so i went ahead and did the 4th gen rear end swap a few weeks ago

the old rear end was a stock, 3.23 ratio, drum rear end, with a richmond mini spool

the new rear end is out of a 2000 Camaro SS, it has a 3.42 ratio and the zexel torsen gear type posi. on it are lower control arm relocation brackets. also it has been converted to LT1 axles and LT1 style brakes

a couple tips for doing this swap

air tools are indispensable, a cutoff wheel helps to get the old brake lines out, and an impact wrench to knock loose the nuts helps out alot, otherwise make sure you have a good set of metric 1/2" drive sockets and a good breaker bar because my bolts were on there pretty good. liquid wrench or some other type of penetrating oil is a must have as well

the brakes for me were a pain in the ***. i ended up buying a brake line flare tool and put in completely new plumbing from the start of the rear end hump. all the fittings on the car are metric, and all the fittings they have at the parts stores around here are standard. i replaced the factory rubber line at the rear end (the flexible line that alows movement of the rearend up and and down) with napa part # 36582 (http://www.napaonline.com/NOLPPSE/(S...582_0190268332) which has female connections at both ends, so i was able to put whatever fitting size i want on the stock hardline coming back once i chopped off the stock fitting, use a reducer to fit that new flex hose which was 3/16ths, then i ran an 8" hardline to my proportioning valve to get that where i wanted, also 3/16ths, then another 8" hardline to a T block and bent new hardlines leading to LT1 4th gen specific flexible outer brake hoses that connect to the calipers, i needed to get an adapter to fit the 3/16th hardline into the stock metric thread but napa had them on hand. it seems like alot of work, but really it wasnt too bad. a brake line cutter (tubing cutter) comes in handy too for doing your own brake work


as far as the ebrakes go, i got a handle out of a 96 z-28, the single line came with a passthrough grommet from auto value, and i got the 2 long individual lines leading to the calipers from napa, a pretty straightforward swap, alot easier than the new calipers

the stock springs on my car were really worn out, so i threw in some springs out of an 86 iroc, fit perfect

also added lakewood drag shocks while i was at it

seems like overall it was definitely worth it, it doesnt spin the tires as bad in good conditions, and catches alot less 2nd and 3rd gear rubber, i think mainly due to the LCA reloc brackets

now for a couple pictures, i can get more if you want too from any angle

stock 15x7 rims with the stock 215 tires

 

I gotta ask but why would the brakes be down graded with LT1 style 11.65 disks?

 

i bought the rear end from a guy who had an lt1 car and swapped in lt1 axles and brakes, he bought the rear end from the original owner of the 2000 SS that replaced it with a ford 9, the guy i bought it from was looking for a 4.10 ratio because the 3.42 wasnt cutting it for him


heres a little better pic to show the added width

 

that looks sweet...i wonder what it will look like with some 275/50R15 tires...

 

id have to get some different rims for that big of tires fo sho! but i just threw these on here, a little bit better, g-force TA's

 

Sorry to bring this thread back to life but how do you like the stance now? I am hoping to do my swap next month but I don't want it to look.. how do I say this correctly.. uh screw it "ghetto fabulous"?

 

what was the difference in acceleration with the 3.42's. That is my main concern. I already have rear disc with 3.23's and just dont know if it is woth it.

 

Looking good going to do the swap probably next week. I got PBR's not. They want $125 for any kind of rear end at my local junk yard. Hoping to find a nice 98-02 rear. Glad ya replaced all the lines and stuff.. So when are the 4th gen wheels coming..