3.73 put in today!

**drock608** · 06-01-2006, 09:47 AM

i have a 98 Z28 with an original 2.73 rear end ratio. I brought it into the shop and they are putting a set of 3.73 in there as I am typing this. I am curious as to what to expect from the car. With the 2.73 i ran a 13.8 1/4 mile best. That was a lot of tire spin...a lot. Also, I am paying 300 to have them installed and payed about 300 for the gears...am i getting jacked or am i getting a deal, or is this just average price? Thanks

**bene** · 06-01-2006, 10:09 AM

Originally Posted by drock608

i have a 98 Z28 with an original 2.73 rear end ratio. I brought it into the shop and they are putting a set of 3.73 in there as I am typing this. I am curious as to what to expect from the car. With the 2.73 i ran a 13.8 1/4 mile best. That was a lot of tire spin...a lot. Also, I am paying 300 to have them installed and payed about 300 for the gears...am i getting jacked or am i getting a deal, or is this just average price? Thanks

Is the 3.73 2 carrier? If so, what brand is the gear?

**nabdrill** · 06-01-2006, 02:10 PM

300 is not bad for the install... but 300 sounds kinda steep for the gears

**drock608** · 06-02-2006, 04:05 AM

It was 292 for the gears and the installation kit. yes, it is for a number 2 carrier and they are richmond gears. I have the car now and that bitch is LOUD! is this wine going to stop, its severely annoying. btw you never answered my question, what will these gears do to my performance.

**drock608** · 06-02-2006, 04:37 AM

also, the guy who did this for me said that he has done this install a thousand times and that the noise my car is making is normal. he told me that after about 2-300 miles it should lessen or even go away, but until then it has to make a groove because of how the gears are cut. This guy does a lot of work and specializes in rear-ends, so i kind of believe him but i still want to know what you all think...and since i havent been able to beat on it yet, what are normal performance gains for this particular application?

**onyx_rock** · 06-02-2006, 05:38 AM

If its whining now its only gonna get worse in my experience. When I got new 3.73s they didnt make any noise.

**DNOBLE1** · 06-02-2006, 06:04 AM

I Had 373 Richmonds Put In A Couple Of Weeks Ago And They Are Loud Also. They Were Put In And Out 4 Times And The Last Time We Called Richmond Tech And They Said To Set Up Just Like We Did The First Time. They Said That The Gears For The 7.625 Are The Worst They Make For Noise And If It Wasn't For The Demand They Wouldn't Make Them.
What Kind Of Gear Do You Have That Is Quiet? Which Ones Make The Least Noise?

**drock608** · 06-02-2006, 06:10 AM

Well i dont know what to say then. The gears came with an instruction manual and what not, and on the manual it had a little section for break-in. In that section it maintained that for 200 miles or so it was going to be noisy, as well as the fact that i should not put any load on it for that period of time. Wtf do i do? im having a mechanic and the manual directly from richmond telling me one thing, and all of you guys telling me something completely opposite.

**nabdrill** · 06-02-2006, 07:44 AM

I put richmond 373's in my car. Set the lash at .004 with the same side-to-side spacing as the 323's. Ended up with .035 behind the pinion.

No noise... but a properly set-up rearend shouldn't make noise, new-old-low miles-high mile. If it's making noise, somethings not right.

You can buy a lash dial at any parts house and check that yourself, if you have some jackstands.

**BlackZ28629** · 06-22-2006, 09:44 AM

Noise=improperly Shimmed

**white98** · 07-09-2006, 02:08 PM

2 sets of richmond gears, 2 different shops...
1st set and shop...NOISE and gears broke after a few thousand miles
2nd set and different shop [3.73] NO NOISE

**NHRAMAN** · 07-09-2006, 02:11 PM

Originally Posted by onyx_rock

If its whining now its only gonna get worse in my experience. When I got new 3.73s they didnt make any noise.

mine are not loud,nor were they ever.

**NinerSevenTango** · 07-09-2006, 08:23 PM

I had a rear end gearset put in by a "Ring And Pinion" shop once. Noisy as hell, and the mechanics were hacks. Went to pick up the car and one of the mechanics was wailing away at some lady's axle with a 3 lb hammer, leaving dents on the wheel flange, and I SAW him miss and hit a wheel stud, denting the threads. So I get the car and the F***er was noisy as hell. They said it's normal, and we're not going to take it back apart again, sue us. Well it was may girlfriend's car, she was psycho, so she's gone, the car's gone, and good riddance, I hope the thing smoked on her anyway.

After that, I did some research, and went to a local shop to have it done on one of my cars. Professional people, no freekin noise. And the cost was about the same.

I guess the moral of the story is to ask around, get a shop with a good reputation, and make sure they will do whatever it takes to fix it if you get a whiner.

My SS has 410 gears in it and it is quiet. I don't know who put this one together, though, but just to let you know, they don't have to be loud. When a shop tells you they're loud and there's nothing they can do about it, they are lying. I bet it runs real hot, making that kind of noise. You might want to check that out before you take any cross country trips. I had a failing rear end on a Suburban boil the oil out on the freeway once.

I'd ask the shop if they want you to give it a brown paint job using parts of their anatomy to get it that color. And yes, actually sue them if you have to. Make it cheaper for them to fix it than to fight you. Print this out, show it to him, and invite him to reply.

--97T--