When my 10 bolt takes another dump .....
07-10-2018, 05:32 PM
#21
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Well I noticed that my pinion seal is leaky .... so depending on how things go when I get in there .... I may be in the market for something very soon.
07-20-2018, 04:04 AM
#22
I have said it hundreds of time on here for many many years. There is a reason vendors try to talk every customer out of a 12-bolt. It has a limited life in a F-body with a torque arm attached to it. We are now seeing the same issue from everyone that ran out and purchased a 8.8 which is essentially a GM 12-bolt and why you do not see a big shop manufacturing a 8.8. They are not stout enough to handle the twisting action of a torque arm and even in late model Mustangs like the GT500 the 8.8's are not surviving in stock form as we are putting bracing, 9" ends, welded axle tubes, and everything else to make them survive.
There is no doubt the Strange S60 is the best bang for the buck when it comes to F-Body rear ends. It fits in the vehicle like the 10-bolt should and the only down fall is bigger rear end diff covers.
Any stamped 9" and some on the market that are labeled fabricated but are nothing more than a stamped housing with a sheetmetal cover or backbrace will cause you all types of issues. If you purchase a 9" for a F-Body and it is designed to use a stock torque arm or a torque arm that is aftermarket but bolts on like stock it will make contact with your floor. The lower your vehicle is the worse the torque arm bracket to floorboard contact is. The only way to make a stamped style 9" work in a F-body is to move the torque arm bracket towards the drivers side and the pinion towards the passenger side which can cause havoc with some driveshaft safety loops plus the contact with the floor I already mentioned.
Time for a small sales plug but an informational one.
Our fabricated nine inch housing does not have any of those issues listed above because of our torque arm. Our housing is also the only rear end that bolts back in just how the stock 10-bolt came out. It has all the brake line tabs, clips, e-brake brackets, drain plug standard, and many more options. Like someone mentioned if you do not already have a good quality torque arm our package comes with a torque arm and crossmember to suit your needs.
We can also help you out with the Strange S60 with unbeatable pricing.
There is no doubt the Strange S60 is the best bang for the buck when it comes to F-Body rear ends. It fits in the vehicle like the 10-bolt should and the only down fall is bigger rear end diff covers.
Any stamped 9" and some on the market that are labeled fabricated but are nothing more than a stamped housing with a sheetmetal cover or backbrace will cause you all types of issues. If you purchase a 9" for a F-Body and it is designed to use a stock torque arm or a torque arm that is aftermarket but bolts on like stock it will make contact with your floor. The lower your vehicle is the worse the torque arm bracket to floorboard contact is. The only way to make a stamped style 9" work in a F-body is to move the torque arm bracket towards the drivers side and the pinion towards the passenger side which can cause havoc with some driveshaft safety loops plus the contact with the floor I already mentioned.
Time for a small sales plug but an informational one.
Our fabricated nine inch housing does not have any of those issues listed above because of our torque arm. Our housing is also the only rear end that bolts back in just how the stock 10-bolt came out. It has all the brake line tabs, clips, e-brake brackets, drain plug standard, and many more options. Like someone mentioned if you do not already have a good quality torque arm our package comes with a torque arm and crossmember to suit your needs.
We can also help you out with the Strange S60 with unbeatable pricing.
08-01-2018, 11:40 AM
#23
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Over the past week the rear has gotten progressively worse to the point that I need to park it until I check it out. I could feel a vibration / grind in rush hour traffic at slow moving speed. It is worse when I make a slow left hand turn. Anything to check specifically ..... pinion ... bearings ... and obviously the gear oil level?
08-01-2018, 12:15 PM
#24
I had about the same situation as you. My pinion seal started leaking while I was in Germany, so I installed a new seal back in like 2012. Shortly after that the rear was getting progressively louder. After LSfest West last May it got really loud. So I did a rebuild later that month (carrier bearings were toast). I did a few more auto-x events and put it to bed over the winter. Come spring time (March of this year) I took off the rear wheels to install new brake pads and gear oil was everywhere. Didn't even make it to the end of last season before it **** every seal out again, I just didn't discover it until the brake pad change. I spent about $400 rebuilding it after LSfest and told myself I wouldn't put another dime towards a 10-bolt so I bit the bullet and ordered a Fab 9" from MWC back in April of this year. I can't speak highly enough of the MWC team as even though they are swamped with builds they got me everything between when I ordered early April and I made it to this years LSfest West that first weekend in May. Some people have 10-bolts last forever and it sounds like yours lasted a very long time but once it gives up the ghost it isn't worth throwing money at it in my eyes. With all that being said a fabricated 9" is best of both worlds in my opinion, roughly the same weight as the 10-bolt when correctly optioned (which is crazy when you look at the two side by side) and plenty strong for future mods.
08-01-2018, 12:23 PM
#25
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......... it sounds like yours lasted a very long time but once it gives up the ghost it isn't worth throwing money at it in my eyes. With all that being said a fabricated 9" is best of both worlds in my opinion, roughly the same weight as the 10-bolt when correctly optioned (which is crazy when you look at the two side by side) and plenty strong for future mods.
08-01-2018, 01:52 PM
#26
Unfortunately it didn't last very long. That was the 3rd one in it's life. I guess I'm averaging about 110,000 miles on each one. I have maybe a year on this one. I don't even drive this thing hard and 90% of the high miles are highway miles. I'm the fool for having put a dime into rebuilding it. This car is my DD; gonna have to drive the `79 Firebird daily for now ..... sigh ......
08-01-2018, 05:22 PM
#27
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Wow .. only 70k, huh? But then you have the M6 and it doesn't sound like you were driving it like grandma going to church. 
My rear must have come out of a S10 or a Monza...... oh wait ... it did! I'm gonna tear it down this weekend and if it needs bearings and pinion seal ... then fine. Anything major, I'll be making some phone calls. I am hoping to replace this thing for around 3k - but I don't know if that's practical.
My rear must have come out of a S10 or a Monza...... oh wait ... it did! I'm gonna tear it down this weekend and if it needs bearings and pinion seal ... then fine. Anything major, I'll be making some phone calls. I am hoping to replace this thing for around 3k - but I don't know if that's practical.
08-01-2018, 10:37 PM
#28
Got ya, I just re-read your first post and see that now. Mine lasted about 70K miles, but that's behind a M6. I was in talks with MWC since 2010 and was looking long before that. My fab9" all done and said was close to $5k which seams crazy but I wanted as light/strong as possible as I auto-x/road race and a Fab9" fit that bill. It sucks to spend that kind of money on something that doesn't necessarily make the car any faster, but the piece of mind of not worrying about the 10-bolt going out feels pretty good.
08-02-2018, 09:32 AM
#29
Ya'll want a Strange s60, factory suspension mounts and fits just like the 10 bolt does, no fancy torque arms needed. My sphon mounted right to it just have to trim the top of the bracket and use the inside holes, holds plenty of power, and can be had new for, or under your 3k budget without waiting months on end to get a 9 inch built. Also the s60 is compatible with 3ch abs, and the 3ch abs has less, if any issues compared to all the threads with people having issues with the 4ch ABS/TCS system on aftermarket rears.
08-02-2018, 11:53 AM
#30
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Yes ... I have 4 channel but am willing to dump the traction control. Since I'm planning to keep this car like ... forever ... and it be my daily driver, it makes sense to do the s60. I like the idea of it being plug and play. So the factory torque arm is used? Also what about the drive shaft?
08-02-2018, 12:02 PM
#31
I can't speak to the factory one fitting, but If my much stouter aftermarket one fit with out issues on the car I would bet the factory one will fit just fine. I used my stock drive shaft, with a conversion u joint, but I have a TH350 in my car now. I believe a TH350 is like 3 inches shorter than a 4l60, so you'd need a shorter DS. But the only definitive way to know is have everything installed and take the measurements. Plenty of drive line shops that are probably local can build a perfectly good shaft in a day, or two max and have the right ends and joints installed for you for about 200 bucks. You're not making mountains of power so there is really no need to spring for a 6-1000 dollar DS from a mail order place when a steel or aluminum shaft from your local drive-line or truck shop will hold up just fine.
08-02-2018, 12:37 PM
#34
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08-02-2018, 03:29 PM
#35
I heard that 10 bolts are good for 4000 stalls, 500hp and high 10s without any problems. So i would rebuild the 10 inch. You dont need to upgrade tell you get faster then 10.50s and 1.3 60s .......
Just kidding, get the 9" and be done with it.
remember, driveshaft needs modded also if you go 9", just get a stronger driveshaft while your at it, and a TQ Arm relocation kit so you are not attached to the tailshaft anymore.
Just kidding, get the 9" and be done with it.
remember, driveshaft needs modded also if you go 9", just get a stronger driveshaft while your at it, and a TQ Arm relocation kit so you are not attached to the tailshaft anymore.
08-02-2018, 08:54 PM
#36
my z28 i put in an s60 and used the stock torque arm......issues with the s60...
1)not all vendors powder coat these for you and u have to paint them yourself (i believe MWC powders)
2)very heavy
3) the s trac for the 9 inch is a much better design than the s trac for the s60. i believe the s60 one is rated for 600 or so and the 9 inch one is 900 or more.......also im unsure if the s60 s trac carries a lifetime warranty like the 9 inch one does
4)gear ratio sizes are limited, your options for bigger gear go from 3.73:1 to 4.10:1.....no middle ground in that area
1)not all vendors powder coat these for you and u have to paint them yourself (i believe MWC powders)
2)very heavy
3) the s trac for the 9 inch is a much better design than the s trac for the s60. i believe the s60 one is rated for 600 or so and the 9 inch one is 900 or more.......also im unsure if the s60 s trac carries a lifetime warranty like the 9 inch one does
4)gear ratio sizes are limited, your options for bigger gear go from 3.73:1 to 4.10:1.....no middle ground in that area
08-03-2018, 08:21 AM
#37
I’d just get another stock 10 bolt as I have 160k miles on mine and I am 6 spd. I have Bolton’s and I get on it now and then.
It’s a gamble on anything now a days but if it’s a daily, a stock 10 bolt is cheaper and easy to find to swap in or just to swap the guts.
It’s a gamble on anything now a days but if it’s a daily, a stock 10 bolt is cheaper and easy to find to swap in or just to swap the guts.
08-03-2018, 06:20 PM
#38
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I'm kind of leaning that way. I've never built a diff, but have done darn near everything else on this car in it's long life - so I think I could do it. I wouldn't mind just keeping it if I were to save on the labor costs. Plus if I build it, I know what's what.... and it will be right. It's only been around a year before a shop built this thing .... it's howled at part throttle since day one ... and the shop said that the pattern was fine. I now know that it could very well be the pinion bearing pre-load which has no effect on the pattern.
08-03-2018, 07:46 PM
#39
It may be a simple fix. My 99 howls because the bearings have pits or non smooth surfaces from the clutch material and not replacing the fluid often...
id check the pinion 1st, if that is good and snug, then drop the cover and then see what it looks like in there.
Then let’s say u fix that issue, start looking for a spare for the future if something goes wrong. It’s what I will do.
id check the pinion 1st, if that is good and snug, then drop the cover and then see what it looks like in there.
Then let’s say u fix that issue, start looking for a spare for the future if something goes wrong. It’s what I will do.
08-03-2018, 11:42 PM
#40
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Thread Starter
It may be a simple fix. My 99 howls because the bearings have pits or non smooth surfaces from the clutch material and not replacing the fluid often...
id check the pinion 1st, if that is good and snug, then drop the cover and then see what it looks like in there.
Then let’s say u fix that issue, start looking for a spare for the future if something goes wrong. It’s what I will do.
id check the pinion 1st, if that is good and snug, then drop the cover and then see what it looks like in there.
Then let’s say u fix that issue, start looking for a spare for the future if something goes wrong. It’s what I will do.