Rear end bad...

[fast lt1]

Well my side gears inside my rear end are wearing out i believe. The axle has play in it and you can pull it out and push it in a 1/4'' or more. I don't want to drop $1,000 on a rear end, so what route should i go. My auburn is also wore out and non working. I also wouldn't mind having a new ring and pinion gear set put in like 3.73's. Anyone know of any quality rebuild kits for the rear ends?

[1slow96]

The factory Auburn is not re-buildable. I use/recommend the Eaton,but many like the TruTrac also. There is no inexpensive way out really. This is a good time to change the gear,this will actually save some labor. The Eaton uses a slightly different carrier bearing. You should change all the bearings anyway. Inspect the axles too. You won't regret going with the 3.73, that gear will really wake up your ride.

[fast lt1]

What is the cheapest posi to go with? Also any reputable place to buy a set of 3.73's? And lastly what kind of stall should i run with 3.73's? Car sees a lot of highway driving. I'm running a small cam, which it needs a stall anyway cause my bottom end sucks when launching. I'm about to rebuild my trans so this is also a good time for a stall converter.

[1slow96]

I use/recommend a quality 9.5" converter. They are not inexpensive,but they're worth every dime. Plus,it isn't something one wants to do twice. I'm very happy with the 3000 stall Vigilante. I have stock heads/cam,headers,and 3.73 rear gears. My 60' times at the dragstrip are under 2sec.

[fast lt1]

I was thinking a yank 2200.... Is 2200 too low?

[1slow96]

Is it better than what you have? Yes,but I find the 3000 Vigilante to be a vast improvement over the 2500 TCI installed previously. There would have been considerable savings if I had purchased the Vigilante to begin with.

[Sshockr]

I spent 1000 rebuilding my rear end 3 years ago with an Eaton, gears and an install kit. I did the install myself.

I would go bigger than 2200. I have 2400 in truck (got the converter for free) can't really tell much of a difference. Having driven well tuned 3200 and 3600 cars I wouldn't hesitate to go 3000 or bigger for a near daily driven street car.

-Brian

[KW Baraka]

Originally Posted by fast lt1

I was thinking a yank 2200.... Is 2200 too low?

Yank makes a 2200 stall TC for GM cars ???

If they do.....it ain't on their web site.

KW

[BALLSS]

Originally Posted by fast lt1

Well my side gears inside my rear end are wearing out i believe. The axle has play in it and you can pull it out and push it in a 1/4'' or more. I don't want to drop $1,000 on a rear end, so what route should i go. My auburn is also wore out and non working. I also wouldn't mind having a new ring and pinion gear set put in like 3.73's. Anyone know of any quality rebuild kits for the rear ends?

you start out saying you don't want to "drop a $1000"....but go on to say what you "want".

the "want" will cost a $1000+

eaton diff $400
Gears $175
Reluctor gear $100
axles $125 each
master bearing kit $100+
fluids $20
Gasket $5
labor $200

If you have the skills and tools to do the labor great...but setting up gears right is knowledge/experience based

Torque converter...like girls...we all like diffrent ones. 2400-2600 stall with a mild cam, IMHO, is good compromise for street. If it is all about the track go higher. Either way consider a larger external tranny cooler addition

[cletus284]

I wouldn't base the condition on the rear diff on the in/out 'play' in the axle shafts alone. There's a certain amount of play in any C-clip style axle setup. Pull the diff cover off and actually inspect the gears. I've never seen a 10-bolt have gear problems unless it was raced or in an application needing a beefier rear end.