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Hi everyone, new user here and to start, I know little to nothing about the third gen camaro so that is why I am here. I was a 1999-2004 mustang guy up until about two weeks ago.
two weeks ago I picked up a really nice 1992 t-top RS with the 5.0 305 for my build as I love the look of these cars over almost anything made later. Definitely wanted the Z28 but this car was too clean and well maintained to pass up for the price.
First off Ive been on forums before and know there is a search button but I am not seeing what I am really looking for so If there is a thread out there already that I missed I apologize in advance, I am not trying to upset anyone....
Onto my question as stated above what rear end is best for me to swap to? I keep seeing stuff about 9 bolt and 10 bolt, 4th gen this and 4th gen that and how those are longer and may cause problems with wheel fitment. Eventually I will be swapping engines to either the 5.7(maybe 383 stroker) or an LS1 and I want to be making 350-400 hp so i need a rear end that will hold up to that as well as be able to run a set corvette wheels I like which are 18in. and have disk brake....or will my current rear end hold up fine and all I need is a disk conversion kit and some wheel spacers?
9-bolts arent worth messing with, there is virtually zero parts support for them. The stock GM 10-bolt is a 7.5" ring gear, same with the 4th gen rear. There's good parts support but they're not very strong. Most people who are serious about a durable rear are going 9". Modding the Ford 8.8 to fit is becoming increasingly popular for obvious reasons.
PS Google works better for finding info here than the search feature.
Would you say that a swap like this is absolutely necessary for what I am looking to do? or will my stock rs rear end hold up to a little bit bigger engine and 350-400 hp? not looking to make this a drag car I just want a nice summer car with some get up and go when I need it
Only you can answer that question... Some people blow up stock parts with stock engines. 350hp is only about twice what the vast majority of thirdgens had stock...
Only you can answer that question... Some people blow up stock parts with stock engines. 350hp is only about twice what the vast majority of thirdgens had stock...
Do you think it would be worth while to at least upgrade to a stock Z28 rear if anything instead of modding ford rears to work...not sure if there is a big difference or any difference at all between RS and Z28 rear ends and not exactly sure how much work modding fords would be
V6, V8, RS, Z28, etc all thirdgens used pretty much the same rear. There's a spline count upgrade on the axles around 1990, and a 7.5"-7.625" ring gear update at some point, but those aren't really a weak spot, not to mention a 92 would already have both upgrades. A Z28 would likely have an Auburn limited slip, which is nice when they work... If you were up for rebuilding your stock rear, you could change to a limited slip carrier, but the general good advice is to save the money you'd spend upgrading your 10-bolt for the future 9" swap.
There's a potential advantage to be gained in disc brakes, but unless you really gotta have em, it's a ton of money to drop on such a small benefit.
If you can find a stock 89-92 rear with good gears, limited slip, and disc brakes, for less than about $400, then I'd say change it. If all you can find is pre-89 disc rears, don't bother. A drum rear with a limited slip and better gears would be worthwhile, but I wouldn't spend much money to do it. A 7.5 10-bolt with limited slip, 3.42 gears, and fancy disc brakes is still a weak 7.5" 10-bolt.
Alright thank you for clearing that up for me. I will definitely look into the rear ends you specified and if nothing else ill add the limited slip and some gears and use it as is for now until i can afford a 9". I really appreciate your help thank you very much!
Just to clarify... I wouldn't sink $400+ into a limited slip carrier and another $150 in gears to "upgrade" a 7.5. That's a good chunk that could go towards a rear that's not going to become scrap metal. I would keep an eye on Craigslist, any local thirdgen or fourthgen groups, etc for a good used rear with better gears, limited slip, and discs. You might just find a deal, or a better rear end someone is parting out. A used rear with good features that hasn't been beat to death, would be worth the trouble at the right price, since swapping a rear is a simple evening operation, compared to setting up gears, which requires special tools and a lot more thought.
If you can't do it on the cheap and easy, it's not worth doing it with a 10-bolt.
Spend $1000 on an upgraded 10 bolt and you will get $0 back once it grenades - and it will.
Smart money would buy/build something stronger with the potential to need nothing other than fluid changes - 12 bolt, 9", 8.8", even a dana 44.
Originally Posted by Drew
Just to clarify... I wouldn't sink $400+ into a limited slip carrier and another $150 in gears to "upgrade" a 7.5. That's a good chunk that could go towards a rear that's not going to become scrap metal. I would keep an eye on Craigslist, any local thirdgen or fourthgen groups, etc for a good used rear with better gears, limited slip, and discs. You might just find a deal, or a better rear end someone is parting out. A used rear with good features that hasn't been beat to death, would be worth the trouble at the right price, since swapping a rear is a simple evening operation, compared to setting up gears, which requires special tools and a lot more thought.
If you can't do it on the cheap and easy, it's not worth doing it with a 10-bolt.
Spend $1000 on an upgraded 10 bolt and you will get $0 back once it grenades - and it will.
Smart money would buy/build something stronger with the potential to need nothing other than fluid changes - 12 bolt, 9", 8.8", even a dana 44.
As mentioned above, I really don't know much about these cars so which of the rear ends that you mentioned are the most common and/or easiest to swap to or build? I just want something like you said that wont grenade and that can hold up to 350 to 400 horse once I am done with build
I'm not a fan of 10 bolts but honestly it might do okay with 350 Hp and an automatic transmission. Torque is what kills axles, not Hp.
When you stepped over from Ford to GM you entered a world of cheap power, but with really weak transmissions and axles. Plan on dumping quite a lot of money into those things if you want to be fast. Camaros/Firebirds in particular have a unique axle with a torque arm mount that is cast into the center section. This unique feature limits what can be swapped in from other cars and is the primary reason why our rear axles cost so much. It is going to cost thousands of dollars to upgrade to anything that is a complete "bolt in". That large entry fee is what makes people keep using 10 bolts.
Alright thank you all for the input. I will have to see if i can find some parts or ill just use my stock rear end and hope for the best and if it goes then look into something bigger and better. Thanks again!
PS Google works better for finding info here than the search feature.
I do this too. Go to Google, type in what you want to search, then type this exactly
site:thirdgen.org
Also don't forget the Strange S60 axle. That's what will go into my car when my 10-bolt lets go, but that's still an option that costs several thousand as was said earlier.
You can build a very nice 8.8 using all factory parts for under 800.00
What is all involved with this build to keep it 800 or less? Im guessing it starts with a mustang rear end, then what other stock parts would you recommend?
What is all involved with this build to keep it 800 or less? Im guessing it starts with a mustang rear end, then what other stock parts would you recommend?
There are lots of ways to do an 8.8 swap. If you can weld and you grab a rear end from an explorer with posi with good gears and decent brakes you can do the swap for only the cost of the explorer rear which could be $100 depending on the parts yard. You could also find a Mustang rear end that has aftermarket parts in it but it would of course be more.
1.) You could cut the tubes midway, have a collar machined to fit inside the tubes and plug weld the collar in place and then fully weld the tubes together and to the collar.
2.) You could cut the tubes at the pumpkin and weld the GM tubes to the Pumpkin. That way gets tricky since A.) your welding hot rolled steel to cast iron B.) Without welding it in a jig any small amount of distortion will cause the rear end to eat wheel bearings since they are 3' downstream of the weld.
3.) You could use the Ford tubes and brakes and just shorten them to the correct size and then weld on the GM suspension pickup points.
All methods involve welding so distortion is always possible. I think the least distorting option is to use a collar. When welding on a tube you will get the least amount of distortion when you weld a circumference, welding pickup points (just lines or half circles) would cause the tube to want to bend towards the weld. Welding it in a Homemade jig (supposing the jig fits and holds) could work. You could also buy from ebay the long thick round bar and pucks for shortening rear ends. There are also rear end shops that can check tubes for true and beat them into submission.
You still have to mount the torque arm. There are some ideas and pictures to make a bolt in bracket or you could weld the mount on but again thats welding hot rolled steel to cast iron. You can weld it with a stick welder and the right filler rod but it can be temperamental.
