The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Patrick's 3.38 kit loud? Need advice please..

Hi there. Long time lurker first time posting. Have a 59 3100 apache fleet 4 speed all stock. Nice daily driver for around town. Bought Patrick's 3.38 kit with the bearing kit and got it all in yesterday. Everything went fine but now at rpm it sounds noticeably louder. Idle sounds the same and everything seems OK but I was just wondering if these 3.38 ring and pinion kits have changed the rpm noise in your guys truck? Just want to make sure its the way it is and not something I screwed up. Thanks in advance for any info you can offer..

Im not sure what you mean by louder. The RPM are lower then they were so the engine should be quieter. The exhaust might be louder because you are pulling harder. If you havn't changed the speedo gear you will be going faster then the speedo shows. How about the rear end? Does it sing or howl?

Never thought about the speedo gear. Will have to find one of those! RPM is lower for sure. Haven't had it over 50 mph that the speedo shows as the kit say to give it 100 mile brake in before trying highway speeds but 4th seems to have a lot left at 50 around town. Howl seems to be a good way to describe it when in motion. At idle sounds just as before but for sure in motion I have a louder "howl" then before. It gets louder faster and quieter as I slow and come to a stop. Exhaust then? Or might be something I missed in the rear?

Did you check the tooth pattern when you set it up? Does this howl vary by acelleration or deceleration? You may have to get good directions or a good book & set the tooth contact correctly. If that is the case you shouldn't drive it. If you wear 2 patterns in the gears they will never be right.

What was in it before? If a 4.10, then you are probably doing 60, not 50. If the rear is howling you need to adjust it. Get the swipe pattern right, or you may be changing the rear again before you know it. Many guys here have done it, so there will be a lot of advice available. The rear set-up is on of those things you have to get right, close doesn't cut it.

Rear end gears are not something joe average can do. Have you done rear ends before? It can take hours to do correctly if you don't have the right tools for the job, and or experience.
If it howls its most likely not set correctly, though if its not the mechanic it could be the gears, where are they made? China? Then I suspect the gears and not the tech.

When I installed mine I noticed I can hear the transmission at low RPM. But that is it. Since the RPM is lower my exhaust aint so loud I cant hear rest of the truck.

Thanks for all the info guys. Yes I have worked rear ends and have an understanding of how it goes. The gearing is from Patrick's and I'm not sure of where he has them manufactured. It was indeed the 4.10 and I think it's time to get back into it and adjust it a bit to see where I'm at. Easter Sunday seems a good a day as any.

FWIW, I'm running one of Patrics 3.38 gear sets. When set up correctly, there is no howling.

Joshm,

Did you use Patrick's installation kit (that includes shims, seals, and bearings)? I have not used the 3.38 set but I have used two of Patrick's 3.55 sets. I thought my Suburban was quiet before the conversion. It is even quieter after the conversion (and I think this is due to using all of the new bearings/bushings that come in Patrick's installation kit).

As mentioned above, did you follow the ring & pinion adjustment and the ring & pinion backlash adjustment (using prussian blue )?

Patrick's ring & pinion sets might be made in China, Mexico, or Michigan, but no one has reported quality problems in the past (of course, there might have been a recent bad production run, no matter where they were made).

There must be something that is off to give you a noticable howl. Did you perform the break-in on jackstands during the initial installation? This procedure will put the rear of the truck in the air and your run the truck in its highest gear at idle for 15 minutes. If you have an extra helper, have them get behind the truck and listen for gear whine.

Did you use a dial indicator to ensure the lash was correct? I have done three sets of gears and an increase in noise means something isnt right.

I have pretty much a step by step album on my Webshots page, feel free to check it out, the link is below......

Thank you again for the advice! Done with Easter now off to get into the old bolt and see what's going on. Yes I did use both Patrick's ring and his install kit. Sweet I did not do the break in you mention as the directions I got didn't mention to do so. I have a helper and I'm going to get it right! I will update and get some pictures of my truck for a proper intro in the next couple days. One last question if I may? Several of you mention my speedo gear will need to be replaced in order to get an accurate speed. Where would I buy one? Looked at Patrick's and brothers withou luck.

Jim Carter sells adapters.

Since I was interested in adjusting for tires that were a wider than diameter than stock plus the 3.55 conversion (from 3.90), I bought a ratio adapter from the Speedometer Shop. It fits perfectly and is within 1% error.

Once again thank you for pointing me on the right direction!

Is there a website for these patrick gears?

Most reproduction parts vendors sell them, but they all get them from Patrick's Antique Cars & Trucks (scroll down the page).

3.55 Tech Tip (not 3.38)