i bought a 87 26 spline rear for 110 bucks with 3.42s, originally it was a 2.73 28 spline, i want to buy a slp posi unit, can i just unbolt the ring gear, take 26 spline axles out, and put the slp posi unit in and then put the 28 slpine axles in, and if i can do this will i have to adjust anything. thanks, and if you need more info, ask and i would be glad to answer



Kevin

 

Here is a cut and paste of my post in another thread on 12-9-02. It outlines what you need to do to properly install the zexel carrier.

"You have to set the backlash on the ring and pinion, and the bearing preload. There is no way to get around this. I just did the zexel swap and it took me a number of tries to get my backlash set correctly.

Before I pulled the old carrier/ring gear out, I took a mag base and dial indicator and checked my backlash at four different points around the ring gear. Then I pulled the carrier and swapped the ring gear to the zexel and installed it. The backlash was way off. I only had .002 to .0025 backlash. The setting is supposed to be .005 to .009. I got mine to .0075 to .009. The backlash will vary at different points around the ring gear. So just get the backlash within the acceptable range, then added a .004 shim to get the proper bearing preload.

You might just get lucky and put the zexel in and have your bearing preload and backlash right on, but it's not likely. A mag base and dial indicator are cheap. Enco has them for about $20 plus shipping.

You also need to check the bearings on the zexel from SLP. They are take out units and the bearings are virtually new, but they must have had a trained gorilla that took mine out. They screwed up the bearing cage on one of the bearings and I had to press it off and replace it. Also the zexel carriers do not come with bearing races. You need to buy two new ones if the bearings on the zexel you get are good. Do not reuse your old bearing races on the zexel carrier. Buy new ones for about $8 each. The bearings that come on the take out zexel are new enough that you can reuse them, but only with new races. If you reuse your old races, you are just asking for trouble.

You will also need a torque wrench to tighten the ring gear bolts and the 4 bearing cap bolts. And, another critical thing is to make sure you get the bearing caps back on the same side they came off of. Mark them before pulling them off. The is the first thing you should do after pulling the cover off the rear.

Good luck with you swap. I sure like the zexel works on my car. It's definately worth the money."