raychappell

Hey guys,
I'm trying to ID my rear end. It was on my 1985 Iroc when I bought it 11 years ago. I'm fairly certain it is not the original rear, as my RPO code says it came with a 3:42 geared drum brake rear, and this is disc brakes. Also my engine and tranny are not original. I am trying to ID it so I can buy the correct emergency brake cables. It would also be nice to know for certain the gear ratio. The numbers on the tube are 6 EX C326 2. I searched the forums and do not see this listed. Can anyone tell me what car this rear end came out of, and any specifics, such as original gear ratio, posi/non posi, ect? My engine came from a 1987 Camaro, so I was told by the guy I bought it from, and at some point someone changed from an auto to a T5 transmission, so I'm not sure if the tranny and rear also came from the 1987 car or not. I do plan to pop the cover and inspect it and add new fluids, so I know I can verify gear ratio at that point, but still interested as to what they originally were. Any help would be appreciated.

turd_gen

I don't know if there's any way to identify what year or model your rear end came from, but you can narrow it down. Is it a 9 or 10 bolt? 9 Bolt may still have a tag on it that reads something like "Spin Resistant Differential", which would mean it's posi. There will be a stamping on the gears inside that will say the gear ratio.

I got my 9 bolt posi disk rear end from an '87 GTA and the housing is the same as my '85 drum non-posi 9-bolt.

cheves

Something like this...

paulo57509

There should be a line of identification stampings on one of the axle tubes.

Maybe post those and someone can help ID from that info?

Edit: The stamps are on the front of the passenger side axle tube. Here's a link to the axle codes:

http://sethirdgen.org/reardata.htm

Keep in mind that the gear ratio may or may not be what's actually in the differential. The gears could have been changed.

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

9 bolts holding the cover on = 9-bolt
10 bolts holding the cover on = you do the math

While you're changing the fluid, look at the gears. Count the teeth. Whatever they have, is what they are. Waste of time to ask on here what's in there. Too dark in there to see right now.

Same for posi: waste of time to ask on here what's inside that housing. Look. Whatever it is, is what it is.

Don't know anything about "emergency" brake; never seen any such thing on any car I've ever had. However, sounds like what you're REALLY asking about is, PARKING brake. For that, the rear end housing is irrelevant: correct cables will depend on what the center part of the assy up in the tunnel looks like, and which brakes it has on it. Get the right parking brake cables to fit those things, they'll go an ANY housing.

JamesC

iTrader: (5)

If it's a 10-bolt, check the 10-bolt FAQ sticky for info that will prove useful.

JamesC

paulo57509

I meant to add this for clarification:



What you're looking for are the 1st three alpha-numeric characters. IIRC, the rest of the stamps denote where the axle was made, shift, etc.

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, those would tell what gears came in it from the factory, at least; no guarantee of course, that that's what's in it NOW.

I guess it depends on what you want to know: what it IS, or what it WAS when new.

Personally I prefer to know what IS about most used parts I buy. Which means, as I'm changing the fluid in a rear, I check the gears and what kind of carrier it has.

raychappell

Sorry I am just now responding to my thread, but I just received the first email letting me know someone had responded...I am sorry I did not specify in my original post that this is a 10 bolt rear (yes, believe it or not I had enough fingers and toes to do the math). As far as what an emergency brake is, by definition: An emergency brake is a separate brake system in a vehicle for use in case of failure of the regular (hydraulic or air) brakes and commonly used as a parking brake in automobiles....Just in case anyone would like to know that fact. I am also fully aware that the original gears may have been changed, but it is unlikely ( just an opinion based on my past experience). I did however post the stamped numbers on the diff tube. Those numbers are 6 EX C326 2, which I have been unable to find on this site or any other sites. I wanted to be sure I buy the correct cables because I have read that they are different between models (the caliper locations and such). I was PRIMARILY asking for that reason. I WAS however curious as to what specific vehicle this came out of, if for nothing else, just my knowledge. I appreciate ALL of the responses I have received regarding this post, But PLEASE DO NOT RESPOND to a question that you consider to be a "waste of time". As far as confirming my gear ratio, perhaps I can muster enough math skills to figure that one out while I have the diff cover off.

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

These cars (or any others) don't have an "emergency" brake. The hand brake will barely hold the car still on a mild driveway, under the best of circumstances; in fact if your rear has the Saggy calipers it probably won't do anything at all; if you honestly think that thing is going to bail you out of some kind of even a 3-mph "emergency", you're deluding yourself. Go give it a try sometime, in ANY car of your choice: just TRY to use the parking brake to stop the car from, say, 10 mph... BEFORE you attempt to rely on it in an "emergency".

Caliper locations for a given caliper type (either Saginaw or PBR) are the same for both 9- & 10-bolts. I.e. if you have Saggy, one will be in front of the axle and one to the rear; if you have PBR they will both be to the rear.

As said, whichever caliper type your rear has, and whichever vintage of the actuator in the trans tunnel your car has, as long as you get cables compatible with those things, they will be right regardless of what car the rear came from, what bolts it is, what codes are stamped on it, or anything else.

Since you haven't told us what year car you're putting this into or which calipers it has, we cannot tell you what cables to get.

Feel free to post the tooth count once you get it, and those of us who aren't arithmetic-challenged might be willing to help you out.

raychappell

Well, I was actually a passenger in a car that lost brakes (Toyota Celica)...The "PARKING" brake on that car about put me through the windshield while bringing us to a stop. And my Chevrolet Silverado WILL NOT budge when I have the "parking" brake applied. Whatever contest you want, I don't feel the urge to urinate at the moment. And perhaps I need to CLARIFY it's a 1985 Camaro Z28 Iroc (to be specific) once again, even though I included that information in my original post. Also, since the number of teeth on the gears is not actually relevant to my real question, which was regarding the "PARKING" brake cables, and what vehicle the rear was removed from, I think I will just keep that tidbit of information to myself.

raychappell

The question regarding my "PARKING" brake cables has been resolved, at least I hope. My disc brakes have the calipers staggered, with one side being mounted to the front side of the vehicle, and the other side being mounted to the rear of the vehicle. As far as what rear this car came from ORIGINALLY, it is still of interest to me if anyone knows the answer to that question (just because I want to know). Thanks everyone.

TylerSteez

iTrader: (3)

Since when have parking/ e brakes not stopped a car? my 5 speed cavalier doesn't budge with the parking brake up, sometimes I'll even rip it up while pulling down my driveway to surprise my passengers, it locks the wheels and sends you into the windshield almost..

raychappell

Thanks for that post Tyler. You know, I have been a member of this site for over ten years, and I have posted very few times because generally you can find the answer by doing a simple search. I make an effort NOT to post a question that has been answered multiple times, and I posted this because my numbers are not on the lists that have been posted on this site, so I was curious as to why, and what vehicle it came out of. I admittedly am no expert on third generation Camaros. In fact, this is my first time to restore one. That being said, I HAVE restored and owned 16 FIRST generation Camaros. You could bring me one of those cars COMPLETELY disassembled, and I could reassemble it without asking a question from any forum (not claiming to be an expert on those cars either, but EXPERIENCED for certain). If I were on a First Gen forum, I could without a doubt answer some questions and help someone out, and have and will do so without being condescending to the newbie. I am here on this forum to learn about my car, and try to avoid mistakes (or as many as possible), because that takes time and money. I am here to "play nice", and be respectful. I expect to be treated the same way. There are those who tend to seize any opportunity to respond to a simple post that asks a fair question to answer in a condescending way, over a technicality...even when they know what the person is asking, and could respond in a respectful manner. Anyway, enough of my ranting about that. As I said in my previous post, I am not looking for a silly battle over technical terms. Just looking for respect when a simple question is asked. Thanks to all who actually tried to help answer my questions. Much appreciated!

BrutalGTA

iTrader: (2)

Well said! This is on every of the only forums that puts up with the keyboard tough guys. Seems silly especially when some questions are repeated and the answers change to something more specific or easier and people get bent out of shape.