I found one of the most hard to find 3rd gen rears in short time and my car is rolling once again!!...but I shouldn't be too hard on it yet,it looks like it came from a new car driven once or twice in the rain,I wish I could say the same for the internal cogs. I'm aware that it should get an overhaul at some point before the 30 day warranty is up ,I'm sure the bearings should be replaced,it's got some play in the gears,but it rides ok with no gear noise or chatter around corners,but that slop in the driveshaft bothers me.I've heard rear ends are complicated and should be left to a professional.....,please!! pay someone to work on my car???what do they think we own these things for? I'll check out the tech articals on this too. can anyone get me started in the right direction,and suggest the appropriate measures to freshen up a junkyard rear? it is a 3.73 limited slip with disc brakes,I'm lucky to have found it so quickly,it was $350,but it came with the brakes and contol arms,I did need some of those parts too,yea I broke alot of sh*t!moral of the story : don't downshift and accelerate around a hwy onramp,cath loose gravel,scrape gaurd rail,recover for a moment,loose traction on all fours,360 several times and land on a curb,I wish I could post the picture but I'm not yet scanner capable.

upon observing the treadless rears,I realized it was time for new tires,so I ditched the firebird 15" x 7" alloys at the JY for the IROC Z "one stripe" rims with tires not sure what year they are from but they are fatties!! 16" x 8" fornt and 16" x 9.5" rear. I am becomming one with the road again.....

I apprieciate the help,thanks everyone.

 

I purchased a used rear similar to yours, and installed 3.73s (I only paid $150). Here is what all I did: 10-bolt. Its in three parts, so just follow the links.

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If you live in Southeastern US, check us out!
South East Thirdgen


ASE Master Tech + L1
Savannah, GA

'87 Trans Am
S/D TPI retrofit including functional PassKey,
22# injectors,
Whatever chip I feel like burning,
JET AFPR, Ported Plenum,
TB Coolant Bypass, Custom Cold Air,
SSM SFC, KYB Shocks, Boxed LCAs, Wonder Bar,
8mm Accel wires,
Flowmaster Exhaust,
16" GTA rims,
Corvette Servo,
-->14.97 @ 94.9 MPH<--

'97 Bonneville SSE

 

thanks GM tech! that seems easy enough.I guess I did pay too much for the rear though.

 

No, $350 is average price, I was just rubbing my smokin deal in Also consider that my rear came with 2.73s, so to make it 3.73 like yours, I had to fork over $200 for gears, so you could say I paid $350 for the exact same thing you got.

What kind of "slop" do you have? There must be some "backlash" between the ring and pinion gears. Mine is set at .008", but if you rock the driveshaft back and forth, it seems like alot more. I would pull the cover off, take a look at everything, and measure the backlash. If everything is kosher, stop being a worrywart and enjoy it!

------------------
If you live in Southeastern US, check us out!
South East Thirdgen


ASE Master Tech + L1
Savannah, GA

'87 Trans Am
S/D TPI retrofit including functional PassKey,
22# injectors,
Whatever chip I feel like burning,
JET AFPR, Ported Plenum,
TB Coolant Bypass, Custom Cold Air,
SSM SFC, KYB Shocks, Boxed LCAs, Wonder Bar,
8mm Accel wires,
Flowmaster Exhaust,
16" GTA rims,
Corvette Servo,
-->14.97 @ 94.9 MPH<--

'97 Bonneville SSE

 

I guess I'm the one that got the score then... I paid $150 for my '84 3.73/posi/disc rear!

Add $450 to that for all the brake parts (new hoses, new e-brake cables, 1 caliper rebuild kit, 1 rebuilt caliper, pads, caliper mounting bolts, etc) and axle parts (por-15, bearings, seals, lube, etc)- oh wait, maybe I didn't get such a good deal!


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l) from http://www.f-body.net/mailbag/3rd/3rd_mailbag.html message boards
---Think your car could be pic of the week? Visit http://www.f-body.net for details!

 

So I guess I'm one up then, because mine came with BRAND NEW calipers, rotors, and pads.

------------------
If you live in Southeastern US, check us out!
South East Thirdgen


ASE Master Tech + L1
Savannah, GA

'87 Trans Am
S/D TPI retrofit including functional PassKey,
22# injectors,
Whatever chip I feel like burning,
JET AFPR, Ported Plenum,
TB Coolant Bypass, Custom Cold Air,
SSM SFC, KYB Shocks, Boxed LCAs, Wonder Bar,
8mm Accel wires,
Flowmaster Exhaust,
16" GTA rims,
Corvette Servo,
-->14.97 @ 94.9 MPH<--

'97 Bonneville SSE