I was thinkin every time i make my car wheels spin ...it only spins the driver side ..but a friend of mine with a formula 350 ...it spins both?and what are the diffs tween a limited slip and a normal one..i have a 82 firebird 2.8 2bbl how can i know which ratio is my rear end??thanks.

 

You have an onpen rear or a single track rear, whatever you want to call it. A limited slip will sense a wheel is spinning and apply power to the other tire so they will both push the car. Pretty well the same thing as a posi.

 

You have an open rear or a single track rear, whatever you want to call it. A limited slip will sense a wheel is spinning and apply power to the other tire so they will both push the car(both spin). Pretty well the same thing as a posi.

 

You most likely have a 3.42. In fact if I was a bettin man I'd wager a good sum that says that you have a 3.42. That's what came in an overwhelming majority of v6 cars after 85 (????) I believe. I think before 85 they were using 3.73s as well.
bsa

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"If they do not run, Then they will die." - Stonewall Jackson
#3
'87 IROC, 355 TPI, Converted to SD, 700R4, B&M Megashifter, 3.42, Trick Flow Twisted Wedge Heads, Edelbrock Intake, Accel Runners, Comp Cam, Crane Gold rockers, Lucas 24# injectors, Edelbrock headers, Flowmaster 3'' exhaust, Mallory Ignition, Transgo Performance Shift Kit, Corvette Servo, 2,000 Stall Torque Converter

 

jack the back end of the car up, spin one wheel, and counnt the number of turns the axle makes(which gives you a ratio, axle turns:wheel turns).. it may not be exact, but will give you an idea if its 3.42's or 3.73's

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• 83 Z28-- not a pretty site to look at, 200k miles and im sure it was treated like a rental car every day of its sad life(before i got it).. sold, thank the lord
• 74 Z28-- 383/400, green on black. pretty clean. FOR SALE!!!

 

In 82 open 3.08's were common with the v6

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82 camaro--original steering wheel, brake/gas pedals, seats--everything else modified
82camaro

 

Just to clarify, an posi rear IS a limited slip rear. Same thing, two different names. 'posi', or Positraction, is the GM name for a limited slip rear.


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91 Trans Am WS6
Bright White
5.0 TPI auto
Flowmaster 3" 2 chamber catback
Trans Go shiftkit
2000 stall converter
ported TPI setup

Built on Wednesday

 

Put two sticky tires on the back of your bird then neither one will spin.

 

Irocbsa, no 3.73 found it's way to the V6's from the factory... but oddly enough, a 4-cylinder f-body ('82-'85) with a manual trans got a 3.73/open/drum axle!

Sammy, a definate performance upgrade would be putting in an axle from an '85-'89 V6 with an automatic transmission; but yeah, you still won't have a posi. For posi, look to the '83-'84 Trans Am (or Z28) with engine code "G" and a manual transmission. That's a 3.73/posi/disc rear axle... same one I put under my v6 Firebird last August.

Mtx, won't he have to divide (or multiply) by two, since he doesn't have a posi? I think he'll have to divide.. for instance, for one turn of the driveshaft, the one tire will spin 6 times... divide by two, and that's 3.. so he'd be near a 3.08 gear. Or am I wrong? I'm pretty sure you have to divide by two (unless you've got a posi axle).


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l) from http://www.f-body.net/mailbag/3rd/3rd_mailbag.html message boards
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