Dana 36 Gear Change
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Instructor
Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 167
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From: Connecticut, USA
Dana 36 Gear Change
I want to change the rear gears in my '89 which has 2.59's and an auto trans. There's a lot of confusion about thick and thin gears. My question is if I got an OEM 3.07 ring and pinion out of another C4 Dana 36, is it going to fit my differential?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2005
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From: Clearwater Florida
If the gears that you have came out of a C4, they will fit. The C4 D36 only had one carrier and the "thickness" of the ring gear was factored into the gear set automatically by the vendor. And yours should be Dana Spicer Gears. But I agree with X-X-Fire that its way more economical to pick up a 3.07 chunk and sell your original 2.59 chunk than it is to buy a ring and pinion and install the gears only.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 167
Likes: 33
From: Connecticut, USA
Still more economical even if you already have the ring and pinion? The set I have came out of a C4 D36. The differential has no problems, can I stuff these in putting everything back the way it was?
Last edited by spaceweasel; Feb 16, 2026 at 11:18 AM.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2003
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This is correct and the OP need a differential from a 3.07 D36 to install or use a ring gear spacer that was popular many years ago before there were 'thick' gear productions.
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Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 167
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From: Connecticut, USA
I wanted to dump the station wagon gears for something that could make it roll a little better on a limited budget. I did buy the 3:07 pumpkin and glad I did after learning about setting this carrier up. They want too much for a Dana 44 and batwing. They are getting scarce.
I think this will give me a little more zoom without increasing my highway mileage too much. Might be the sweet spot with an auto. I know it's not going to be like my '68 Ram Air II Firebird 400 with 4:33's. Anybody want to buy a 2.59 pumpkin?
Last edited by spaceweasel; Feb 24, 2026 at 02:52 PM.
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Joined: Jun 2023
Posts: 55
Likes: 22
You must have a Dana 44, and I imagine a manual trans.
I wanted to dump the station wagon gears for something that could make it roll a little better on a limited budget. I did buy the 3:07 pumpkin and glad I did after learning about setting this carrier up. They want too much for a Dana 44 and batwing. They are getting scarce.
I think this will give me a little more zoom without increasing my highway mileage too much. Might be the sweet spot with an auto. I know it's not going to be like my '68 Ram Air II Firebird 400 with 4:33's. Anybody want to buy a 2.59 pumpkin?
I wanted to dump the station wagon gears for something that could make it roll a little better on a limited budget. I did buy the 3:07 pumpkin and glad I did after learning about setting this carrier up. They want too much for a Dana 44 and batwing. They are getting scarce.
I think this will give me a little more zoom without increasing my highway mileage too much. Might be the sweet spot with an auto. I know it's not going to be like my '68 Ram Air II Firebird 400 with 4:33's. Anybody want to buy a 2.59 pumpkin?