Rear End Change

[jeblack123]

Happy Holidays. Question (may be a stupid one) from a newbie. All of the discussion about rear end changes discuss changing the entire rear end. Is it possible to only change the ring and pinion? What are the pitfalls or cons. I am sure that this has been tried and discussed previously, so any info would be of value. I have a 68 280 Euro auto with a 3.92 rear end and am interested in changing to a 3.27 and believe that I have located one to purchase, but wanted to explore any possible alternatives. Thanks, in advance for any info and assistance.

James

[Garry]

The problem is that the crown wheel does not fit in the relatively small pumpkin that is fitted to the Pagoda so the whole axle is changed over.

And having done a change over, it is a great improvement to the pleasurable driving with the lowered revs with little loss in acceleration unless you are a speed demon.

Garry

[George Des]

Some other who have tackled these rear axles no doubt will weigh in too, but having opened up the rear end completely on a 230SL rear axle to change out the crush sleeve and all the bearings including the two pinion bearings and side bearings, I can tell you that getting inside one these axles and getting everything right again is a long involved job. Swapping the ring and pinion is much more involved than a simple remove and replace and requires some fairly sophisticated measurements to ensure that the mesh is correct. In the long run, swapping out the entire rear end with the ratio you want would be much easier and cheaper with a whole heck of a lot less frustration. My two cents. hope this helps.

George