Re-gear advice

[Joe.B]

So I'm gonna bite the bullet and re gear in the very near future for my incoming 33s. I feel pretty confident on doing it my self but I was wondering if you guys had any good advice or pointers for me I'm also not totally sure on how to use the yellow stuff forgot the name and how to get the correct gear lash. also I haven't ordered the gears yet so if you have a suggestion on what gears to get I'm thinking Yukon but if there's a better brand let me know

 

[1904-06LJR]

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheBFHGarage/videos ( @hosejockey61 channel)

BillaVista bible: http://www.billavista.com/tech/Articles/Gear_Setup_Bible/index.html

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Yukon is a usually good brand but they source from multiple vendors so you never quite know what quality you're getting. I'd go with Revolution Gear whose gears all come from Circle K in S. Korea who is pretty much known as the best aftermarket manufacturer of R&P gears. Yukon will occasionally ship Circle K gears but it's the luck of the draw.

Installing R&P gears is only for those willing to take the time to learn how to do it and it's not an easy process at all. Anything short of perfection will cause the new gears to be toast in short order and even those capable of perfection don't get it perfect 100% of the time. I had one of the best gear guys around do one of my regears and he had to re-do the entire installation a couple weeks later with new gears because he botched the job. In other words, I'd pay to have them installed by someone who is very good and very experienced at it who warranties their work.

I was an active participant in my last regearing and it was more complex and more difficult than I had expected, though I knew of the complexities ahead of time.

And for 33" tires, 4.0 engine, and NV3550 transmission I'd go for 4.56. Don't let anyone talk you into 4.10.

 

[Joe.B]

Yukon is a usually good brand but they source from multiple vendors so you never quite know what quality you're getting. I'd go with Revolution Gear whose gears all come from Circle K in S. Korea who is pretty much known as the best aftermarket manufacturer of R&P gears. Yukon will occasionally ship Circle K gears but it's the luck of the draw.

Installing R&P gears is only for those willing to take the time to learn how to do it and it's not an easy process at all. Anything short of perfection will cause the new gears to be toast in short order and even those capable of perfection don't get it perfect 100% of the time. I had one of the best gear guys around do one of my regears and he had to re-do the entire installation a couple weeks later with new gears because he botched the job. In other words, I'd pay to have them installed by someone who is very good and very experienced at it who warranties their work.

I was an active participant in my last regearing and it was more complex and more difficult than I had expected, though I knew of the complexities ahead of time.

And for 33" tires, 4.0 engine, and NV3550 transmission I'd go for 4.56. Don't let anyone talk you into 4.10.

Well then thank you for all of this info I was planing on 4.56 and I guess I’ll save up a bit more to have somebody install them. I don’t want to have to spend more money in the long run

 

[eastbloc]

I will +1 for doing it yourself, if you have your own garage or at least a driveway.
Complex and patience oriented job, that may take few days to complete, nothing more. Follow steps, pay attention, keep adjusting till you achieve specified measurements.
Youtube, regearing bible, tons of step by step diy, factory manual a click away... we live in golden age.

Jerry spoken of "best gear guy", well good luck finding one if you are not in the area where such job is in demand. Every shop you visit will have one, highly recommended, decades of experience, and bla bla bla... Most shops will not have one employed, for a very specific jobs they typically call someone in. That is one of the reasons why some shops are difficult to deal with after a bad job, that same "master mechanic" monkey has to be called back or worse case hire another one.

I took mine to the shop, then had to return 2 more times. I got lucky, owner was a cool guy with whom you can share a life over a pack of beer, but still that was a week worth of me inconveniencing others for a ride. In the end owner had to give his "gear master" a break, and did the job himself. If i was not living in apartment complex, i would have done it myself.

 

[Jezza]

There can be a fair amount of tools required to do the job properly. If you are starting from scratch in the tool department it is a bit of an investment.

 

[SvtLdr]

So I'm gonna bite the bullet and re gear in the very near future for my incoming 33s. I feel pretty confident on doing it my self but I was wondering if you guys had any good advice or pointers for me I'm also not totally sure on how to use the yellow stuff forgot the name and how to get the correct gear lash. also I haven't ordered the gears yet so if you have a suggestion on what gears to get I'm thinking Yukon but if there's a better brand let me know

I encourage you to give the gear set up a try. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot to it. If you do your homework, remain patient & refuse to compromise on the outcome you'll be fine. Setting up gears isn't for everyone but there's no reason that you can't be successful with it. Read thru the Billavista Setup Bible linked above. Read thru it a second time. If you're not totally lost then I'd say you already have the technical understanding of gear set up, and that's more than half the battle.

Do you have a Jeep buddy that could use new gears also? I found that tackling this the first time went pretty well with a couple other first-timers. We learned together and helped to keep each other on track AND REMAIN PATIENT. I can't stress the importance of patience enough. We also split the cost of the specialty tools so that helped us all out.

The yellow stuff is called gear marking compound. Take photos every time you run a pattern. This will help you see how things are changing as you proceed. Backlash is established thru a combination of pinion depth and ring gear location. Again, read thru the Billavista article, it will help a lot. Don't sell yourself short or be fearful of the unknown. Just proceed with caution and be aware of what's at stake. You had yourself convinced to give it a try, right? Well get to it!

 

[eastbloc]

My front and rear 4.56 set + overhaul kit was $527 from revolution.
If memory does not fool me, tools on Amazon totaled to roughly $500 as well.

Regearing job will be in $2000-2500 range + tax. My D- in Calculus 2 tells me that you have 3 attempts to get it right before feeling dumb for not taking it to the shop.

 

[SvtLdr]

My front and rear 4.56 set + overhaul kit was $527 from revolution.
If memory does not fool me, tools on Amazon totaled to roughly $500 as well.

Regearing job will be in $2000-2500 range + tax. My D- in Calculus 2 tells me that you have 3 attempts to get it right before feeling dumb for not taking it to the shop.

Don't forget to factor in the sense of accomplishment after you finally get it right! That's gotta be worth something?

 

[tworley]

Give it a shot. Take your time, keep your work area clean and clear, jot down the thickness of each shim, have patience and a good sense of humor. It is a hell of a skill to have. I've been involved in a couple of regears and it is a pretty time consuming job. The BFH link is invaluable and so is the Billavista gear bible. Watch/read and repeat. If you can afford the downtime and have the space, I say go for it

 

[eastbloc]

Don't forget to factor in the sense of accomplishment after you finally get it right! That's gotta be worth something?

With all the scare statements Jerry has been spreading over the years after his no-go experience? Accomplishment, prestige, status, right to brag,.. man, you name it !

 

[Mudflat]

Yukon is a usually good brand but they source from multiple vendors so you never quite know what quality you're getting. I'd go with Revolution Gear whose gears all come from Circle K in S. Korea who is pretty much known as the best aftermarket manufacturer of R&P gears. Yukon will occasionally ship Circle K gears but it's the luck of the draw.

Installing R&P gears is only for those willing to take the time to learn how to do it and it's not an easy process at all. Anything short of perfection will cause the new gears to be toast in short order and even those capable of perfection don't get it perfect 100% of the time. I had one of the best gear guys around do one of my regears and he had to re-do the entire installation a couple weeks later with new gears because he botched the job. In other words, I'd pay to have them installed by someone who is very good and very experienced at it who warranties their work.

I was an active participant in my last regearing and it was more complex and more difficult than I had expected, though I knew of the complexities ahead of time.

And for 33" tires, 4.0 engine, and NV3550 transmission I'd go for 4.56. Don't let anyone talk you into 4.10.

X2 here for the 4.56 gears!

 

[rasband]

I'll be opposite of Jerry here - I think that I would take it on after working with @hosejockey61 on my own rig (not anyone else's until after a few good attempts though). It's mostly tedious work and being organized is a big plus. It's a lot of measuring, checking, installing, measuring, checking, uninstalling, and doing it all again before you can even run a pattern. However, backlash spec is what it is, pinion torque is what it is.

I'd run 4.88 for 33s on that transmission

 

[SvtLdr]

With all the scare statements Jerry has been spreading over the years after his no-go experience? Accomplishment, prestige, status, right to brag,.. man, you name it !

Oh wow, I feel you said the quiet part out loud right there?

 

[Jerry Bransford]

With all the scare statements Jerry has been spreading over the years after his no-go experience? Accomplishment, prestige, status, right to brag,.. man, you name it !

They're not "scare statements", my warnings are made so people are aware that installing gears is not an easy bolt-in process. And again, not even expert gear installers get it right it right the first time 100% of the time.

Have I EVER said it's impossible to do with no experience? Absolutely not, but it's better to be forewarned than to not be aware of the risks involved. If you would rather the very real risks not be mentioned and discussed that's not something I'll go along with.

 

[eastbloc]

They're not "scare statements", my warnings are made so people are aware that installing gears is not an easy bolt-in process. And again, not even expert gear installers get it right it right the first time 100% of the time.

Have I EVER said it's impossible to do with no experience? Absolutely not, but it's better to be forewarned than to not be aware of the risks involved. If you would rather the very real risks not be mentioned and discussed that's not something I'll go along with.

Took it too close man, i was writing in sarcastic manner and have not counterargued your statement in any way

 

[eastbloc]

delete

 

[hosejockey61]

I have always been a proponent of learning to do stuff yourself. With that being said, if you are mechanically inclined, you can do it. It can be a struggle for some people even with the videos available. Ultimately the end user needs to commit one way or the other but understand you always have help here in the forum.

I always tell people that if it's your daily driver, have a back up transportation plan in case you are struggling with the job.

 

[Joe.B]

I encourage you to give the gear set up a try. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot to it. If you do your homework, remain patient & refuse to compromise on the outcome you'll be fine. Setting up gears isn't for everyone but there's no reason that you can't be successful with it. Read thru the Billavista Setup Bible linked above. Read thru it a second time. If you're not totally lost then I'd say you already have the technical understanding of gear set up, and that's more than half the battle.

Do you have a Jeep buddy that could use new gears also? I found that tackling this the first time went pretty well with a couple other first-timers. We learned together and helped to keep each other on track AND REMAIN PATIENT. I can't stress the importance of patience enough. We also split the cost of the specialty tools so that helped us all out.

The yellow stuff is called gear marking compound. Take photos every time you run a pattern. This will help you see how things are changing as you proceed. Backlash is established thru a combination of pinion depth and ring gear location. Again, read thru the Billavista article, it will help a lot. Don't sell yourself short or be fearful of the unknown. Just proceed with caution and be aware of what's at stake. You had yourself convinced to give it a try, right? Well get to it!

thank you the videos really boosted my confidence more then what I had so I think I will give it a shot I've done everything else on my jeep by my self so I feel good about it. I also want this skill for later in life. I'm only 17 now and hoping to go into heavy equipment mechanic and welding and fab works so I'm sure this skill could come in handy some time later in life.

 

[Joe.B]

My only concern is the shimming but I think ill get a set of donor bearings that I can hone out and make it easier for me to get it all shimmed properly than once I get the right pattern I can press the real ones on. That seemed like I really helpful pointer from the BFH videos.