You guys are confusing the crap outta me I guess when talking about gears for the "36" it should also add "series2 or series3" to clear it up. From CFI I get the 3.73 is an after market gear for the "series 2" but does that mean it only fits that one or does it fit both?

 

My D36 has stood up to a lot of punishment. I've been down the strip over hundreds of times now and nothing gave yet! I've dead hooked too and still waiting for it to break so I can swap over to a non-IRS set up with a 12 bolt. Also much lighter than IRS.

 

A 2.59 ratio is a "2 series" because it starts with a "2". You can re-gear to any other "2 series" gear ratio with nothing other than the change in the gear set (ring and pinion). To go to a "3 series" gear ratio, you can either use a gear set with a thick ring gear or change the differential, posi, internal or ring gear case (whatever you prefer to call it), but not the the third member carrier, the aluminum carrier and caps, the item that bolts to the batwing, to a "3 series" case, and a conventional OE thickness ring gear gear set. A thick ring gear is not any noisier than a conventional ring gear because of the thickness. Some after market gear sets are noisier than OE gear sets, but the ring gear thickness is not the cause.



You use a thick ring gear when you try to install a three series ratio onto a 2 series differential case.

The OP was/is installing a three series gear ratio onto a three series (3.07:1) case. A thick ring gear wouldn't fit. Whether the 3.73 gears whine or not has nothing to do with ring gear thickness. Gear whine is a product of how the gears are cut and how they are lapped during manufacturing and also on how they are set up when installed. The whine, if present, comes from how the gear teeth mesh.



Close. And thank you. You had thick gears installed onto a series 2 differential case, (or any of the other of names I listed above) and into your existing carrier housing (or any of the other of names I listed above).



On a "3 series" case, yes you were wrong. Only the OE thickness "3 series" ring gear will fit on a "3 series" case. If there is no OE thickness ring gear gear set for the D36 in the ratio you want, than you would have to convert to a "2 series" case to use the thick ring gear.



Any 3.73 (3.75) or 3.54 gear set for the D36 HAS to be after market, because Dana never made the D36 in those ratios. I believe the after market has produced these in both OE (thin) and thick ring gear configurations. Three series gears, of OE thickness (thin) go on (need) a "3 series" case. Special thick ring gear gear sets allow the installation of "3 series" on a "2 series" case.



Marginally, yes. Any time the ratio is lowered, the pinion gets smaller, making it weaker. As the pinion gets smaller, the ring gear has to be made thicker to mate up with the pinion. At a certain point the OE elects to make a different differential, or internal case, with a relocated ring gear mounting flange to keep the ring gear size and weight reasonable. THAT is the reason for the "2 series" and "3 series" differential cases. The thick gear allows the ring gear to mesh with the pinion where it otherwise wouldn't reach, on a "2 series" case. The thickness of the ring gear does not make anything any stronger. In fact, due to the leverage, the third member is weaker with a thick ring gear.

I hope this helps clear thing up.

RACE ON!!!

 

yes.

 

In the Corvette Dana36 application, it sounds so. However you would have been correct if you were talking about a lot of other GM rear-ends, that use a 2-series 'carrier' (or case if you want to call it that) up to 3.08.

I think 3.23 is the first 3-series in a lot of 10 bolts.

It's safe to say if it has 2.xx gears it's a 2-series carrier, but its never safe to say if it has 3.xx gears its a 3-series.

-- Joe

 

I can't coment on smog. I just know when I open the door in the morning I see it in the vally and I don't know how it got their
Now thats funny

 

Jesse had said that to. I don't see how. I picked up my diff + batwing with one hand, and then moving an entire unbolted setup I could do by myself and walk it across the garage.

Even a 10bolt of my old f-body and I needed a buddies hand. Most of the IRS is lightweight alum, and the composite spring weighs nothing. Even a set of coil springs is going to weigh a few lbs.

-- joe

 

I would really need to see a head to head weight comparison on these rears. If I'm gonna be gaining more break resistance with a solid axle as well as the weight benefits, I may as well start either coming up with my own solid axle design and fab or even better, buying Jesse's bolt in design. I'll be needing to determine the time:cost ratio soon.

 

It is different, for various makes and models of rear ends, as I related in a previous post. However, on the popular "10 Bolt", the 8.5" ring gear model deemed acceptable for performance applications, only the 2.56:1 ratio uses it's own case. All other ratios lower than 2.56, on up into the 4s use a common diff case.

Not always, as per my example above. However, since this is the C4 section, all the Dana 36 and Dana 44 ICA (Independent Carrier Axles) used in C4s use a different differential or internal case for ratios in the twos from the differential or internal case used for ratios in the threes. The case change comes, cleanly, between the 2s and the 3s. For the sake of discussions here, a C4 with a gear ratio beginning with a 2 has a 2" series" ICA and if the ratio begins with a 3 it is a "3 series". Non-stock, after market parts, can change what components are required for proper assembly.

RACE ON!!!

 

I think if I were to go as far as building a race car that required an axle such as his, I'd probably build a vega or early 60s nova.

-- Joe

 

My understanding is that some aftermarket ring and pinion manufacturers use different tooth counts to produce the same numerical ratio. For example, a ring with 40 teeth and a pinion with 10 teeth makes a 4:1 ratio. 48 tooth ring with 12 tooth pinion makes a 4:1 ratio, the same ratio but the set with more teeth has more contact area between the ring and pinion, which should allow it to handle more stress. I've also heard that gear sets with higher tooth counts are less likely to make annoying noises because there are more teeth engaged at one time. I'm not so sure about the noise deal because I'm not an expert in accoustics, but with my limited physics education, it makes sense that more contact area means increased durability.

Personal experience, in an old camaro with a GM ten bolt, the Richmond 3.42:1 gears made considerably more noise than the stock 2.73:1 set, but with a nice open exhaust and wide sticky tires I never really noticed on the highway and the boost off the line was well worth any trade offs in noise or gas mileage. It really didn't change the gas mileage much at all as a matter of fact. Maybe .5 mpg decrease, but that was probably more because of my happy right foot.

Just my $.02, let me know if I've got change coming back...,

 

I will make it simple for everyone.

If you have the "G92" option and the "G44" 3.07 gear set, you have a "series "3" pumplin/case/carrier. If you don't you have those options on your print out, you have the "2 series" type carrier. Both Dana 36's, two different cases, so different gear sets. I have the G92 and have 263,000 miles on the rear end, and I race it with no problems at all, but I do SCCA type, not drag racing.

 

I' am not sure where you are buying these from but, I called a guy a couple a weeks ago and he said new in box for lt1 then I said I have auto, different won't fit. Then he says oh waut I think they are for an auto. I said give me the numbers I'll sheck hours later he calls with nymbers. He probably found or called for the right numbers. even if they were right he probly got ripped off and tried to lie and tip off someone else ! I'm not saying it's the same guy but good luck buyer beware!

 

the answer I was always told no! and they say all gears are pretty much the same from all makers! they only frown on installing used gears! because people abuse things!

here's my 2 cents because it took me 2 years or real research and commiting!
if you wnat stron g and have power and traction go to a d44 with what ever gears you want. D36 is smaller and weaker! but if you are spinning maybe won't matter ask people who have gears here!

Auto=D36 2.59, 2.73 the performance package got 3.07
Stick=D44 3.07 and up

He is right and gear with carrier with 2.59-2.73 etc means #2 carrier
the 3.07 and up are a series#3 carrier
the 4.11 and up are 4 series


you can buy thick gears to fit the taller #2 gear carrier, up to 3.75only so far plus some people say they can't handle too much torque !

the #3 series goes up to any thing under 4 I think you can go 3.9-something.

the number # 3 can also get gears in the 4.11-up ratio
sorry for rambling this info is off the internet and corvette shops by me!

 

Like 16 years late here, but I've been a mechanic for over 30 years. The part the ring gear bolts to is called the carrier, end of story. Anyone who says different doesn't know cars