ring and pinion change

[junktruck]

I have a 1981 k10 that i recently replaced the rearend in with a rear with 3.08 gears i found at the junk yard.I pulled the ring and pinion gear from the front of the junk yard front end to swap out with mine.I dont have the know how to swap the gears out in the front, what can i expect to pay a mechanic to swap out the ring and pinion gears on the front end of my truck?BTW i went from a 2.56 gear to a 3.08 gear, it made a big diference since im running 35" tires                    thx

[KojaK 79k10]

if i understand correctly it sounds as if you did the rear already? the front is no different. although you can do what you want i would have suggested at least a 3.73:1 or a 4.10:1 gear range because unless you drive highway power gains are so much higher at the 4.10:1 range. i have 3.73:1 gears and i am now going to a 4.10:1 gearset just to regain that lost power from the 35" tires i am running currently. but if you budget doesn't allow or you re happy with the 3.08:1 gears then it isn't that hard to do. there are tech pages on google that can help you there just install the same way you installed making sure your backlash is correct so you don't chew up the gears. you can get specs at gm or anywhere on line or an aftermarket company that specializes in gearsets.

[junktruck]

I didnt change the ring and pinion in the rear, i changed out the whole rear end.

[jimmy38fan]

 I had 3.08s in my 87 1/2 ton that I just swapped to 3.73s. I had a new ring and pinion installed in the rear, but bought a complete 3.73 front axle out of a 83 3/4 ton from a salvage yard for $100. I installed new upper and lower ball joints and used my old 6 lug rotors. 

[Fordeatinz71]

it's really not hard to swap the gears out, but i understand you wanting to make sure it's done right.  a shop shouldn't charge over about $300 i wouldn't think...but a lot of shops will not want to install a used ring and pinion, so you will have to find one that will. 

[VileZambonie]

For set up and installation (done correctly mind you) in my shop I would charge you around $560 if I didn't know you. So if you find a good shop that is capable of doing it correctly expect to pay up to that. I charge top dollar but I set them up dead nuts and have all of the correct tools 

 

[Captkaos]

why didn't you get the frontend out along with rearend?
I agree going from 2.73 to 3.08 isn't a dramatic change.  The Quote Vile gave is about standard here for one still in the truck.

[junktruck]

as to why i didnt pull the whole front end , my front end is in excellent shape so that wouldnt have been the thing to do.As to the change i felt switching from a 2.56 gear to a 3.08 its been pretty dramatic.

[Fordeatinz71]

i hear ya about the front end being in excellent shape, but now that your gearing in the rear has been changed so much, your front end is useless.