i have an 89 camaro v8 305 it has 2.73 in it i was wondering what i have to do to put 3.73 in it. how do i do it how much does it cost. this is my first time doing this so i need all the info any one has thank you

 

only I have a 87 IROC and I want 3.42

 

For the Guy with 3.42's you don't have to do anything but get your gears. But for the guy with 2.73's You have to either change the differential with one from a 7 5/8 10 bolt with 3.23 gears or higher numerically like 3.42,3.73 and so on. You can go cheap and pull set of gears from a blazer or other gm truck or car with a 7 5/8 10 bolt that came from the factory with 3.73's and take the differential to or you can buy a brand new set of gears made for your diff for around 200-350 dollars from any parts store or local machine shop. And last but not least you could buy a new diff for the gears like a posi and get new gears for around 500 dollars. Remember though you can't use your diff with a set of standard 3.73's. I hope this helps and if you have any other questions just ask i've done this swap on my previous 89 RS camaro with the same motor and trans and gears.
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sorry the same goes for the other guy too I thought he said he had 3.42's not wanted.

 

Btw, there's an ebay store seller that has brand new Motive gearsets available for the 7.5/7.625" 10 bolts in 3.42 or 3.73 ratio for about $130. Motives are one of the most preferred gearsets for these rears, and that's a killer price for them. When you can get brand new gears that cheap, it'd be kinda dumb to put used gears in and risk them being noisy. As 85irocz355tpi said, you'll need a 3 series carrier. 3.08 and numerically lower use the 2 series carrier, 3.23 and numerically higher need the 3 series carrier. Your existing axle housing will work fine, you just need the different carrier.

 

ok now how do you put them on is it hard. im going to be putting a 350 tbi in it what gears should i go wit. how do i find my bolt pattern????

 

You'll have to pull the driveshaft the rear cover. Once your inside you'll see the ring gear that is bolted to the differential and the pinion at the back side closest to the front of the car. there will be a c clip for each axle. undo the bolt for the pin in the diff. pull the c clips and pull the axles out then pull the diff and the ring gear. Then take an impact and a wrench to hold the yolk for the driveshaft and take the nut off. It's been a long time since I've done this so you might want to get some more advice. I do know that one you put the pinion gear back in it has to be torqued but I don't know how much. I hope this gives you a good idea of what it takes.

 

Do not, I'll repeat, DO NOT drop the entire housing. It may seem like it'll make things easier, but removing suspension if you don't have is just a bad idea. On the subject of engine swap, if you have access to a chassis lift, remove the front crossmember and the engine will come out alot easier that way.

 

which gears should i go with? and if anyone has any info about swaping motors im all ears.

 

Please do not try to set up your own rear end gears. Its a complicated process that requires special tools and knowledge to get it right. Take it to a professional.

I recommend 3.42's for a stock or long tube runner car, and 3.73's or even 4.10's for a short runner highly modified engine.

 

You advised not removing any suspension to do the rearend work, but you recommend dropping the front crossmember to swap the motor??? On a 4th gen, you pretty much have to drop the motor out the bottom, but it makes no sense to do it that way on a 3rd gen. Removing the hood and pulling it out the top the traditional way is less work on these cars. Also, I have to agree with Kevin, setting up rearend gears is definitely not a job for an amateur, unless you have someone with experience helping you.

 

how much does the gears cost. does anyone have any good sites? how much does it cost to put the gears in ????

 

I've seen brand new gears on ebay for I think 130 but they are ussually 200 for the gears plus labor to put them in.