Will a DS out of a 2001 SS Camaro directly bolt on to my 1991 305 TBI T5 Camaro? And will my DS directy bolt into the SS? Is it even worth it? What should I expect?

And yes I did search, youd be surprized how many threads mention "driveshaft" or "LS1".

Thanks in advance...

 

its a direct bolt in either way...you'll save a little weight in terms of rotating mass as the all the "later" model 4th gens have aluminum drive shafts.

 

The thing feels like it weighs a pound. So no issues with fitment either way? Will there be any noticable gain? If I can get it, Ill get it free so Im sure its at least worth it.

How about the rear end? What gears did the autos come with? Fitment?

 

the aluminum DS weight savings might free up about 3-5hp...nothing you're gonna feel. Rear end from what? a 4th gen? if so 98% of the "later" model 4th gens came with a 3:42 gear/posi combo, the rears from them bolt directly into a 3rdgen but is a little longer in total length but don't worry, your tires won't stick out ridiculously.

 

Direct bolt on wow. Never would have thought that. And I meant the 2001 SS. I can just take the whole rear end? My rims will bolt up aswell? Will my 3rd gen fit into the SS?

Also, is there a way to fix the speedo after changing rear ends with out having to break into the tranny? Maybe something that I can adjust electrically? Aftermarket?

 

Your 3rd gen wheels will bolt right up to the 4th gen rear & not stick out pass your fenders They'll line up almost PERFECT with the outer lip. Or just get the 4th gens wheels too

 

I may be able to get the rims too. Then Ill just need spacers for the front.

Of course thats only if my rims will bolt to the SS and my rear will fit it as well. It would be nice since they are aftermarket 17" chrome Crager style

Any other input on my previous post?

 

The driveshaft is a DIRECT swap...

The 4th gen rear is a 95% bolt in. The e-brake cable is a little different, but not very hard to "fix"...

The springs are a direct swap...

The rear shocks are a direct swap....

You know about the front 4th gen whees needing adapters..



Basically, get whatever you want, wheels or not, and swap them in. You'll get bigger & better brakes as an added bonus too.

I want a LS1 rear end, for the bigger discs. Just not sure where my Snypers would end up, since they already sit out farther than stock, but still under the fenders.

 

Sounds great! But Im still worried about the speedo thing. So in that last post you mean the 3rd gen will swap into the 4th gen too?

I agree, under fender looks best. As I said though, these are not factory 4th gen wheels, so from the looks of it theyll stick out pretty far. If they even fit

 

I was avoiding answering that SPECIFICALLY on purpose damnit!

Yes..It will fit directly in. The question is...Will you be able to bolt wheels up? Dunno..

Physically, the lug pattern is the same. But with the axle width being narrower, I'm not sure if the wheel wells will be deep enough for a tire to fit. Now, I can almost be 99% sure the 4th gen wheels will NOT fit, since they'll be 2" farther in (per side). Maybe a couple of donut spares will fit?

Here's a 4th gen rear in a 3rd gen, but with 3rd gen wheels on it.

 

OOPS my bad

Maybe I can get some measuring done. Difference in backspacing minus 2", correct? The 3rd gens have to swap or I wont get them.

That looks really good actually. But I still fear, that even with spacers that these rims (4th gen to 3rd) wont fit. Because they arrreeee wide.

Maybe Ill just eventually get some nice IROC rims

Brake lines will work too? Just an ebrake issue?

 

A lot of this depends on the tire size, and rim size so post up all the information you have about the tires and wheels of both cars. Rim width, offset, tire width, etc etc.

I've fussed around with a lot of this stuff and I have a 4th gen axle from a 2000 SS in my car, so here goes...

4th gen axle and wheels on a 3rd gen car: The 4th gen driveshaft, axle, and wheels will bolt directly into a 3rd gen car. You will need spacers in the front (either 1.7", 2", or 2.25"). As long as you keep the axle and wheels together, they wheels will NOT stick out any more on a third gen than they did on the 4th gen. 3rd and 4th gens are the same width with the same wheelspan. It's only 3rd gen wheels on a 4th gen axle that will stick out.

As for the brake lines (THIS ASSUMES THE 4TH GEN HAS TRACTION CONTROL, MINE DID), if you have a drum rear on your thirdgen you can use the T-block from that and you will have to take the driver side hard line off the 3rd gen rear and use it on the driver side of the 4th gen axle. It will be long so wrap it around the axle tube once (NOT where you bolt on the sway bar!!)

As for the e-brake, you'll have to fuss around with it. Everybody has a different solution and I'm still kinda working on mine.

3rd gen axle and wheels on a 4th gen car: This is more complicated. You probably have two hard lines coming down the 4th gen body to the rear if it has traction control and I'm not sure what you would do with these. You also can't put 3rd gen front wheels on the front of a 4th gen. They will stick out too far (they will bolt up but I wouldn't do a lot of driving like that). What MIGHT work is (stay with me here this is confusing) putting 3rd gen front wheels on the 3rd gen rear axle under the 4th gen car. Then you can put the 3rd gen rear wheels on the front of the 4th gen which might have an offset better suited to the 4th gen car. I'm not sure if this will work but it could, you'll have to measure.

 

Always a great help Darkshot. Thank you. Ill get some measurements up here soon and maybe you can give me some direction.

As for the brake lines (THIS ASSUMES THE 4TH GEN HAS TRACTION CONTROL, MINE DID), if you have a drum rear on your thirdgen you can use the T-block from that and you will have to take the driver side hard line off the 3rd gen rear and use it on the driver side of the 4th gen axle. It will be long so wrap it around the axle tube once (NOT where you bolt on the sway bar!!)

This confuses me, possibly rephase it for dumb ppl like me?

 

Find out if the 4th gen car has traction control before you read!!

On your typical "old school" rear end, there are two hard lines that meet in the middle of the housing at a T-block and then a single line goes up to the front of the car. The 4th gen rears with traction control did not have a T-block, but instead each hard line goes to a soft line (you can see this piece in the pic sitting on the floor - the soft lines are cut) and two lines go to the front of the car. This is so the computerized braking system can apply pressure to just one of the rear wheels in the event of traction loss.

You would think that you could just put the T-block from the 3rd gen rear on the 4th gen rear and connect it to the existing hard lines, but you can't because for some reason the threaded fitting on the driver side hard line of the 4th gen rear is a different size. The passenger side is the correct size for the T-block so it can stay. To fix this you need to take the driver side hard line off your old 3rd gen rear and put it on the driver side of the 4th gen rear so you now have the right fittings to screw into the T-block.

Here is a pic of my 4th gen rear with the 3rd gen T-block and 3rd gen hard line on the driver side. It's too long so you have to wrap it around watching out for sway bar mounting location.


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Oh, and I completely forgot to mention the proportioning valve! I didn't change mine, but most people say that you will need to install a prop valve for a disk/disk 3rd gen camaro if you are going to install a 4th gen rear end with disk brakes.

 

I think then that the 4th gen lines would be too short to put on the 3rd gen rear. I dont know if ive mentioned it before but I cant take the SS rear if my 3rd gen rear doesnt fit and operate... So?

 

Speedo question...

 

If the gear ratio of the new rear end is the same as your current one, no change of the drive and/or driven gear is necessary. Since your car is a 91, you may have trouble locating the correct gear, but the T-5 sticky at the top of the page may provide some ideas.

JamesC

 

Changing the gears for the speedo is really easy. No need to buy expensive electronic devices. Since you'll have the drive train out anyways, that will make it much easier too.

Edit: Just realized you had a T5, my bad. I dunno how easy or hard changing the speedo gears is on a manual, sorry.

 

Ive read the stickies and links, and its hard. At least in my abilities. Id much rather have an electronic device that can be adjusted, so I dont have to change drive/driven gears and break open the tranny everytime. So, is there such a thing as an electronic device? Id imagine something for the VSS?

 

So your talkn about swaping rear ends, but you think changing the speedo gears is out of your ability . I think you are underestimating your abilities. Here are some grate write ups https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/faq-...eter-gear.html and http://sethirdgen.org/t5speedo.htm

 

I believe bolting in a rear is much easier than tearing into the tranny...

 

I know this thread is old, but this will solve your speedo problem. I have personally used it, and it works just great. Had to use it on my gf's '90 fullsize because the VSS is built into the computer and the truck had a different gear set installed, so this was the only thing I could do. It worked.

http://www.atrol.com/era.htm