Recommendations for an 8.8" rear rebuild...

[gt40]

Can anyone recommend a shop that can rebuild my 8.8" rear? It's several years old now and I figure its due (I know for sure the pinion bearing and seal has 220,000 miles on it.)

Now that I think about it, I can do everything EXCEPT set the pinion gear. Can anyone do that or does anyone know of a reliable shop that can install it to the correct Ford depth (it's a Ford gear set.)

-- Robert (I'm not dead yet.)

[BryanL]

Standard Transmission and Gear in Fort Worth can certainly do it but you should be able to find someone closer.

[marshall_mosty]

Call Richard Painter. He can set it up for you.
Dallas Mustang may or may not want to touch it
I could do it, but have zero time for my own crap right now...

[gt40]

I could do it, but have zero time for my own crap right now...

Same here, but I've never set up a pinion gear, and I don't have the correct tools to do it. Perhaps we could work something out for just the pinion?

[gt40]

I could do it, but have zero time for my own crap right now...

I could do the whole thing EXCEPT for the pinion gear -- I've never set one up and I don't have the experience or the tools needed. Perhaps we could work something out for just the pinion?

[ShadowBolt]

I could do the whole thing EXCEPT for the pinion gear -- I've never set one up and I don't have the experience or the tools needed. Perhaps we could work something out for just the pinion?

All you need to set-up the pinion on the 8.8 is a long breaker bar, a companion bar, some cheater pipe and a inch pound torque wrench. You tightem the pinion nut crushing the crush sleeve until it has the right amount of pre-load. I found a video on youtube that shows it done correctly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8APYO2sZyJU

JJ

[gt40]

All you need to set-up the pinion on the 8.8 is a long breaker bar, a companion bar, some cheater pipe and a inch pound torque wrench. You tightem the pinion nut crushing the crush sleeve until it has the right amount of pre-load. I found a video on youtube that shows it done correctly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8APYO2sZyJU

JJ

Really? How do you set the pinion depth correctly?

[Wade]

The crappy part about setting the depth is that it is properly measured to the centerline of the main caps, so if you can devise a method/tool to accurately locate the centerline of the main bearings/caps/axles, you just add shims under the pinion until you get the distance from the top of the pinion to that centerline correct. The pinion is the easy part. The backlash is the hard part.

[edrock96GT]

When I installed 3.73s I just miked the old pinion + shims, then measured the new pinion and added whatever thickness of shims I needed to match the total length of the old one. That will result in the same depth. Just don't do what I did and think that the inner bearing race is seated just because it's flush with the case...

To me the backlash is the easy part. Just move shims from one side to the other until your pattern looks right. The best thing to do once you find the right amount of shims is to buy a single shim per side that's the total thickness you end up with, rather than multiple shims that can shift around.

[ShadowBolt]

Really? How do you set the pinion depth correctly?

What Wade said.

JJ