i'm buying limited slip components for my car, its a 10 bolt i'm pretty sure, but is it a 7 5/8 or whatever or is it a 7 1/2??? i looked up my RPO codes and it just said it was a 2:73 gear ratio...I checked like a month ago, and I believe it was a 10 bolt, but now its in storage, is there any way to know if its a 10 bolt or 9 bolt..was 9 bolt only offered in a certain year, mines an 86....can you tell if its a 10 bolt by knowing it has 2:73 gears??

 

also, does anybody know where to get teh cheapest name brand gears??? like moser, richmond, etc ect....are they all pretty much 180-200???

 

2:73 ratio is a 10-bolt and its a 2 series carrier. If you are gone to use this carrer you will need a thicker ring gear, and I could not tell you a source. Same for a replacement limited slip. Whatever its going to cost BIG bucks for this change.

 

well the eaton is 350 plus shipping, installation kit 90, and the ring and pinion is 175 for 3.73 motive performance gears...i thought 2 and 3 series just meant 3.08 and lower is 2 series, and higher than 3.08 is 3 series??? don't I just get the 3 series eaton posi unit and get 3 series gears?? it comes out to be like 613 w/o shippin...thats not really BIG BUCKS...

 

$613 w/o shipping, now add the cost for new axle shafts since yours are 26 splines and the new limited is most likely 28. just don't stop there what about labor. A gear change is not your average DIY job. And the bill keeps climbing.

 

well i'm doing all the work in my highschool auto shop, my teacher used to work in a tranny and rearend shop, so we have the tools and the knowledge to do it...yea i didn't even think about the 28 spline axles...i'm glad i started this thread before i ordered it....is there a unit out there that is 26 spline compatible, i wanna spend as little as i have too...what should i do?

 

i've looked around, and it seems that most sites that carry the eaton has 26 and 28 spline models...i emailed gearsareus.com to check if they have the 26 spline model..maybe i'll be in good shape after all...

 

Looking in the right direction now....

 

klumb,
some info i've uncovered in the last week or two that should help.
Don't take this as written in stone -- but im pretty sure its all correct.

1. Your '86 has 26 spline axles -- Eaton only makes posi's for 28 spline 3 series and up carriers.
2. You have a 2 series carrier -- Eaton does not make a posi for a 2 series carrier. Better look to Auburn.

The cheapest way to go is to find a 89 & up Z-28 or Trans Am rear end and swap it over. That way you get the 3 series carrier / posi / 28 spline axles and possibly disks. I've seen these set ups go for around $650 complete from disk to disk.

If you want to do things the right way (not the cheap way) go here, call them, do what they suggest.
www.reiderracing.com

 

damnit....i was under the impression that the carrier changed from a 2 to a 3 if I bought the new posi unit....i guess not tho...i found a 9 bolt posi with 3.27 gears in it with disc brakes and eveyrthing for 300 bucks...the 9 bolts are way more stronger right?? is 300 a good price? Is this the way to go about doing this or what? the 9 bolts are hard to find gears for tho right? The 10 bolt posi's are considerably cheaper...if I go to a junk yard, waht do i look for? an 89 or up posi with disc brakes or what? wow this is alot more complicated than I thought...

 

sorry, didn't mean to confuse you bud --

yes, you are correct. If you buy a 3 series diff you will have a 3 series carrier -- however, you will still have to change out your 2 series Ring & Pinion gears.

 

well yea that is what i'm doing...i'm getting pretty much all the guts inside the pumpkin....so if I find an aftermarket posi unit that is 26 spline, and I get the 3 series model and 3.73 gears I should be alright...right??

 

sounds right to me.

dont forget to check out this link if you haven't already
http://www.ws6transam.org/10bolt.html

 

good article...but why would you go 90,000 miles on that problem..you pay good money for a top of the line eaton unit, why wouldn't you complain to the company responsible?? if that happened to me that unit would be out in a day, and shipped back to the company....i've looked at the zexel torsion unit, which is the unit I think they were implieing in the article, looks to be a good unit, but i've heard the eaton is better, also the torsion is only offered in 28 spline like they said...but I think i'll just stick with the stock 26 spline axles and try to get an eaton 26 unit, and if not, I know there is an auburn 26 spline unit...so i should be all set right?? just get a 26 spline 3 series posi unit, some 3.73 gears and a installation kid and I should be set...right?

 

I'd hate to shop for rearends wherever adambros does. $650 for a rearend? You gotta be kidding. I picked up a 3.23 posi/ pbr disc rear out of a 91 GTA for my car for $350, and I consider that the high end of the price margin. If you keep an eye on the classifieds, you'll see these rears alot between the prices of $250-$350. If you still want to upgrade the rearend you already have, even if eaton only sells their posi for 28 spline axles, you can grab a set of those axles out of any 90-92 f-body in a junkyard pretty cheap. I don't think that's the case though, because I'm almost sure I've seen the eaton unit for 26 spline axles too. Check ebay for the eaton carriers. I've seen the brand new heavy duty units on there for around $300-$350. If you have someone who can help you set up the gears for cheap, your biggest expenses will be the carrier and the new gears, and of course you'll need an installation kit as well, which has new bearings, crush sleeve, shims, marking compound, etc. It'd be cheapest to just pick up another 3 series posi rear, but you'll have a better rearend if you use the eaton unit. The stock auburn posi units aren't as tough as the eatons, and they're also not rebuildable like the eatons. When my auburn unit goes south, I'll probably upgrade to the eaton carrier. You'd probably be into your rearend around $650-$700 to set it up real nicely.

 

Again comparing prices of what you paid vs someone else. You live Utah and he lives in Michigan. Its like I would say you paid to much because parts are cheaper where I live. Whatever that market is selling at is the price you pay. And e-bay is not cheap also..

 

Point taken dude. If he had to pay $650 for a used rearend, he'd be way better off upgrading his existing rearend with brand new parts for that kind of money. And the prices I quoted from ebay are "buy it now" prices, not a bidding auction where the sky's the limit on the price. Btw, Iroc78 is located in Mich. and he's got a 3 series posi/disc listed in the classifieds for $350.

 

no i'd rather stick my money into an aftermarket posi unit...i'll go with the eaton I think, and I'll make some calls and see what I can find for 28 spline axles and upgrade those as well while i'm at it...axles go in relatively easy am I right? I'm redoing all the outer and inner seals and bearings, so its gonna turn into a complete rearend rebuild from drum to drum, maybe I can score some disc brakes from the yard too...also i need to know how much do those 28 spline axles usually go for used? i just don't want to get jipped or anything...thanks for all the info guys, everbody has been a great help..

 

Yeah, axles are a piece of cake to change. A guy named JerseyMark has a set of 28 spline axles listed in the classifieds here for $50 plus shipping. That's a good price for a set. If you go to a junkyard, I wouldn't pay more than about $75 for a pair, since you can usually buy the whole rearend for $100-$150. As long as you don't mind spending the money, I think you're making a wise choice rebuilding yours with nice new parts! Good luck!