I found a 10 bolt out of a 98 Z28 locally that I could use for my wife's camaro. It's had the gears changed out to a 3.73. I haven't seen it in person yet, so that about all I know about it. Also, the car it came out of had about 80,000 miles on it when it was wrecked.

My question is, what are the critical things to look at to determine condition other than obvious damage? According to the salvage yard where I found it, the car was drivable when they got it, and they did'nt notice anything wrong with the rear end when it was driven.

The assembly is complete with the stock 98' rotors and calipers. The asking price is $500 bucks. Does this sound like a fair deal?

 

For a 4th gen rear it is overpriced. Also if you are serious, I would pull the cover and make sure it is 3:73 and not a 2:73 ratio. Junkyard people have been known to be off on some things like is it a 2 or a 3.

 

I paid $100 for mine at a Junk yard, minus the calipers.

 

Make sure the axles aren't bent by rotating them to check for any run-out.
And then tell the junkyard owner to get bent if he still wants $500 for a rear end!!! You can rebuild your rear for less with better-than-stock parts and not worry about changing prop valves and masters (if you have drums now).

 

$500 is way too much for a 10 bolt. Even if they installed it and gave you a guarantee it's too much. About half that would be more reasonable. You'll find better deals on this or a host of other sites, incl ebay.