Can I use 3.42 gears out of a 10 bolt 84 camaro
 

my stock 86 trans am rearend has 2.77s I think. Well anyways it cruises 65 mph at 1500 rpm. I thought maybe a change like that would be quite noticable. Will these gears fit if they are also stock? I've heard of series 2 and 3 carriers . Does this apply here? I'm sure I don't have a posi. Any replies greatly appreciated!!!

Count the bolts on the rear end cover. Your car most likely has a 9-bolt, in which case the gears won't work.

If it has a 10-bolt they will work.

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"So many Mustangs, so little time..."
ICON Motorsports

made it out underneath the car this afternoon. I counted the bolts and there is 10 of them. It turns out I'm not sure of the year of the 3.43 gears. I do know they are from an 82 - 92 f bodys. Did they make different 10 bolt rears during that time frame. I'm also not sure of the 2 or 3 series carrier(which i have and if it even applies).Anyfeedback welcomed.

darn, guess I confused everyone. sorry, I'll try to explain myself better after I ask around, THANKS

There are two sizes of carriers...one for 3.23 and numerically higher and one for 3.08 and numerically lower. Gears won't interchange between them. If you have 2.xx gears now, the 3.42s won't bolt up to your carrier.

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1982 Z-28

See http://www.mycar.net/mafb/registry/detail.cfm?id=276 for details

thanks Kevinc, thought I was left out to hang on that one!! Well, I'm glad I passed on those gears. But can you or someone tell me this., Am I gonna have to swap rearends to attain 3.45 or 3.73's or does somebody make lower gears for the series 2 carriers? posi does't matter right now ,but if I have to get it then thats fine. now posi's are carriers themselves aren't they? any help appreciated!

i bought .3.73s from richmond,but what i'd do is buy a 3.42 rearend out of a 85-89 v6 camaro

Thanks zenish, but would it rather be easier to swap in a lower gear than to change out the whole rearend. That is, if lower gears are made for the series 2 carrier. Are they ? anybody!!?? If they are not, then do I have to get a posi unit. And ,does the posi replace the carrier. Help me ! I'm learn'in here now.

The "easiest" job is changing out the entire rear end with one that has the gear ratio and posi you want. Finding such a thing, however, can prove to be a challenge, and it's hard to know exactly what condition the unit is in (although a cover removal and torque check on the axle can help take some of the guess work out of it). If you do find one, a floor jack, jack stands, and basic hand tools are all that are needed to do the job.

You can get 3.42 gears for a 2-series carrier. But, you'll want to get a posi carrier anyway (unless you went with a PowerTrax conversion unit). The real kicker is that changing carrier/gears is not a typical do-it-yourself'er project, especially if you aren't all that comfortable with doing mechanical work.

Check around for shops that can do the job, and find out how much they want to do it. Also try to find a good use posi unit with the gears you want, then compare the relative costs and amount of work and decide which one you'd rather do.

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82 Berlinetta, orig V-6 car, now w/86 LG4/TH700R. 2.93 limited slip. Cat-back from '91 GTA, Accel HEI SuperCoil. AMSOIL syn lubes bumper-to-bumper. Daily driver, work-in-progress (LG4 w/LB9 block, ZZ3 cam and intake, WP 305 heads ported & polished, Hooker headers & y-pipe, 3" Catco cat).
57 Bel Air, my 1st car. 0.030 over 396, Weiand Action+, Edelbrock 1901 Q-Jet, Jacobs Omnipack, 1-3/4" headers, TH400 w/TCI Sat Night Special conv & Trans-Scat shift kit, 3.08 10-bolt w/Powertrax, AMSOIL syn lubes bumper-to-bumper. Best 15.1 @ 5800' Bandimere. Daily driver while Camaro was being put together.

Thanks five7kid, I guess I'll keep my eye out for a good low geared posi rearend. I imagine with a 3.42 open rear, I probably wouldn't get much traction once I started looking for more horsepower. If then I can't find one I'll start looking for posi units.thanks to all.... questions answered!!