What's the diference? I'm at a lose.

 

A spool is the complete carrier. It replaces the entire posi or open carrier. The ring gear bolts onto it. There is no side gears. The axles slid right into the side of the spool.

A mini spool uses an existing carrier. Usually an open carrier. It replaces the side gears so that the axles can be locked together. Since it only fits inside the carrier, it's not as strong as a full spool. The housing around the mini spool is still weak and the shaft holding the mini spool in creates another weak spot.

Mini spools are usually only recommended for dirt tracks although a few drag cars use them.

 

I'm running a minispool with a GM 10bolt 8.875" with 5.13 gears. I cut 1.6 60' times and haven't broken it yet. If I had a choice, I'd get a full spool, but this was already in the rear end.

 

GM 8.875" 10 bolt? The GM 10 bolts are 7.5/7.625", 8.2", 8.5".

8.875" is the size of a 12 bolt.

 

i've always been told a mini spool is for dirt tracks only, it's trash a rear fast on a drag strip or auto cross.

 

Naw, all mini's do is twist the splines on the axle shafts...then one breaks. "Tight wad" buddy tried that in his Vega that was running 12's, it did work for a few tanks of gas around town and 3 races at the stripe, then the final launch the car just went up in smoke at the line-broke the end of the axle off, lucky it was a 9" otherwise, bye, bye axle/tire.

 

my bad, it is an 8.5". I do have a minspool that I've put about 50 passes on, and I don't know how many the guy before me did.

 

How expensive is it to swap to a spool. And I'm assuming that it would drastically strengthen the rear? I'm putting down strong numbers now and I'm planning on going w/ a bigger shot and slicks this season. Would I also want to look into axles as well?

 

You definately better look at bigger axles for a mini if your already putting down "strong numbers"

 

Spools are cheap. A lot cheaper than buying a posi. However you won't find a full spool for the GM 7.5" diff. The diff is too small and too weak for anyone to manufacture a full spool for it. It's just not a performance diff that any manufacturer wants to invest good performance parts for.

 

hehe i did that with a powertrax locker in my 7.5" 10 bolt.....its was uuuuhhhhh very nice :rockon:

 

Same thing happened in my full size Blazer, not mini-spool related. Kept wondering for about 5 secs. why the people behind me were honking like crazy, then boom, drop, screeeetch. Had to lock the front end in to pull my self off the road-kinda weird watching your tire/axle rolling past you-luckily nobody was in the oncoming lane.

 

Do they make a mini spool for the 7.5?
What would it cost in labor for an install?

 

It's called a "Lincoln Locker" for the 7.5" or "Miller Locker" take your pick, they work about the same, just have to find a reputable shop to "install it"!

 

There is a mini spool for the 7.5"

Pull the rear cover off the diff. Pull the center pin so you can push the axles in and remove the c-clips. Pull the axles out. Rotate the gear so that the side gears fall out. Install mini spool in place of the side gears. Reinstall axles, c-clips and lock pin.

To my knowledge, you don't have to remove the carrier from the diff to install a mini spool but you might have to.

 

Well $hit. If I don't have to pull the carrier out then I'll do it myself. Do they sell the mini spool through jeg's or sumitt?

Where can I find the other 2? the lincoln and miller locker?

 

http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerc...82&prmenbr=361
http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerc...58&prmenbr=361

 

FreeBird, you made my day!! The Lincoln and Miller "lockers" are when you take a Lincoln or Miller welder and weld the spider gears together and it is ecsentially a very crude and very unsafe home grown, back woods, mini spool that was often used in the hobby stock community of dirt packers. Highly not reccomended at all, unless your in a bind on the dirt track oval.

 

"I see. . . . " said the blind man.
I heard a mustang guy talking about doing that and I called him crazy.

I'm glad I could bring you a chuckle
Thanks for info though, this will help me not look like a complete moron infront of thousands of people. . . . . wait a minute, how many people are on this site.