Topic: WANTED: 2.80:1 Ring and Pinion Gear Set

[Building 3]

I am looking for a NOS Ford 2.80:1 ring and pinion gear set for my 289 2V auto trans.  My gear set is acceptable up to about 40 mph and then the whine increases dramatically.  It reduces some at highway speeds but it is still at a high level. So I think it's time for a rebuild and I want to use Ford parts.

[rocket289k]

Unfortunately I'm not able to help you out with a Ring and Pinion however you are definitely on the right track looking for a Ford set of gears.  I tried out 3 different brands of aftermarket ring and pinions and experienced extremely unacceptable levels of rear end whine.  It's important to note that the entire rear end was rebuilt at the same time (bearings etc.).  All of the settings were literally triple checked every time and no matter what we tried the whine remained. 

I was finally able to procure a very nice used Ford ring and pinion and the rear end has been completely silent ever since.  Upon conducting some research, I was able to discover that modern manufacturing techniques to cut the gears is very different that what was used in the 60's (much tighter tolerances) and very often result in a whine in our vintage rear ends.

Good luck with your search!

Regards,

Ron

[Building 3]

Ron: thanks for your reply. You confirmed what I have heard from others. Right now I have 25,000 miles on the original axle, universals, driveshaft and transmission. None of them have been tampered with over the years so I am reluctant to try to attempt to fix the axle whine if a rebuild and new ring and pinion will give me the same or worse whine. Plus I will need to disturb the other original parts. Also when I looked at the reproduction parts I could only find that the 3.00:1 ratio is offered and not the correct 2.80 for my C-Code. Given that the car is only occasionally driven, I can live with the present whine, at least for a while. I think Ford made the 8" axle until 1980 or so. I am wondering if the ring and pinion from later cars such as the Fairmont or LTD II would interchange with the early Mustangs. That would cast a wider net to try to find a NOS or good used pinion/ring combo.  Does anyone know? 

[rocket289k]

Ron: thanks for your reply. You confirmed what I have heard from others. Right now I have 25,000 miles on the original axle, universals, driveshaft and transmission. None of them have been tampered with over the years so I am reluctant to try to attempt to fix the axle whine if a rebuild and new ring and pinion will give me the same or worse whine. Plus I will need to disturb the other original parts. Also when I looked at the reproduction parts I could only find that the 3.00:1 ratio is offered and not the correct 2.80 for my C-Code. Given that the car is only occasionally driven, I can live with the present whine, at least for a while. I think Ford made the 8" axle until 1980 or so. I am wondering if the ring and pinion from later cars such as the Fairmont or LTD II would interchange with the early Mustangs. That would cast a wider net to try to find a NOS or good used pinion/ring combo.  Does anyone know?

Given you have a very low mileage rear end have you explored checking all of the settings and making settings adjustments if necessary?

[WT8095]

Once you're at 40 MPH, does the noise change as you accelerate or coast? Does it sound different going through a curve vs. straight line? What gear oil do you have in it?

[Building 3]

The noise is slightly present at all speeds, and given that it is a convertible, with all of the other noises, it is not an issue to me. However it becomes really "bad" at about 40 mph. That is, anyone sitting in the car would probably ask about the noise.  Easing up on the accelerator or completely taking my foot off of it makes the noise go away or diminish back to acceptable levels.  At much higher than 40 mph the noise seems to lessen, but that is tough to tell since the windows are open and like I said, in a convertible, you get to hear a lot of outside noises, other cars and trucks, etc. I have had the car up to 75 mph on the highway for short periods of time and it runs very well, the ride is stable, no vibrations and all you really hear is the road and air noise. So the axle whine does not continue to increase, and it may actually be decreasing, but like it said, tough to tell.

I have not noticed a difference going around curves. It certainly decreases or almost goes away in coasting mode and increases in acceleration.
Axle oil is 85-140 synthetic.

Checking all of the tolerances could be a course of action before a major project like replacing the ring and pinion. But I certainly want to avoid a replacement gear set that is not Ford NOS.

[WT8095]

Have you checked the pinion bearings and preload?

[67gtasanjose]

I

The noise is slightly present at all speeds, and given that it is a convertible, with all of the other noises, it is not an issue to me. However it becomes really "bad" at about 40 mph. That is, anyone sitting in the car would probably ask about the noise.  Easing up on the accelerator or completely taking my foot off of it makes the noise go away or diminish back to acceptable levels.  At much higher than 40 mph the noise seems to lessen, but that is tough to tell since the windows are open and like I said, in a convertible, you get to hear a lot of outside noises, other cars and trucks, etc. I have had the car up to 75 mph on the highway for short periods of time and it runs very well, the ride is stable, no vibrations and all you really hear is the road and air noise. So the axle whine does not continue to increase, and it may actually be decreasing, but like it said, tough to tell.

I have not noticed a difference going around curves. It certainly decreases or almost goes away in coasting mode and increases in acceleration.
Axle oil is 85-140 synthetic.

Checking all of the tolerances could be a course of action before a major project like replacing the ring and pinion. But I certainly want to avoid a replacement gear set that is not Ford NOS.

ANY of the bearings themselves could be your ONLY issue. Since you describe a noise NOT on deceleration, I highly doubt you have any ring pinion problem...Then I see the mileage is so low, ONLY if it had been run low on oil could the ring & pinion be hurt.(that, or RUST)
Now, bearing races pit when they sit without lube on them. My takeaway here is a 25K mile car did A LOT OF LONG DURATION SITTING!

Take the 3rd member out, if you are comfortable with working on it yourself, take it apart for inspection. KEEP IN MIND, ALL FACTORY SETTINGS AND RACES ETC. INCLUDING BEARING CAPS MUST BE PUT BACK WHERE THEY WERE IF REUSED!!! These 3rd members are not hard to work on but there are many mistakes that can be done if you are new to the game. When in doubt, take or send the 3rd member out to a qualified rebuilder.

I think you need new bearings and possibly wheel bearings too. Your Ring & Pinion will be fine unless severely pitted from rusting.

[Building 3]

Richard,
Thanks for the good news. That is a lot better than I thought. I will ask around and find a shop that is familiar with the Ford 8" axle. I don't think the car had extended periods of sitting in a garage, (say years) but it certainly was used sparingly. The original owner put on 22,000 miles from 1965 to when he sold it in 2002. The second owner was a lady in Arizona who said she drove it twice a week putting on 2,000 miles in 10 years.  I have put on the rest. Except for the normal replacement parts it's in original condition so I am trying to use only NOS or used Ford parts if I can.
Tom