Tranny time - have it done or tackle myself?

[Goggleeye]

I don’t think any of the teeth are close to 1/4 of the way worn. The picture above shows the worst wear anywhere on both the transfer case and transmission. I think my main concern is those inner teeth on the output shaft. I don’t know all my terminology but in the picture, it’s the gear on the left and I think it’s what engages the 4 Wheel Drive.

[oldtime]

For one thing lets get this straight..... your pic shows Dana 18 gears and not Borg Warner T90 gears.

Those gears are probably O.K. but it would help a lot if you can take a closeup pic of the worst.

[Rus Curtis]

Unfortunately, no images for me......

[oldtime]

I got image on post #12.
Showed  no image until today....

[athawk11]

I'm a little confused too.  I didn't see the photos before, so rambled on thinking we were talking about 1st/Reverse sliding gear in the T90.

The TC gears pictured look good to me.

[Goggleeye]

Thanks for the advice. I have no idea why the pics didn’t show. I have a rebuild kit on the way from Novak. I did run in to an issue when I was removing the seals. Apparently at some point in the past someone broke part of the seal seat on the output housing, as can be seen in the picture. Thoughts on need of finding a new housing? It was not leaking there before- the e-brake area was nice and dry.

[oldtime]

The seal counter bore on the rear bearing cap ooks perfectly service-able .

[Goggleeye]

Are the 124 and 129 tooth ring gears interchangeable? I need to replace the ring gear and the starter, and given the 124 tooth ring gears and compatible starters seem to be much more common, should I switch over? Thoughts? My 53 is one of the late production models, and has the L head with the 129 Tooth ring gear.

[oldtime]

Yes you can easily swap between 124 or 129 tooth ring gears so long as you have the appropriate starter bendix.
129 tooth gears are generally a better system because  12 volt starters can be installed.

[Goggleeye]

Thanks for the info. My starter guy was able to verify the starter model # and it is the one that matches the 129 tooth ring gear. He said the starter is repairable and he should have me going for about $100.

[Goggleeye]

Just wanted to give a much overdue update on the transfer case rebuild. Everything went great. Watched metalshapers videos and followed directions and it all went together like a charm.Wanted to give a big thank you to all of those who offered suggestions and encouragement. For anybody out there who is hesitant to tackle such a big task, don’t be. It’s not that hard. The only thing I wish I would’ve done different is to go ahead and rebuild the transmission while everything was out. About three or four months after it was all put back together it started jumping out of third. Thanks again!