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Q: I have a few questions about the 4:10 gears. What is
the cost of the viper gears?
A: I bought my set of 4.10s from Al
Kindler on the ZR-1 Net for $290 (including shipping). Al is at
USAZR1@aol.com. I'm not sure if he's still selling them or not. If not,
the Viper gears [available from your local Chrysler dealer] are a great
alternative and can also be had for around $300 if you shop around.
Q: What does it do to your gas mileage?
A: Your gas
mileage will suffer but that is more a factor of how you drive than the
gears. But with the 5th and 6th gear overdrive of the ZF 6-speed, you will
only be doing about 1900 RPM at 70mph in 6th gear, so 25mpg on the highway
is still possible. [-Hutch-]
Q: Does the GS have a Dana 44 rear end?
A: Actually, all manual transmission C4s since 1985
have Dana 44s [although the Corvette's version is usually referred to as
the "Super 44" for its strength].
Q: What does it cos to install them?
A: I had a gentleman by the name of Paul Rinehart in York,
PA install mine. I pulled the carrier, put everything in a crate and
shipped it to him. He turned it around in a couple days. I think he's now
charging $150 for installation labor, plus parts (i.e. seals, ring gear
bolts). Unless you need bearings, figure no more than $200 for the install
parts and labor, then add shipping both ways.
There are (as usual) a few "hidden costs"....
- You'll need to correct the speedometer. If you have a Hypertech
Power Programmer Plus, you'll at last have a worthwhile use for it and
escape this cost. If not, you'll need to purchase and install
speedometer correction gears, another $135+.
I bought the
Lingenfelter set for ~$135. They can be had for less, but the cheaper
alternates use a metal drive gear that *may* require heating with a
torch in order to slip it over the tranmission tailshaft. The
Lingenfelter drive gear is CNC'd from nylon like the OEM gear and slips
right on.
- You'll need gear lube and positraction additive.
Figure another $15-$20.
- You'll need RTV. The Dana 44 does
*not* use a gasket between the carrier and the cover. The factory used
RTV. You may check with a dealer to see if they still sell the stuff in
tubes. The RTV itself is red in color. For factory "stuff" figure
another ~$15.
Btw.... With everything out, I highly recommend
you check the transmission tailshaft bolts. I found that three of mine
were stripped. I repaired them using a Time-Sert kit. I pulled the
transmission to do it although it could be done with the tranny in the car
depending on which bolts are stripped.
IMO, 4.10s are the Best Bang for the Buck! mod you can do!
[Note: I
also bought my 4.10 gears from Al Kindler and had them installed locally.
My total cost was about $1200 for parts and labor but it was definitely
worth it for a professional installation. The gears alond should be worth
about .2 second at the drag strip and make driving around in town a blast.
Highly recommended! -Hutch-]
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