I swap from a 2.93 to a 3.46 ratio differential and install a type 188K limited slip kit from RacingDiffs to greatly improve acceleration!


The input and output flanges from the 2.93 have to be swapped over to the 3.46 since they have different bolt patters.



My biggest mistake was not marking the pinion nut before I took it off. Most people reinstall it at the same angle to get about the same torque on the pinion bearing however, I swapped input flanges and didn't want to trust that they'd be the exact same. (Actually, I forgot). This nut controls pinion bearing preload and the wear pattern of the ring and pinion gears, and I reinstalled it with about the same torque as it took to get it off. I also made sure the pinion was not too difficult to spin by hand with the nut installed about the same as my donor differential. I was worried that the backlash noise was an indication that there was too much play, but after measuring backlash with a dial indicator and testing the wear pattern with grease, I was more confident. (I did test play in 3 different spots, which isn't shown in the video). If the backlash was too large, I could have tried swapping the left and right retaining ring spacers moving the ring gear closer to the pinion, but leaving the total distance (preload on the axle bearings, adjusted by the sum of both spacers) the same.


The spider gear pin was very problematic as well. It kept shearing the retaining ring when I tried pressing it in. I went through 4 clips, but finally got it. Orienting it just right helps, but I also filed down an incomplete chamfer on the pin that was snagging on the ring and shearing it.


Yet another problem is the axle flanges they need to be shortened so they can be pressed in all the way. It's best to do this with a lathe, but a diamond cutoff wheel and lots of filing might suffice as well.


All in all, the process took around 6 weeks, but can be done in a few hours with the proper knowledge and tools. I hope this video helps some folks who attempt this!