BEen doing some research on this and I'm a little hazy about the carrier and spacer thing.

I've got a open 2.73 rear, which means 2-series carrier. The carrier in a "posi" rear is the actual limited slip unit itself, right? So gears just bolt onto the carrier?

So if I get the 3.73's or 4.11's I want to grab, I'll need a 3-series carrier.

What I'm having a hard time figuring out is whether or not the spacer is between the gears and the carrier, or the carrier and the rear end. I think the spacer is just for the gears and carrier, right? So if I bought a 3-series posi carrier off ebay or wherever, I could just get some 3-series gears and get it installed in my stock 10-bolt without any problems, right?

Apparently I can buy "Deep" gears for a 2-series carrier, but if I have to change the carrier to get a posi unit anyway, then I'm guessing that would be unnecessary?

Am I right about this or am I in over my head?

And just to get some opinions, this is going to mated with a T56, so I was wondering if you guys thought the 10-bolt 4.11's would be able to survive a manual launch. For some reason I'm under the impression for some reason that the higher(numerically) gear ratio gear sets are a little more vulnerable to grenading than the lower ratios, is that true?

 

3 series carriers are for 3.08 and numerically higher gear ratios... (3.23 3.73 etc.)

i think the spacer goes between the ring and the carrier (same thing as the thick gear) but if ur gonna use ur old carrier you might as well just buy the thick gear and not worry bout the spacer thing.

4.10's are gonna be bad because the pinion gear is so small. they usually say that you start losing strength after you go past 3.73 because your pinion is getting smaller. probably not a great idea especially with the t-56. so yes your numerically higher gear ratio is gonna be more prone to throw parts at you.

3.73 will be a good way to go. and as for the posi i'd just get something off ebay. Your probably gonna atleast want to rebuild yours if you have it out so why not get a new one. I bought a govloc for $180 all redone the right way.

i went from my 2.73's to 3.42's and it was a night and day difference in takeoff so im sure u'll be happy with 3.73's. mines been workin great but i havnt got my 350 dropped in yet so im sure ill start breakin stuff soon. good luck.

 

If I get a new posi carrier, isn't that going to replace my old one? The spacer thing is fine, but if that's between the gear and the carrier, my carrier is just an open 2-series carrier to begin with so I'm thinking it would be much easier to just buy a 3-series posi and be done with it, right?

 

Yeah, if you get a 3 series carrier you're all set, no need for the spacer. The spacer goes between the ring gear and the carrier flange. Since a 3 series pinion gear is smaller in diameter, the location of the ring gear flange on a 2 series carrier positions the ring gear too far away from the pinion when using a standard thickness, 3 series ring gear. Minor correction on the series breakdown, the 3.08 ratio is actually 2 series. 3 series is 3.23 and numerically higher. Also, when shopping for a posi, pick anything but the Gov-Loc. They've been nicknamed "grenade-lock" for a good reason. I wouldn't pay $25 for one, let alone $180. If you're sure you have the original rear in your 92, you should have 28 spline axles, which is a plus since it gives you more choices for a good posi. The Zexel-Torsen posi units out of the 98-up f-bodies work great and used ones can be picked up quite cheap on ebay if you keep your eyes open. If you decide to spend the money on a new one, I'd recommend getting an Eaton, clutch style posi. Ebay has the cheapest prices on those too from what I've seen. Summit and Jegs want roughly $500 for them, and I've seen them as cheap as $370 on ebay. I just picked up a lightly used, 3 series Torsen on ebay a couple of weeks ago for $75.

 

How can I tell the difference between a govloc (I've heard bad things about them in my searches for information on this topic) and a normal run of hte mill posi carrior for 10-bolts? I'm guessing the people that sell them will try to pass them off as better units, so what's an easy way to distinguish them? You know, kinda like how every used sbc head was "From a vette".

The Auburn unit is the one that 3rd gens and LT1 cars came with, right? What's wrong with them? They just dont work as well? And the LS1 Zexel Torsen carriers sound great, but I cant justify spending THAT much money on one. If I can find one for $75, then that's great but you cant bet on luck all the time.

So if I get any of these 3-series posi carriers, do I get a 7.5 or 7.625 inch gear? Are they interchangable as long as the ring matches the pinion?

 

There's a good pic of the Gov-Loc unit. 7.5 or 7.625 doesn't matter. They both bolt up to any carrier. All aftermarket gearsets will fit either carrier. There's nothing necessarily wrong with the Auburn units, but I usually don't recommend them due to the fact that they're not rebuildable. Once they're worn out, there's no fixing them. That's the big advantage with the Eaton, clutch posi. They're fully rebuildable. If you can find a good deal on a used, 28 spline Auburn, it might not be a bad idea. They usually last a long time behind a moderately powered street car. The 4th gens got them up to 97, so I'd try to find one out of a 93-97 f-body with low miles. Most of the 3rd gen ones probably have mega miles on them. Here's a link to a typical Auburn unit with a good picture: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/GM-7-...spagenameZWDVW And lastly, here's a link to the cheapest price I've found on ebay for the Eaton unit: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...236618390&rd=1 Btw, I have to confess. I grabbed a Gov-Loc with 3.73 gears out of an 85 H.O. Z/28 at the local pick-a-part for a lousy $30. I kept the 3.73 gears and sold the Gov-Loc on ebay for a whopping $165. Lol. There's a sucker born every minute!

 

well i guess im one of those suckers. i never heard one bad thing about the gov-locs until now and mines been runnin fine for about 6 months granted i have the 305 but the trans-go shift kit i have is being everything but nice to my rear end. guess if it breaks that'l b a good excuse to find a ford 9".

 

Sorry dude, I hope I didn't burst your bubble too bad. From what I've read about them here on the boards, what usually causes one to explode is if your tires are spinning pretty fast on a slippery surface, then you all of a sudden grab traction, like if you roll onto dry pavement while the tires are still going good. As long as you don't get into a situation like that too often, it'll probably hold up pretty good. Another plus is that you're running an auto trans, which doesn't shock the rearend as bad as manual trannys do.