Has anyone done a gear swap yourselves? ... I've heard that the average wrench guy can do it just a matter of measuring pinion depth and putting the right shims between the pinion bearing to get the right clearance. I'm planning to install my 3.73's myself, Does anyone have tips that you can share? ... thanks.

While a typical gear install can be quite uneventful (especially when using FRPP gears) but you still need some specialized equipment to do it right.  A good pair of calipers to measure shim thickness, a dial indicator & magnetic stand to check backlash, a hydraulic press to remove/install bearings,  an lb/inch beam style torque wrench to measure pinion bearing preload, most improtantly some form of pinion depth tool to properly calculate the correct pinion shim to use.  While there are some shade tree methods available that may work 50% of the time, we highly recommend ponying up for professional installation of your new gearset.  While doing the install yourself may save you a couple of hundred right now, it could end up costing you a thousand later on.

I took the car to a local shop and pickin it up today .... can wait to see/feel the improvement of the new gears.

thanks.

3.73's are a welcome improvement over stock, you should be very pleased!

I got my pony back this afternoon and man! ... I do feel the improvement that the gears make ...

I got another question since I'm almost finished with bolt on's ... what are your thoughts on a aluminum drive shaft, is it worth the ~$250??

Currently I got an E-Cam, cobra 1.7 rockers, Cobra Intake, 70mm TB, BBK CAI, U/D pulleys, Flowtech longtubes and Super 44 Flows (no H or X pipe).

I read somewhere that "it's a must for a stang fanatic" but I don't want to spend the cash that I could probably save to get something else that really makes a difference performance wise. Any thoughts?

thanks

I don't know the full explanation, but I think the aluminum driveshaft makes the drivetrain work more efficient/balanced plus it shaves off some weight. Someone with more experience with these should chime in and correct me if I'm wrong.

You pretty much got it.  The aluminum driveshaft reduces unsprung & rotational weight & in theory improves acceleration.  A side benifit is that the installation of the new driveshaft oftentimes cures some vibrations.

How did you go about finding a good shop? Will most shops do this kind of work?

joeymobrien, ask around to other Mustangers in your community to see which shops they use & talk to each shop to see whom you're most comfortable with.

Exactly that, I had to ask around to who could do this kinda work since most of my local speed shops only focused on the engine. And when I found a couple (actually 4 shops) I went with the guys I felt more comfotable with ... I don't trust my pony to anyone LOL!

I INSTALLED AN ALUMINUM DRIVESHAFT ON MY OLD CAR....(93 LX). IT ONLY HAD 80,000 MILES ON IT. THE REASON I BOUGHT IT IS BECAUSE I JUST WANTED TO FREE UP THE ROTATION ON THE TRANNY SINCE I HAVE A HEAVY FOOT. LOL. BUT IN ALL HONESTY, I WAS IMPRESSED WITH IT. IT RODE VERY SMOOTH. SO, IN MY OPINION, IT WAS WELL WORTH THE MONEY. BESIDES, YOU CAN KEEP UR OLD ONE INCASE YOU DAMAGE IT. AND YOU STILL HAVE THE OLD ONE. 

Cool thanks. Checked out a couple and the last one I came upon was motion-dynamics Austin Tx

They had some pretty serious cars in there bays. Guy seemed nice and did'nt seem to mind that I was in a 93 cope instead of one of the GT350's in his shop. That goes a long way. Takeing time for the little guy LOL just jokeing.. Thanks board for haveing some good talk in hear.