I want to put 3.42's in my almost stock car.I want to be able to take cars off the line around my city.Now in jegs they have the 3.42's but they sell two options.The first one is for 3.08 ratio and numerically lower carrier and the second is for 3.23 ratio and numerically higher carrier.My question is which one should i buy and what does it mean by that stuff.I got the stock gears which are 2.73 i think.

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1988 Trans am.......best 600 bucks ive ever spent...305 5.0 but will save my lunch money and every penny to swap for a 350 tpi in the coming two years

 

save yourself a lot of money buy getting a rear end from a v6 fbody and put that in. those have better gears to get the low power v6s moving. With the left over money you can get a posi from SLP for like $125 or however much it is now.

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-Tas
'89 Formula WS-6
[soon to have Hooker 1-5/8" 50 state legal headers installed]

305, TBI, auto, 14x3 chrome flat based open element with K&N, Milodon 160* thermo, functional Formula hood, cross-flow Flowmaster, '99z28 rear pipes and tips....

Super GRK_Taz World
EFI & Intake Options
AOL IM: superGRtaz

 

if you have an automatic don't waste money on gears. Get a vigilante 9.5" torque converter.

 

a torque converter on a car with a 4500 red line?? am I missing something? a axle can be swaped in a driveway. a converter is major work.

 

swapping a rear end or swaping a converter are both hard jobs. Neither one is really harder. U are gonna want the gears for 3.08 and lower. This just means that the gears are set up for the carrier ur car has.

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1989 pontiac firebird
bright red exterior(just repainted)
grey interior
5 spd
305 TBI (stock)
WS.6 formula wheels
3.73 posi rear end
http://members.aol.com/j007golden/Mikey89.html
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1985 trans am
factory bright yellow
4 wheel disks
16 inch wheels
305 TPI
power antenna and mirrors
t tops

 

how ahrd is it to swap the rears out of a v6 and put it in a 305. i have a tbi 305, and i have a freind who is getting rid of his v6. i want his rear. how much work is it

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Steve
88 Firebird TBI,TH700R4 - Open Element, Cat Delete, K&N filter 14*4 element
1/4: 16.1@85.7

 

just a few bolts and a couple jacks and stands.

i bet you could park em next to eachother and do it in a day. whole day.

 

NO! DO NOT GET A USED REAR END! I don't know why people like to risk that. Your putting in a rear end that you have no idea what it has been thru, how long it will last, there are no warrenties so if it break u have to buy a new one and do the job all over again (Which it probably will if u found it in a junk yard)

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Eric Natzke
91 Firebird 305 TBI
"It Ain't Stock"
http://members.aol.com/j007golden/91firebird.html
For info on certain parts or mods go to the site below
http://members.aol.com/j007golden/modeval.html

[This message has been edited by 91Bird305 (edited March 21, 2001).]

 

rear ends last the lives of cars. They don't need to be replaced like engines and trannys every couple of miles. For $60 just get one.... geeze

 

I agree with Tas, for $60 for a rear end isn't bad at all, get the posi in and you can take a look at the condition of the gears. Change the fluid and if propertly installed a 305 TBI shouldn't be producing enough power to damage anything.
Now in my case (350 TBI) I wouldn't put a used rear in unless it was from a 4th gen with low miles. I'm probably going to end up getting a girdle, 3.73 gears, and a take off posi unit from SLP for $100. That should hold up no problem.
If you want to be sure about the gears just take off the carrier and look at the gears, if you don't like help him install them back into his car.

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, Jon (in process of installing new engine)

 

bhwah youd swear 91bird305 was the voice of experience here but dont take him seriously

the opposite of what he said is true. GM sets up gears better than just about every drivetrain shop you can find. Ive heard a million more stories about people blowing up rears because they were improperly setup over stock gm set up rears.

Dont worry about breaking one either until you are cutting sub 1.8 60 foots. 4th gen guys have the same rears we do and ive heard of 4th gens cutting as low as 1.4s without breaking the stock rear


Im running a rear out of an 87 firebird SE v6 with a powertrax locker. The gears are as silent as stock as that is what they are and it only cost me 55 dollars.. compare that to atleast 400 dollars to setup a rear the other way and have a way higher chance of setting them up or having them set up wrong