[andrewb70]

Last week I took a spare 9" carrier, that I have been dragging around for about 8 years, to a recommended shop to swap out the ring and pinion. This was a Currie nodular 9" carrier that came with a 31 spline True Track diff, but had a useless 4.57 ring and pinion gear.

A while back I purchased a used OEM 2.75 ring and pinion and also a REM polished 2.75 ring and pinion from Quick Performance. I told the guy to use whichever gear set he felt would be the quietest. HE ended up setting up the used OEF Ford gear. I started the carrier swap yesterday and finished it up this afternoon.

I took my first drive and I have to say, that in my opinion, this is the optimal rear axle ratio when using the 8HP70 transmission. The gears are very quiet and I am pretty pleased.

For anyone contemplating the 8HP transmission swap, I would use either a 2.75 or at most a 3.00 gear set, assuming the typical 25.5 to 27 inch tall tires that we all use. With a taller tire, a 3.25 gear would work as well.

Andrew