I recently ordered a complete overhaul kit from reider racing. After I took the ring gear off the diff. to press the carrier bearings off and on, I noticed there was way too much play in the spider gears.
So I decided to trust myself in reshimming the side gears. When I took the carrier apart I found that one of the 4 pinions on the cross shaft was broken. I was reading the service guide and it says replace the carrier if anything is broken. I also think the posi cones were grinding into the housing, the instructions werent clear from my point of view. It said, If a friction cone is worn to the point where the end of the cone is contacting the housing at the inner most point (it will be evident by the wear pattern) then the carrier must be replaced. I can take pics if anyone would like to see the housing to determine.

Should I spend $475 dollars on a new carrier, or save up for a 9"? I think i'm going to fix the 9 bolt, but i'm not positive. thanks

 

If I buy a new carrier, am I going to have to buy a pinion depth gauge? When I pressed the old bearing off there was no shims under the head bearing, and someone told me to put it back together the way it came apart. Are they right?

 

I just love how much help I get sometimes on here, don't stop replying now. After I sell this I will never own a third gen again, they are peices of shat and wastes of time. I'm goin s10 or *****.

 

Patience.... The person with the answer you seek just hasn't read you post yet...
You think a 3rd gen is a turd, wait until you've owned an S-10!!!

 

I do need more patience, I was a lot more happy with my 88 iroc vert than the pos that i'm dealing with now. I've wanted an s10 for a while, because you don't need a completely wild motor to have a fast vehicle, but I don't know anything about them. It just seems to me 3rd gens are outdated, but then again you see how many people post on a forum such as this. I think i'm going with a 4 cylinder turbo next. I can't afford the gas.

 

"Should I spend $475 dollars on a new carrier, or save up for a 9"?"
That's up to you. Depends on what your goals/budget are for the car. If you're thinking about selling it, I would just find a used 10 bolt to throw in it.

As for the S10 idea, you might want to research that a little more. Not knocking them (I own one), but they are slow. Plus, both of my V8 camaro's get better mpg than the 4cyl S10.

 

the posi took a dump in my 9 bolt so i looked around for a late 80's 10 bolt to put in but found no good deals then looked at the new ones got my ls1 rear complete with all the brake stuff torsion posi unit shipped to me off of ebay for under $400

 

I was talking about getting an s10 to put a v8 in. I know they're slow stock. As for the 9 bolt I found one for $175 complete I will hopefully get this one and wait for it to blow up. Then i'm probably going to buy a 9 inch, because I can't see spending $500 on a carrier, when I plan on building a 550 horse motor (if I keep the car). thanks guys
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how is it possible for a 4cyl to get worse gas mileage than an 8? I've seen it, but the vehicle had problems.

 

how much did the overhual kit cost?

i would not buy a pinion depth guage just to be used once

lets see the pictures

 

I got it from reider racing, but I the kit from ratech has a couple more things like ring gear bolts. It was $120 I think. If your going to buy a pinion depth gauge don't buy the proform $100 set they sell. I bought it and it's crap.

 

BTW my dads Cheap Wrangler is a 2.5L 4 cylinder. it gets horrible gas milage, worse than my camaro. even though its a 5 speed, it has 4.11's and its kinda heavy so thats why

 

Tom -- that's an excellent course of action. I went through the ridiculous exercise of dumping money into trying to fix a broken 10-bolt on my '92, and finally settled into a pattern of acquiring $100 junkyard rears to swap in, throwing away the broken ones. So far the 4th gen rears have proved to be the strongest and the PBR's and brake lines fit no-sweat. Ultimately though, I can see a 9-inch or 12-bolt going in as a permanent replacement. IMHO, these cars are excellent keepers -- both my 3rd Gens turn heads every day, so I know the design is attractive, plus they are certified muscle-cars. Get the TPI's and you'll get 20+ mpg and 14-sec drags. Pretty hot stuff, even compared to new cars.

 

Thanks, that's impressive. No one ever told me what they run stock. I was going to go fuel injection next and I was looking to make a powerful car. I need better gas mileage, because I don't want to be spending tons of money on gas, like I will be this summer. I just have a lot to learn. This was only my first rebuild, I can't wait till my next. It's amazing the crap some people do to cut corners. I found out the hard way when I bought my first thirdgen.

 

Sounds like you have found the direction you want to go but I thought I would answer some of your questions anyway for future problems.
You were correct about the 9 bolt posi,,,,if the cones have gotten into the case it's time for a new unit,,,these cone style posi units were not really designed with rebuilding in mind,,,simply installing new cones, or a new cross pin will sometimes add a little more life to the unit but it will be short lived.
Once the case has some wear in it,,,it's a done deal.
Usually they have seen a hard life anyway with young kids doing burnouts with their foot on the brake, with the brakes holding the wheels while sitting still, sometimes one brake may hold one wheel a little more than the other, this is hard on the cones in the posi, not to mention all the heat build up on the axle bearings when the brakes get hot.
If yours was that worn,,,,don't bother with the rebuild go with a new unit or a different style rearend.
As for a pinion depth gauge? I use them religously,,,I set up all my own rearends, so the gauge has paid for itself.. For someone like yourself that may only do 1 or 2 rearends it may not be worth the extra cost for you to pickup this tool,,,probably worth while to find someone that can do this for you. You can simply use gear checking compound to check the pattern but this may require several tries before it is right. A tip for this would be to have an extra pinion bearing that you can hone the inside out of slightly, that way it slips on and off easily,,,,makes life easier since you don't have to keep pressing the bearing on and off and take a chance of ruining it,,,then once you have the pinion depth you need to get a good pattern,,,,you can simply take it apart for the last time and press on the new bearing.
I use both,,,,I set the pinion depth with the gauge according to the gear manufactures recomendations and then check the pattern as well,,,this keeps the tear down and reassembly process to a minimum for me.
Setting one up correctly will get expensive,,,if you don't want to spring for a new carrier, don't bother with the rest of it. It will just have to come apart again in the future. You can easily spend $1,000 to $1,500 setting up a rearend with new parts, sometimes more depending on how extravagant you want to get.
I currently have an 88 Iroc 350 tuned port car with this very same 9 bolt rear,,,although it works excellent with barely over 60,000 on the car,,,I am replacing the entire rear due to the fact that I want a different gear and simply don't want to screw with the 9 bolt.
I found a 7.5 10 bolt out of an earlier car that I am currently going through,,,,new Eaton clutch style posi $500,,,(these are rebuildable many times over) so it's money well spent,,,,new gears, new set up kit, new Strange axles, new yoke,,,,etc....I will have $1500 in the rear easily,,,,just in parts. But it should be trouble free and serve me fine for what I am doing. It adds up quick and I am not done yet.
As for the cars themselves,,,I love mine,,,,,great body style,,,gets tons of looks where ever it goes,,,runs high 13's with minimal bolt ons,,,,and I get mpg in the mid 20's on highway,,,,18-19 around town. Simply a fun car to drive. Hope you get yours worked out and have some time to enjoy it before you decide to sell,,,,keep in mind any used car will probably have it's own problems,,,,,,goodluck,,,Larry.

 

I already honed out a bearing for that purpose. I used the old one. Actually buying a quality pinion depth gauge would be beneficial. I'm a technician and i'm only 21 so it will be used many times. I just couldn't find a decent one the last time I looked. My old boss had a nice one, but I think it was $600. As for 10 bolts, the car I recently bought had one in it, but I haven't heard too many good things about 10 bolts. Plus it's not disc brakes. I plan on building my next motor with some *****, so I can't see spending money on a 10 bolt or even a 9 bolt. I don't think it will handle over 500 horse, but I don't know enough. I do like the eaton posi units, I have heard good things and seen myself what they're capable of, but that was a 12 bolt.
As for the car, I can't wait to get it on the road, then I will be a happy person again. I had to go all last year without driving a somewhat fast car, because I didn't have the funds/knowledge to complete the project. I'm hoping to run low 13s. But I probably wont be with a 2.77 ratio. But, I can't wait any longer, and $175 for a completer rear is great. Than I will be able to put it into the garage, and drop the motor and trans in.
I did get a lot of looks in my Iroc vert, it feels good, but I don't car what people think about me anymore, i'm in it for the speed and adrenaline. Thanks for taking the time to help me out, it's much appreciated.
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If I was to buy a fourth gen rear, would the brakes be compatible? I know nothing about them, other than you want the zexel torsion unit. Also I don't have pbr brakes. I didn't see it as cost effective spending money on them, even with a discount. How much better could the braking be?

 

You are right about the 7.5 10 bolts not being able to handle much,,,,I agree if you put a motor in with enough grunt I wouldn't mess with the 10 bolt,,,although you said you plan on running low 13's, the 7.5 10 bolt can handle that if built correctly. Low 13's isn't too hard on it when you consider it's in a 3400 lbs. car with a cushy automatic. I am already running 13's with my Iroc with the stock 9 bolt and 2.77's with only a couple of bolt ons, I have no worries with a well built 7.5 10 bolt, and I don't plan on making the car too much faster anyway,,,,just a few more bolt ons.
On the other hand,,,my daily driver is a 79 Monza which uses the same 7.5 10 bolt setup with torque arm and pan hard bar,,,it was the predecessor to the 3rd gen,,,I run a mild 406 in this car with a muncie 4 speed. I broke the 7.5 10 bolt a couple times when it was a stocker,,,then I beefed up the rear with an Eaton pro series posi, new 3.23 gears, Strange axles, etc....set everything up to spec, nice and tight,,,,it lasted for a couple years of street abuse,,,and even track abuse as long as street tires were used,,,car runs mid 12's on street tires at 110-112 mph,,,as soon as the stickies went on and I started dumping the clutch at 4,000 rpms,,,,5 passes later it broke. This was after putting 30,000 miles on it,,,I fixed it,,,and am still driving and racing the car too,,,although with street tires only and it has been fine,,,although I have found it's limit,,,,I am currently having a 9 inch narrowed to fit the car, with a 31 spline posi and 3.25 gears,,,,it should take all the abuse that little car can throw at it.
I agree though,,,shoot right for the 12 bolt or 9 inch if you have the resources. I have 3 other cars with 12 bolts and haven't broken one yet, one is in my chevelle that runs 11.40's at 118 at a race weight of 4,108 lbs. been together for many years with no problems. I only chose to go with the 9 inch on the monza because for one,,,I have 2 of them laying around and two,,,,,it is easier to attatch the torque arm to the housing with a bracket from Currie rather than buy an expensive 12 bolt housing from strange or moser. Sounds like you have a handle on it.
Oh the 4th gen rear,,,,I don't see why the brakes wouldn't be compatable,,,there is only one problem I know you will run into,,,the 4th gen rear is slightly wider than the 3rd gen rear so your tires will stick out slightly more,,,some people correct this with aftermarket wheels that have more offset. Just something to keep in mind,,,,,take care,,,Larry.

 

Thanks again, my car is a standard so it would be even worse on the rear. I never even heard of a monza, I will have to look and see what they are, sounds interesting. I have a lot of respect for 12 bolts, I did my first gear installation and new differential on a 71 chevelle ss. Then we built the motor for it, pushing probably 550 horse, and the rear is still fine. Yet the transmission went in the first month, it was a 4 speed. I wish I knew more of what is involved in putting a 9 inch in my car. I wrote to this guy on eBay, to ask him about his f body 9 inches that he sells. He didn't write back, so screw him. I wanted to know if I was going to have to shorten the driveshaft, and change the pinion angles, either by adjustable lca's or lowering the trans. I have no idea about what's involved, but hopefully with the help from others I will find out. When the time comes. It seems to me the most cost effective and easiest would be to buy a 9 inch, but I have no experience with them, and little knowledge. I appreciate the responses, sir. -Tom

 

One more thing, i'm sure you have experience with cam buttons, this is all new to me. I have to take my motor back apart to install a comp cams roller cam button. I also purchased a new timing set, even thought the other one had low mileage, and was probably fine. I'm just sick of cutting corners, and the engine is no place for that. How does the cam button get attached to the cam sprocket? Someone told me to buy a lock plate, but even if I had one, it wouldn't work, because the roller cam button doesn't fit inside the cam gear, thus the lock plate wouldn't sit flush. Why would comp cams sell a timing set and sell a roller cam button that doesn't fit where it's supposed to. I don't even know if what i've heard is right.

 

By the way it's an 87 and up. I heard with every roller cam you need a roller cam button, but now i'm not sure, because I just remember seeing a lock plate behind the cam gear. Wow, do I feel like an idiot.

 

Yes a roller needs a cam button,,,,the roller lifters can only roll in one direction so you can't have the cam walking back and forth.
I have a roller in my Chevelle, also from Comp Cams,,,,they send a plastic button which I did not use,,,,I bought the steel rollerized button for about $15, thought it was just cheap insurance, something about plastic parts in my engine didn't set well with me,,,LOL. Anyway,,,,it goes right in the middle of the cam gear, and there will be a plate to hold it there using the 3 cam gear bolts, a retaining plate is the correct word I beleive. Anyway,,,there is also a clearance you have to check, the button has to be so far away from the timing cover, some fancy timing covers come with external adjustments for the cam button,,,I myself needed to use the stock timing cover for stock appearance so I used modeling clay on the back side of the timing cover, then install the cover with the gasket as well, since that will make slightly extra clearance, tighten the bolt and then pull it back off, check the thickness of the modeling clay where it was smashed by the button. Comp Cams will have a clearance for this,,,,I can't recall off the top of my head, but it's not very much,,,something like .005 or even less,,,but check with cam manufacture to be sure. Hope that helps,,,,Larry.

 

I found out that in 87, the retaining plate that I was talking about holds the cam in place. So there is no need for a cam button, I thought the person before me was just cutting corners. I do know the procedure for checking how much to shim the timing cover for proper contact. I remember learning how to do it on a 454, but that was a while ago.

 

OK my bad,,,,I thought we were talking about aftermarket stuff from Comp Cams,,,,thats what I used in my 454 Chevelle,,,sounds like you got it figured out. Larry.