Different spider gears housing
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 1,652
Likes: 2
From: 1990 383 Stroker Baltimore Maryland
Different spider gears housing
I found out a expensive lesson a couple of weeks back. When I had my Dana 36 3.07 gears switched to Richmond 3.75 ring and pinion I had to purchase a different housing for my spider gears so that the gears would fit. It almost doubled the price for parts on the job. 
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 17,298
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From: The Top of Utah
Ouch! You bought a "thick ring gear" gear set instead of standard gears. The "thick ring gear" gear sets are "special" to install 3 series gears onto a 2 series diff case, to save the expense of buying a different case. Obviously, with 3.07s, you already HAD a 3 series case. Now in all fairness, I'm not sure anyone makes a conventional, "thin gear", 3.73 gear set. The 3.31s were the lowest factory ratio for the D36.
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Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 1,652
Likes: 2
From: 1990 383 Stroker Baltimore Maryland
Originally Posted by CFI-EFI
Ouch! You bought a "thick ring gear" gear set instead of standard gears. The "thick ring gear" gear sets are "special" to install 3 series gears onto a 2 series diff case, to save the expense of buying a different case. Obviously, with 3.07s, you already HAD a 3 series case. Now in all fairness, I'm not sure anyone makes a conventional, "thin gear", 3.73 gear set. The 3.31s were the lowest factory ratio for the D36.
RACE ON!!!
RACE ON!!!
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 17,298
Likes: 33
From: The Top of Utah
Probably nothing major. The thicker gear puts the gear contact point further away from the case, and there may be a leverage factor that compromises strength, slightly. I wouldn't worry about it. However if it were a better way to go, the factory wouldn't have bothered to make two cases. More than one case to accommodate a specific range of ratios is an industry norm, not just a fluke of the Dana 36. There is a genius on this forum that keeps advising everyone that a thicker gear is stronger. While that may possibly be technically true, it is not in an area that is vulnerable as set up and running in a differential. Since the money is gone, don't worry about it.
RACE ON!!!
RACE ON!!!
