okay so, my 1991 RS is a 305 TBI, non-1LE, drum rear with an open diff and 2.73 gears. my buddy is hooking me up with a posi 3.23 rear out of a 1982 Banks Edition Z28. now one of my questions is, does anyone know what axle they came with? i assume it's the 7.5" but i'm unsure, as i can't find much info online about the Banks Camaros. also, were they disk or drum rear, and how many splines are on the axles? what would need to be done to swap this in? he did inform me that i would need to use my axle shafts, but i don't know enough about the new axle to know whether it'll be a straight forward install, or if i'll need new parts, or need to modify anything. this will probably be taking place this coming weekend, so any info i can get would be greatly appreciated.

 

Never heard of a Banks Edition, but if its the stock rear end, its probably a 26 spline 7.5" 10-bolt. There's no way of knowing if its a disc or drum, posi or not, without looking at it. '82 Z28's could come with anything.
Also, the brake lines on your car might not match up with the brake lines on the rear, as GM used different connectors throughout the years.

 

also if you change the ratio from 2.73 to 3.23 you'll see big difference.you will loose your low end power but you'll increase your top speed.

 

Umm, you got that backwards bud. 3.23=more takeoff power, less top speed.

 

yes you are right!i have in mind that tha change is from 3.23 to 2.73.sorry guys!!

 

is it possible to pull the brake lines off my current axle and put them on the new one? my buddy said he'd advise using all my current equipment as far as the axle shafts and brakes, etc. go. he said the internal workings of the diff are fine, but the axle shafts in it aren't very healthy looking. also, is there any differences between mounting points i should worry about, or is it pretty much a straight forward bolt in swap? just trying to make sure i know everything i need to before i put her down for a bit to swap it out, so as to not get halfway through and find something doesn't quite work right.

 

Sounds to me like it's pointless.

You have 28-spline axles; the carrier in the 82 will be 26-spline. Meaning, your axles won't work with that carrier.

No point in putting a bunch of used-up wore-out 25-yr-old stuff in your car. The romantic "Banks" name doesn't mean a whole lot if the parts are no good. No aura of specialness will remain and somehow imbue a bunch of used-up stock stuff (that doesn't fit your car) with superior virtue. You'll do better to just go out and buy a carrier and gears, and forget that old stock stuff.

 

well, the car this axle came out of was only driven for 3 years. it never had all taht many miles on it. of course that worried me at first, knowing that parts sitting around for years can easily become very nasty and usually unusable, but my buddy assured me it's all in good condition and still usable. would it be cheaper to buy a new carrier and gears for my axle seeing as how the spline-count is wrong? or would it be cheaper to buy new axle shafts for the Banks axle?

 

26 spline axles are WAYYYY more common than the thirdgen 28 spline axles, so you can definitely get another set of used axles in good condition for dirt cheap. Just make sure you don't trip over any of them when you go to the junkyard. Lol. If the original axles are rough, you'll want to replace the outer axle bearings and outer seals while you're at it, just for good measure. They're cheap too, so no big deal there either. If it's a drum brake rear, you'll want to make sure the wheel cylinders aren't blown out or leaky, and the last thing you'll want to inspect is the pinion seal to make sure it's dry and not leaking either. The rearend I put under my car was sitting outside in the weather for about 5 years, and all I did was replace the outer axle bearings/seals, pinion seal, and put fresh gear lube in, and it's still going strong after 3 years of driving it every day. Of course, it's also a 3.23 posi/disc rear out of a 91 GTA, so it was well worth the effort!