Ok heres what I getting ready to do.

help me out here and tell me if this sounds good or Im doing this the expensive way.

I now have an 87 rear with 2.73 posi., 26 spline, 2 series carrier. right?..I really dont need to do this cause my rear runs fine but when I set my mind to something I jump and run...and then say, what in the hell did I just do.

Tomorrow Im picking up and 90 rearend with 3.23 open Im sure but will have the 28 spline axles and also has drum brakes, I couldnt find disc brake rear for cheap
What I want to do is get the SLP 3 series carrier and then find me some 3.42 gears.
Im going to still have the rear in my car till I get the new rear done and ready to bolt up.

I figure $150 for the rear $111 for the carrier and about $50 for the gears. SO thats about 300 so far.

What else do I need to complete the install? what kind of bearing kit or install kit do I need.

I want to get everything that Im going to need and then clean up the new rear, have the gears shimed properly, Can that be done with rrear out of the car?

Am I spending to much money or should I just keep what I have and get the 3.42 2 series gears and be done with it?

But then my car will be down. .....Is there anything I can use from the old rears or do I have to get all new stuff?

 

why don't you just spend your $300 on a 3.42 posi or 3.73 posi rearend in the first place. or find yourself a 3.27 9 bolt rear end like i did? all of these should be well under 300 except for the 9 bolt which should be 275-350. or you can pick up a 4th gen posi rearend like described above for not much more money.

 

Cause I cant find any 3.42 posi or 3.73 posi...no tellin what cars came with them in. Most of the junked cars dont have the RPO sticker in them. Most of the junk yars ask well over 300 for posi rear end more if they got discs.

If I got a 4th gen rear I would have to get all new rims too. I dont want my rear tires sticking out .

 

i bought my posi unit off of SLP for $100.00 and then bought my gear for 65.00 off ebay

 

thats what I want to do but see you already had the 28 spline axles too. I dont I have 26...and the SLP will not work with 26 splines.

 

are all IROC's POSI? are the 9 bolts better rears?

 

go to the junkyard and find an old s-10 or a s-10 rear..... s-10's came with 3.42 and lower gears and alot had 28 spline axles, and quite a few had positraction rears... strip it down and see what the gears are and the axle spline count, and if its a posi then take the whole center section.... if you can do that then you will have everything you need except your bearings,seals, and rearend dope...

 

someone said that s10 axles are not the same size and will not fit 3rd gens.

 

choices choices!...dam I dont know what to do...the yard is pulling the rearend for me tomorrow and will have it for me to pick up at noon. They dont have my name or any of my money...so if I was to find something else before then I could just not pick it up. Their good people though...I dont want to do them that way.


What do I do?

 

In addition to the gears themselves, you'll need a "gear install kit", which comes with all the bearings, the shims, a crush sleeve, new ring gear bolts, etc. It's about $100 from any of a large number of sources including your local speed shop.

Find 90-92 6-cyl 5-spd car. Those would have come with a 3.42 open drum rear. Then add the SLP posi to that. Just keep watching your local boneyard, one will eventually show up.

If you need a rear now, like if yours is dying, then get the 3.23 and just put it in and leave it alone. IMO there's not enough difference between 3.23 and 3.42 to be worth putting yourself through that much work and potential misery over. Go ahead and get the SLP carrier though, since that can be changed over to another rear at any time, whenever you find the perfect one. I'd be looking for a 90-up disk brake rear to put 3.42s or 3.73s in, since then it would be worth the work and money to upgrade it. No point in spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars on a drum rear when you really want a disk one anyway.

Don't use the carrier out of a S truck. It will be the Eaton Gov-Lock, affectionately known even to people with 2.8s as the "Grenade-Lock". It is garbage and will not stand up to any kind of power, as easy as it is to break with a 6-cyl.

You're right about the S truck axles, they will not fit one of these cars, they are the wrong length.

All IROCs are not posi. In fact there are plenty of 2.73 open drum ones.

 

I found a 9 bolt with disc brakes......is that a good rear? it will probably have 3.23 the car has 108000 on the clock. You think the rear is in good condition? I havent seen it yet. going right now to look at it and then I found another its a 91 10bolt 3.42 non-locking...

These freakin rears are 2 hrs aways in opposite direction...Im going to make my mind up after looking at the 8bolt. the 9 is $250 the 10 is $100


damn I hate this!

 

Just depends on what you really want and are willing to do. I persoanlly am happy with my V6 3.42 PTrax setup 26 spline axles and all. I have a 3.23 disk setup from my 5 speeds donor car I'm just not willing to swap it all over at this point in time even if it stops better.

 

nope the 9 bolts was a 2.77..........I dont want that gear. Why wold they put those gears in a 5.7 with all the options?




I'll just take a road trip again tomorrow after work and go get the open rear 3.42 and be done with it. Then alls I need to do is get the SLP carrier and Im set......

You know what the freakin IROC I went and seen with the 9bolt had a ALUM driveshaft and I had it in my hand it was just sitting in the hatch area...I was like this feels kinda light..but didnt think about it..till now when I got home and punched in the RPO codes from the sticker in the car.....I KNEW I SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN IT...I bet I could have gotten it for $20. DAMN Im so pissed..

It had factory hatch louvers too.......and great condition hood louvers, the mini spare/w canister, 145 speedo.....I may just go back and get that stuff and sell it on ebay...

I dont think those people know what they had...

 

Hey Im glad you decided to switch out your rear. I remember talking to you before on another thread about the cam swap and how the gears in your rear now were hurting you.

I think any higher numerical gear ratio will help you. I know lots of people say this but for a rear DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME!!
Make sure you spend the extra time and/or money to have a good rear in the back of your car. These rears for our cars are getting more rare to find so if you ever part/sell/destroy the car then you have a good chance to get your moneys worth out of that rear you spent a lot of money on.

Cant wait to hear how it runs with the new rear!!

Dan

 

Well I went ahead and got the 10 bolt 3.23 rearend non locking.....yeah it has drums on it but screw it......I was spending to much money driving around looking for a disc rear with the right gears..I mean I spent 40 bucks yesterday just driving to go see that 9 bolt and it was only a 2.77 rear and it would have costed to much to get a carrier and gears for that since they are hard to find....

so I'll just put an SLP posi unit in this and better gears and be done with it....

Now my delema is what gears do I want? 3.42 or 3.73?

The car is a daily driver in the summer and sometimes a highway traveler going on trips to Florida and AL...

Can someone point me to the bearing kit that I will need?

 

I vote 3.42



I think that will be your best overall choice.

 

yeah thats what Im thinking....Im searching right now seeing what others say....


BOY! I know one thing, this F**kin rear better have the 28 spline axles...I was reading a post and some say that the 90 is the break year that some have 26 and some have 28.....I thought all 90's have 28?

This one better!!! ..its a 90 RS V6 rear with 3.23 in it.....I did verify that when I pulled the cover off at the yard....but to see the splines are to hard unless you take them out....

I have already degreased the rear took all the old shoe crap off and and painted it....looks pretty good!....Im going tomorrow and get new brake wheel cylinders.

 

If it has a 3.23 gear set why spend the money on a 3.42 gear set? There won't be any noticable difference in quarter mile times, I would just keep the 3.23's if they're in good shape.

 

i am doing 342s and 4th gen rear now keep me informed

 

Cause I want 3.42's not 3.23's........I'll just sell the 3.23 for what ever I can get to offset the others.