep for a complete pumpkin. I just did all the math on them earlier for a guy and a cast iron case with new 3.73's and a traclok will run in the neighborhood of $850. Aluminum cases really depend on availability. The stock traction lock out of a supercoupe can save quite a bit of cash on building one because that is alot of the expense. If it's used it will need to be rebuilt but still worth a couple hundred if you had to buy one. It seems alot of people are going to the detroit truetrack setup because it isn't much more expensive than a stock traction lock. $200 seems to be a good deal on building the case and setting up the gears but don't be surprised if it goes up a little bit if the guy has to get into the wave spring and clutches. I like to stack the clutches up to 4 and make the pack alot tighter. The downside to this is that they will chatter in slow speed corners(especially on gravel) the first day or so. I found an extra bottle of modifier helps with that.
Alan
 
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I cant seem to find anything for sc's on ford racing, I guess there to old
There never was anything for T-Birds/Cougars from Ford racing with the exception of maybe rims, cat-back exhaust and the aforementioned center section.

so I guess if I could find one on this site, It might not be a good idea if I cant see it first, my only problem is I dont know a whole lot about these cars yet, and I certanly dont know anything about the rear ends of these cars
Not necessarily. A lot depends on the seller. I bought a rebuilt trak-lock 3.27 rear end from someone in California a few years ago sight unseen, but it was from someone that I trusted. To be honest though I haven't personally seen a lot of used FRPP 3.73 rear ends floating around.

If you're up to it you can check around to find someone to install the gears for you. Usually 4x4 places are a good place to look. I think you could get the 3.73's and a rebuilt trak-lok for much lower than $1100. I'm guessing that guy was selling you a brand new diff.
 
racecougar said:
Tony,

What place did you call? I know of a really good local place to have the work that you're looking to do done, but it won't be any cheaper than the price you've already been quoted.

Setting up gears not only takes experience, but it also requires some rather expensive specialized tools. However, if you get a centersection (a.k.a. pumpkin) already set up with the gears and Trac-Loc, it would be super easy to swap it in.

A couple people to talk to about having a centersection set up would be Alan (dirtyd0g here and on tccoa) and Teeps on tccoa. I believe that they both do gear work.

-Rod

Rod,

If your talking about James Schelie (sp?), your right it won't be cheap. He refuses to use anything but Ford factory gears, all new Timken bearings, ect..ect..

I think I spent around $1600 getting a 3.27 trac loc pumpkin converted to 3.73 w/Auburn Pro diff. The Auburn Pro diff was around $500 so $1100 is about what he would probably charge if you retained the Trac Loc.

Anthony,

If looking for an FFRP pumpkin with 3.73s, it's the same as would be used in a 1999 Cobra.

David
 
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