so my pinion bearings are shot. the car apparently has 373 gears installed by a previous owner which i have no information on. anyone have any kind of input on what kind of job its gonna be to replace these bearings, and what all is involved? i would appreciate any help.

Basically here is the procedure: Jackstand rear of car, remove rear wheels, remove rear brake calipers and rotors, remove differential inspection cover, drain fluid, Unbolt driveshaft u-bolts,remove driveshaft, remove pinion shaft nut with an impact, remove pinion seal, remove ring gear cap bolts with impact, remove caps, push axles towards center of car, remove c-clips from axels, pull axles out of spider gears, remove ring gear assembly, remove pinion gear . If you don't have a press, you'll have to take it to a machine shop or garage to have them remove the old bearing and press on the new one. Reverse procedure to reinstall, using new axle and pinion seals. Keep in mind you'll have to set up the rearend,( use a dial indicator and prussion dye to get the correct heel to toe pattern on the gears so you have the correct pinion depth/ backlash, or your differential will self destruct.) Use a new gasket or sealant on the rear cover, fill back up with gear lube, replace any tranny fluidyou may have lost, and you'll be good to go. Also a good repair manuel will help. Dave

sounds good. thanks. had the axles out already and replaced wheel bearings so it doesnt seem too much more involved than that. also i just happen to be a machinist so i will be able to press everything in and out. thanks alot for the rundown.

No problem, happy to be able to help. That's what were here for. Being a machinist you should have no problems. Just make sure to get that backlash set correctly.

so i finally got time to tear the rear apart on the bird. turns out the pinion nut was just loose. checked out the bearings and races and all are in tact with barely any signs of wear. i will be getting a new pinion nut, crush collar, and pinion seal and slappin it all back together. with the money i save on the bearings i will be picking up a trans cooler and hopefully i will have it all back together and trans cooler installed by next weekend.

ok, so i need the torque specs for the carrier bolts and the pinion nut if anyone knows these offhand?