ok, i bought a carrier from a swap meet, and the guy swore up and down that it was a 3 series carrier... how can i tell the difference between a 2 and 3 series?? which one is better?? any help is great thanks!

ps. i need some information on what gears to go with. 355 vortec motor with a 6500 red line th350 tranny. looking for the best 1/4 mile gear

 

3.91

 

for the 2 or 3 series unit??? very confused sorry

 

If I were running your combo on the quarter, I'd run 3.91. It's similar to something I did before. Everyone has an opinion.

The 3 in 3-series carrier refers to the 3 in 3.91...

You would need a 3-series carrier for 3.91s

If you have a 3.08 posi now why did you buy a 3-series carrier? Used?

 

my carrier is junk... but what i thought was that the 2 series was a lesser of the 3 series. also every one says that you can only get 3.23, 3.42, 3.73, 4.10 and so on. who makes the 3.91?

i also just found out that a 3.08 is a 2 series.

 

anything 3.23 and lower number wise is a 2 series higher numbers is a 3 series 3.73, 4.10 etc

 

Off the top of my head i think a Series 3 carrier fits 3:08 gears upto 3.90 gears. 3.91 jumps to a series 4 i believe. But everyones making ring an pinnion gears that fit any style carrier now, so usually wether you have a series 2 or 3 or whatever, you can get the gearing you need without a carrier swap.

 

In the 7½" rear, the break is between 3.08 and 3.23. 3.08 & lower is 2 series, 3.23 & higher is 3 series. There's no 4 series in this model of rear.

Here's what the 2 ring gear flange locations look like. 2 series on the left, 3 on the right. Note on the 2 series one, how the area between that flange and the carrier bearing, is flat; but on the other, it's more cone-shaped. That's because a 2 series pinion is larger diameter (it's 7.5" divided by 2.whatever) than a 3 series pinion (which is 7.5" divided by 3.whatever), so the ring gear has to be moved farther away from the pinion centerline in the 2 series to clear the larger pinion. There's about .350" or .400" of difference, I forget exactly what that number is in this model of rear end.

 

thank you very much... that clears alot up for me
that means the one i bought is a 2 series... damn


2 series posi carier for sale... low miles (cheap) haha

 

like urmomshot77 said above, you CAN buy the gearset that you want to fit the carrier that you have. If you are buying gears you need to ask the people selling them to sell you the proper set.

For example, if you are buying gears from Jeg's then you just need to tell them that you want 3.90 gears for your 2-series carrier. It's that easy! The gear manufacturer just makes the ring gear thicker so that it will fit your 2-series carrier. Some people like it because it means that the gear is a little stronger. I don't think it matters because it's the teeth that always break and not the back flange...

Good luck!

 

very good point. because they are thicker is that why they are a lil more money? thanks again

 

more likely they cost a little more because it is a non standard part.

Either way, it's still cheaper than buying another carrier!

 

yes it is haha... i guess im really just concerned with the strength of the whole deal

 

The stock 7.5 10 bolt in our cars is not overly strong. You needn't worry about the difference in strength between a 2 series or 3 series gear set.

If you need strength then you need to upgrade your entire rear axle assembly. If you're on an extreme budget then you need to at least get the 88 and newer axles with the (28?) higher spline count than the 84 model and then you need a real posi-traction unit like an auburn gear or detroit locker. The GM governor lock style and others that use the small pinions or "spider" gears are the weak link in our axles.

At least, those are the parts that I shatter when I grenade my rear ends. I like the aftermarket housings that are available now for our cars much better than anything the factory ever offered us. Even the dana 44 is not strong enough for my taste!

 

yeah... my buddy has the later 28 spline axels that he is giving me cuz he is upgrading to a ford 9 inch... but as for me, i am a college student on a very extreme budget. i'm just hoping that this combo will last me this season

 

hey your from ohio? what town? i used to live in mansfield

 

yeah, norwalk ohio

 

i loved going down to norwalk raceway, i am going home in june and probably going down

 

be prepared for a shock... they sold the track to summit racing... and totally re-did the whole place. i was just there for opening day last weekend. it was crazy

 

is it better now? it was good before, they still have open track?

 

too early to tell really, i think prices went up a little. also tech. inspection is gonna be alot more strict. their still gonna have whop *** wednesdays, friday night TNT, and all their normal events. excpt world nationals. Also supposta have alot better facilities