i have the stock 2:73 gears slp in my 91z and want to add a 3:42 or 3:73 gear in there and was wondering what years camaro came with these gears? Would it be easier to just get a rearend off one of these cars from the junkyard and swap them out or just buy the gear and get someone to install it ?(never done it before so i wont try it)but i could swap rearends myself.I didnt get lucky and get a z with 4 wheel disc so finding a wrecked camaro with disc and the gears might be the way to go, any suggestions?

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91 z-28
t-tops
305 tpi
k&n filters
tb bypass
auxilary fan switch
more to come...

 

I bought a junkyard rear axle (3.73/posi/disc) for $150, and spent $450 more rebuilding it. For that grand total of $600, I could've bought 3.73 gears, the SLP take-off posi, and had someone install them. Might be something to think about...

The 85-88 (and maybe '89?) Camaros/Firebirds with the 2.8 V6 motors had the 3.42/open/drum rear... and the axles aren't weaker than 85-88 V8 axles.

3.73's were limited... years were '83-'85. The '84 Camaro H.O. had the 3.73/open/drum rear, while the T/a's and Z28's (manual transmission, engine code "G") had the 3.73/posi/disc axles. And, if you see a 4-cylinder 2.5l F-body in the junkyard, those came with 3.73/open/drum axles too (just as strong as the v6 & v8 axles). Did I miss any other years/models, anyone?

Good choice on not doing the rear gear yourself... there's a ton of stuff (and special tools needed) that has to be done. That's why I didn't install gears, I swapped axles. Make sure you pull the rear axle cover off at the junkyard to make sure the gears aren't busted into a million pieces.

82-88 rear discs aren't the best, but you'll find a 3.42 or 3.73 ratio in 'em. '82-'83 brake systems used non-metric fittings, so if you buy an '82-'83 axle, you'll need to either find adapters, or custom-make your own brake lines. 89-92 rear discs are trouble free, but you'll still need to install gears. As I understand it, you can put 89-92 rear calipers onto an 82-88 rear.

If you buy a rear disc brake axle, make sure you grab the proportioning valve (under the master cylinder) from the donor car. If the junkyard axle's from an '82-'88 car, you'll need the "J65 4-wheel-disc" master cylinder, too. '89-'92 used the same master cylinder for both rear braking systems, drums and disc.


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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!

 

A torsen and new 3.73 gears will only cost about 300 bucks. Another 100 for bearings. Then the install labor(which really shouldn't be too bad). Like he was saying above, you might end up spending just as much money on a used rear that probably has a worn posi and the gears may or may not have been abused. With the deeper gears you will want a posi/limited slip/powertrax to have decent traction.



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82 camaro--original steering wheel, brake/gas pedals, seats--everything else modified
82camaro

 

i have a 92 ta vert with 2.73 gears with rear drums i want to convert my drums to disk and may be change gears. which is the best way to go.

 

Best decision i ever made was finding a nice low milage ls1 rear on ebay and installing it in my 87z. It had the 3.42s and the bigger disk brakes and POSI!!! which was a nice step up from my stock thirdgen rear. I bought the rear for a lil over 300 and other then the porportion vlave and some fitting i didnt have to buy nething else. total price i payed was around $350 after u factor in fluids and hardware. You can check out some pics and questions i had along the way here https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/tran...installed.html