A couple of weeks ago I bought a very nice '86 Camaro with a 305 LG4 / automatic. The car is optical in perfect condition, but has a few technical issues like a Service Engine light and also a whine while driving. Had a local shop have a look at it and they came back with worn wheel bearings on the front (replaced them) and worn bearings in the differential, which they haven't replaced because they told me that was a tad more expensive to fix (around €1000,- incl. work).

A friend of mine likes to work on cars once in a while and claims we can do that job ourselves for a lot less money. He also has the tools for that and has more experience working on cars than me.

Myself still being quite a rookie when it comes to working on cars, I'm a bit worried to go along and start the job. I've replaced a radiator, shocks, an interior and also do my own oil/filter changes so I'm not completely useless, but I have the feeling this is something else. What do you guys think? Do I need to stop whining and start tinkering or be wise and leave it to a pro at the shop? And when we go ahead: are there things we need to tackle too when we're in there?

 

€1000 drive-in to drive-out is probably not a bad price for a rear axle rebuild in an American car in the Netherlands.

Whether you should do it yourself, or pay someone else to do it for you, depends on your workspace, tools, time, knowledge, etc. I can't advise you there.

Of course, whether it's even severe enough to "need" the work, is uncertain as well. I think if it's really noticeable, I might try tightening the pinion nut slightly (heavy emphasis on "slightly"), like maybe 10° of rotation, and see if it changes. After changing the fluid of course, as you're about to do anyway, if that doesn't quiet it down enough.