alright so I am new to ls1tech. I have a 2000 trans am just bolt ons recently I have noticed that my rearend has just about had it. as much as id love to do a 9in just not in my budget right now. at the moment a friend of my has a 96 trans am 10bolt rearend. I was thinking about just swapping them but would there be any differences or are they direct bolt on?. I understand the gears inside are different from the lt1 to ls1 models but would I have trouble with brakes or mounting or driveshaft issues??? both cars do not have traction control.

 

you didn't state automatics or M6. M6s' would have 3.42 gears,autos could have 2.73s' or 3.23s'. a 2000 would have a torsen posi,a 96 would have an auburn posi. both would be direct replacement/interchangeable as far as the rear itself. can't comment on the brakes between LT1/LS1 as I don't know. If brakes were not the same,just gotta pull the axles to remove the required backing plates.

 

Only difference is the brake backing plates. Everything else is the same.

And the gears are the same too. 2.73 or 3.23 for auto and 3.42 for manual.

But it wouldn't be an upgrade but would get you back on the road quickly.

You can also look at a Ford 8.8" rearend out of a Mustang. With some fab skills, you can make it work and it's far more robust than the 10-bolt. Or a 12-bolt out of an older GM car or truck would also work if fabbed up.

Another option would be to buy the housing yourself. I'd look at a 9" - and there are lots of shops that sell 9" housings, axle tubes, and axles for the F-Body. Then you can buy the center section, gear set, and a rebuild kit and put it together yourself from probably $2000-2200 or so.

The cheapest fully assembled and ready to run rearend is probably the Strange S60 with a spool or a Moser 12-bolt with a Spool. I'd stay away from a Moser 12-bolt because of how the torque arm attachment works. The 9" housing from Moser is great though. The Strange 12-bolt is more expensive, but has a standard TA attachment point and works well. The 12-Bolt spool can handle quite a bit but is weaker than a 9" or S60.

 

sorry. my car is automatic. the lt1 car is a 6spd with the 3.42 gear. so can what I need for the brakes be transferred from my current rearend to the one from the lt1?

 

If, as from post #3, just the backing plates have to be transferred, no brake lines(brake fluid lines) have to be dis-connected. After axles are removed,4 bolts hold the backing plates/shields on.