What else do I need to "upgrade" when doing gears? What is the preferred method of correcting the mileage? Thanks, Mike
Well, I always say when you do the gears to do all the bearing and the trac-lok at the same time. Order the FULL overhaul kit from someone like american muscle and you shouldnt have a problem. Youll need a few special tools if you didnt know that already. Ive found the best way to correct the speedo is by getting a speed cal.
http://www.americanmuscle.com/ford-speedo-tool-9410.html you have X mph coming into the box, and whatever you dial it to, will adjust the speed based on %. set it to 100, it won't change it. set it to 050, it will read half, 200 is double, etc. You can do math, set it, verify gps, tweak it etc. I wired mine into the trans harness at the firewall, and velcro'd it to the firewall itself. easy to pop the hood, take the cover off and change the dials. you change tire size, anything, this will correct it.
What is a girdle (and where can I buy one), and what do I need for rebuilt the t-lok (and where can I buy those parts)?
It appears ford racing no longer makes 4.30s...anybody have experience with Motive Performance? http://www.americanmuscle.com/motive-430-9498gt.html
Also, the drain/fill ports are nice. I wish I had one, but I always find other things higher on the list to buy...lol I feel its better to jack up on this, than the stock cover potentially bending it, leaking fluid on the ground....
Motive gears tend to have an issue with whining. A girdle is studded which makes it a fair amount stronger, plus, as mentioned, it has a drain hole and fill hole so if you want to service the fluid you can without having to crack the seal which is really nice.
Thanks everyone!!! What about doing upper and lower rear control arms...is it "worth" it to upgrade those?
Maximum Motorsports doesn't recommend stiffer upper control arms, just better bushings. As for lowers, it seems like a lot of people find stiffer units being a large improvement.
Ive run richmonds, Ford racing, motive and a few other off brands. They are all pretty much the same, the installers attention to detail on getting the gear mesh, pinion preload, etc correct is more important. If you have the money and plan to take the car to a pretty wild setup in the future, i would do a ful 31/35 spline axle upgrade, c clip eliminators, girdle, locker, LCA's, shocks and UCA's if your just wanting to increase the fun of a daily driver gears w/ full axle rebuild girdle LCA's and UCA's shocks