[eprovenzano]

I'm starting to plan out the regearing of my son's TJ. We hope to do it during the summer months. The Jeep is a 97 SE, 2.5 4 cylinder, 5 spd with 4 inch lift with 33's. We will go with the 4.88 gears. I've started to do some research, but I'm not sure as to what is needed.

I know I need to do both the front and rear... I know we want to go with the 4.88 gears. I think I've found someone I feel competent of installing the new gears, as this project is best left to the professionals. For this project, I prefer to purchase the material, and pay someone to install it.

What I don't know is beside the obvious, (new gears) what else do I need. I've seen a master install kit, not sure what it is and why its needed. Any specific brands I should look at, stay away from, etc.

Any info that the jeep Gods would like to pass along would be greatly appreciated.

[justin_76]

Find a reputiable mechanic and ask him what you will need. They should be able to tell you everything they will need to do the install.

[Jerry Bransford]

Are you using someone at a shop to install the gears? If so, make sure THEY provide all the parts, not you. If they provide the parts and something goes wrong with the gears after they're installed, which does happen, then they will be responsible for everything... not just the labor. If you provided the parts, then they would blame the parts you provided and even if you could get them replaced under warranty, you'd have to pay for their labor again.

Brand-wise, Spicer, Superior Axle, and Yukon have good reputations. I personally am no fan of Genuine Gear which is a house brand for 4Wheel Parts.

[Hot Sauce]

The master install kit comes with stuff like new bearings, shims, ring gear bolts, marking compound, pinion nut, crush sleeve, and seals. It's needed because of all the fine tuning that needs to be done to get the new gears aligned. But like Jerry said, if you're not doing it yourself, its best to let the installer take care of that stuff.