4.8 final drive

[mid_life_crisis]

Originally Posted by Sirsimon

Lots of discussion here: http://www.ft86club.com/forums and here: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...ad.php?t=27647

If I recall correctly from the above (and at least one other) thread labor was close to $1k. Obviously cheaper if you can do the installation yourself, but it is something you have to get right the first time and takes a lot of experience.

Parts can be fairly inexpensive if from a donor or pricey if you buy from Cusco, MFactory, etc. The second thread includes part numbers and more detailed pricing for at least a partial DIY project.

Weir has new parts for a much better price than some of the others as well and has a good reputation if you don't want to go used.
Those labor hours (they need to remove the rear end from the car, dismantle it, and put it back in so there are a lot of hours) make the shop's labor rate a big influence on the total cost. You decide how cheap you want to go there.

[BlueDubbinTDI]

http://ft86speedfactory.com/mfactory...-gear-556.html

So this is everything? Then just ask the shop "hey, I want a final drive swap whats it gunna cost?"

tune or anything else required?

[fooddude]

Originally Posted by mid_life_crisis

Those labor hours (they need to remove the rear end from the car, dismantle it, and put it back in so there are a lot of hours) make the shop's labor rate a big influence on the total cost. You decide how cheap you want to go there.

The actual installation of the gears inside takes a bit of time, yes. But, dropping the pumpkin only takes 30min-1hr tops and is super easy.

[mid_life_crisis]

Tune not required, but generally speaking, never a bad idea if you don't have one already. I'm trying to talk the wife into a OFT for the upcoming b-day.
Even then, if I thought I could swing it, I'd get the rear end changed out first.

[Sirsimon]

If you can afford it and pull together all the parts, it really does seem like a smart upgrade for the way a lot of people drive their 86.

[BlueDubbinTDI]

Originally Posted by mid_life_crisis

Tune not required, but generally speaking, never a bad idea if you don't have one already. I'm trying to talk the wife into a OFT for the upcoming b-day.
Even then, if I thought I could swing it, I'd get the rear end changed out first.

Agreed. But that link really was everything required for install?

[mid_life_crisis]

Originally Posted by BlueDubbinTDI

Agreed. But that link really was everything required for install?

I clicked on that link and all I saw were the two gears, pinion and ring.
You need shims, possibly bearings, I think there is a gasket that needs replacing, there is more, but those two are the big ticket items.
You also want to shop around.
Check this out:
Weir Performance

[uncivilised]

i have a 4.55 final drive in mine and loving it. i reckon its the best compromise for acceleration and highway cruising. 3000rpm at 100kph in 6th is fine for me.

i also have a spare lsd diff, maybe i should try 4.88 or 5.1 lol

[86drift]

I bought Cusco stuff. They have an LSD option that you can use Toyota 4.9 or 5.1 gears with. All up it was around $2k shipped to Australia. I did the install myself.
Videos aren't that useful for comparison. But here's one anyway.
[ame]http://youtu.be/3eB3qeOLcI8[/ame]

[Sirsimon]

^ Looks pretty ballsy to me. :-)

[DAN_BRZ]

@86drift how did u find the Install. Do u think this is a DIY project or a leave it up to the professionals kind of thing.

[fooddude]

Imo and my experience...I wouldn't DIY this. I have done many simpler/intermediate DIYs (such as all suspension parts, rear diff swaps, transmission swaps and mild dismantles(swapping out the already assembled clusters inside tranny case), swapped heads, helped swap engines, basic engine tuning and operation, etc., etc...basically anything that's relatively easy to bolt on and off or has a higher degree of tolerance checking or calibration...and I have done basic electrical for cars and also music production gear); but, something that looks like it needs specialized tools that I(or most people) don't usually have (like presses, etc.) and also requires critical tolerance measurements (shims, etc), I am honestly just scared to mess things up even in the slightest (or, to seemingly get it right first (for the first few weeks) only to find out it breaks and/or is unreliable after a couple months), and will just leave it to the pros. Also, using wood/rubber blocks, mallets, hammers, clamps, sticks, poles, etc. to get the bearings out just sounds too ghetto for me and risky/prone to damage things.

I've had pretty competent friends in the past, novice'ly rebuild the bottom end. Everything seemed good at first for the first couple months; but the slightest of miss-measurement of tolerances will for sure not work a long time like oem. Gear installations inside trannys and diffs and rebuilding of engine blocks are things I don't trust my skill level with and will leave to the pros. I could be wrong though; and, those FD pinion and gear might really be feasible and not too hard to install for a DIY'er..but I really don't know how critical all those tolerances need to be to be oem/super reliable (so your question is a good one and I'd love to hear others' opinions on it)..but, for now, I just don't want to risk it.


Here's a great DIY on how to do it:
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54054

Just by reading it....I know I will run into problems lol. And all the makeshift tools (like hammers, sticks, etc) seem a bit scary.

[Boxer486]

Originally Posted by fooddude

Imo and my experience...I wouldn't DIY this. I have done many simpler/intermediate DIYs (such as all suspension parts, rear diff swaps, transmission swaps and mild dismantles(swapping out the already assembled clusters inside tranny case), swapped heads, helped swap engines, basic engine tuning and operation, etc., etc...basically anything that's relatively easy to bolt on and off or has a higher degree of tolerance checking or calibration...and I have done basic electrical for cars and also music production gear); but, something that looks like it needs specialized tools that I(or most people) don't usually have (like presses, etc.) and also requires critical tolerance measurements (shims, etc), I am honestly just scared to mess things up even in the slightest (or, to seemingly get it right first (for the first few weeks) only to find out it breaks and/or is unreliable after a couple months), and will just leave it to the pros. Also, using wood/rubber blocks, mallets, hammers, clamps, sticks, poles, etc. to get the bearings out just sounds too ghetto for me and risky/prone to damage things.

I've had pretty competent friends in the past, novice'ly rebuild the bottom end. Everything seemed good at first for the first couple months; but the slightest of miss-measurement of tolerances will for sure not work a long time like oem. Gear installations inside trannys and diffs and rebuilding of engine blocks are things I don't trust my skill level with and will leave to the pros. I could be wrong though; and, those FD pinion and gear might really be feasible and not too hard to install for a DIY'er..but I really don't know how critical all those tolerances need to be to be oem/super reliable (so your question is a good one and I'd love to hear others' opinions on it)..but, for now, I just don't want to risk it.


Here's a great DIY on how to do it:
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54054

Just by reading it....I know I will run into problems lol. And all the makeshift tools (like hammers, sticks, etc) seem a bit scary.

Swapping out the final drive is nothing remotely as difficult and precise as rebuilding the bottom end of an import motor. Sounds like your friends are used to dealing with tenths and hundredths on their domestic small blocks, not the thousandths on an import.

At least you're honest with yourself, just don't let your novice hobbyist friends talk you into monkeying with your block. That's like letting the neighborhood witch doctor treat your cancer.

[fooddude]

Hahaha. Ya, I'd never have a novice work on my car's parts that required something as precise as the engine internals...it was a while ago anyways in the 90s and I am totally disconnected with them these days. It wasn't domestics, it was hondas back then (swapping to higher comp jdm r pistons, rods, or just plain rebuilding old ones to stock, etc.) Not saying all of them didn't do it right; just a few. The others that did it right actually did a good job at it and had little cr@ppy shops.