calling all Gear Gods (4.88s)

[raviolli]

alright, so i found a guy locally selling one set of 4.88 gears for a dana 44 for a decent price. I'm not an expert on the whole regearing thing, thats why I'm not going to do it myself, but i wanna know one thing before i go pick them up. the gears are out of an '04 wrangler. everything should fit, right? he also has a standard carrier to fit, and i plan on lockers down the road. ill acquire the parts to do both axles at once, but i want to make sure I'm not getting parts i can't use

[mvusse]

Used gears are a bigger pain to set up than new ones, because they need to match the existing wear pattern. Not to say I have ever shied away from used gears in good shape for the right price, but....

 

By the time you add the cost of a master install kit (bearings, races and shims needed for the install) and the cost when you pay someone to install them, the money saved by buying used gears is negligible.

[raviolli]

 

these gears have less than 3k on them and have been sitting in the box (so he says). he's asking $65. I'm also waiting to find out an installation price from a friend of a friend. My friend dropped a 4bt in a ranger back when we were going to school together. very knowledgeable kid. truck turned out beautifully as well and in tip top shape. so when he says this guy helped him with the stuff he couldnt do himself, i trust his work more than some shop i have yet to find.

anyways, thank you for your input. i just want to be sure theres nothing I'm missin as far as compatibility. as far as i know, ring and pinions from a dana 44 are all the same aside from the tooth count...but thats just my understanding. so please correct me if I'm wrong.....or confirm if I'm not

I'm not ready to jump into it yet, still need to get the other set and of course the extra $$$

[Globex]

It will work. They are the same as far as that goes. They do look like they have been sitting around for a while though. My suggestion is save up the other $100 and buy new.

[raviolli]

I'm gonna go take a look at em. maybe theyll look cleaner in person, but theres only one way to find out. if they look rough, its no biggie. I'm not ready for regearing yet anyways.

[HKB3]

I would pass on those gears, there is rust on them. Also a FYI when I had my shop I would not install used gears for customers, just not worth it having to risk a comeback for noisy or whining gears. I am not saying all used gears are bad but if the source is unknown 9 out of 10 times it is just better to get new especially since there is so much labor(time) to set up gears properly.

Just my $0.02

[raviolli]

i went with them

I appreciate everyones $0.02, and if i get noise after theyre installed, it won't be a mystery. but the pics look way worse than they actually are. what looks like rust was really just the grease that sat on them. i took a paper towel/rag to them and the stuff just rubbed right off. they shined right up except for a very few spots. i wouldnt even call it rusty spots, just discolored (grey, not rust-colored). feels completely smooth when you run your fingers across every tooth

 

The source wasnt exactly unknown. the guy has an '04 wrangler and went to 5.13s right away. had them sitting in the box ever since. anyways, i appreciate all input. and once theyre installed, i assure you itll be on here somewhere how it goes