blakegeee

Hello,
I am new to the site but may be around more if I go ahead with this purchase, and I will keep everybody posted how it goes fixing up this car. I am not very familiar with these cars but I do have automotive experience.

I have found what sounds like a good deal but I'd like to get more advice and info about it. A guy down the road has plenty of money and no use for this car since the rear end became a problem a few months ago. He hasn't advertised it yet but mentioned he will let it go for $500.

It has the 350 motor, automatic, dual exhaust, all-wheel disc brakes, and 318kms. He says that the clutch in the limited slip (aka traction control?) rear end has gone and it makes a bad noise.

I am going to look at it more closely tomorrow but I am wondering:
-are there are common problems with these to look out for?
-how many years and models would have this same limited slip rear end with disc brakes? (so I can find one to do a full swap)
-were these good trannys, as 318,000km's (197miles) sounds like a lot for an automatic tranny

Thanks a lot for any info!

badinfluenceRS

iTrader: (16)

the 10 bolt rear-ends are weak. if everything is original on the car, the trans/engine may be gettting tired if not properly cared for.

you could probably find a rear-end pretty easily or at least the parts to fix the one you have.

limited slip diff is similar to posi-traction (both wheels spin when you do a burnout)

blakegeee

Do you know what years and models would have the same rear end? It sounds like it would be easiest to swap the whole thing.

97ramsst

iTrader: (162)

Thats a steal if the car runs at looks decent at all. But with 197,000 miles the tranny will probably not be around to much longer...from what I have seen they are the week links in these cars (when they get miles on them.) But with that said a decent rebuild with decent parts will be in the range of a $1K...so its not goingto break you.
I can't tell you for sure which rear ends will interchange, but all will fit under it. The issue will be the ABS and traction control if it has it....and traction control and limited slip are totally different things.

Formula350

iTrader: (3)

All depends on the year of the car. If it's a 3rd Gen with a 350, then it's not that good of a deal unless the car is in IMMACULATE shape. Any rear end from 82-92 will work then. If it's a 4th gen, any rear from 93-02 will work (98-02 are like 1/2 wider than 93-97, but I have one in my 93 and can't even tell).


Also, just to let you know, the posi isn't traction control, it's a performance item (so to speak). Lets both tires spin instead of just one.

97ramsst

iTrader: (162)

He said its a 94...so its a 4th gen. But from what I understand the differences in the ABS and the traction cotrol system can make some rear ends incompatible with some cars...so not all 4th gen rear ends will swap into any 4th gen car.

chevrunner21

iTrader: (1)

3ch for 93-97 and 4ch for 98-02 im pretty sure is how it goes. its the different ways that the tcs and abs were. just figure out if your car has traction control or not and than find a 93-97 rear and swap if you plan to keep the car than while you are doing the rear do your fuel pump that can go anytime now. and look around, any running/driving car now adays is worth $500 even if i didn't like the car id buy it to beat the **** out of it or clean it up and flip it to make a couple bucks. a $500 is a deal on pretty much any car.

blakegeee

Thanks so much for all the info everybody, much appreciated!

Yes it is a 94 (F-body) and the guy says that it has "limited slip" and thats what is screwed up with the car. I haven't talked to him myself yet but he is saying that the clutch in the limited slip is worn out.

It sounds like a lot of work to change the internals so I want to swap the whole rear end as a unit.

As far as finding a compatible rear end, are all the disc brake ones 4 channel? Or can it have disc brakes and be a 3 channel? How can I tell the difference by looking? The number of wires going to the brakes???

"3ch for 93-97 and 4ch for 98-02 im pretty sure is how it goes."
-This is a 94 and it apparently has limited slip?

"98-02 are like 1/2 wider than 93-97, but I have one in my 93 and can't even tell"
-Did it just bolt right up like the original, or were any mods required? Does/did yours have traction control/limited slip?

The car is filthy at the moment but the body looks pretty good other than one bubbled rust spot in the paint over the rear wheel well on one side.

Formula350

iTrader: (3)

If it has a V8, it has limited slip (Posi) and it's a 3channel. Those plug into the rear end and run off a reluctor gear inside the differential. The 98-02 have the 4ch and are on each rear wheel. The plugs are the same though, and I was thinking about trying to hook up my one plug, Y it to 2 plugs and plug in to each wheel, effectively making is a 3channel again.

I did leave out some info and sorry about that. Yes, if you have traction control, then you'd want to probably find a rear with it, BUT I don't think you have to. My 93 didn't come with it and I got a new 99 rear without ACS (traction control). Also the e-brake setup might need some changing if you feel like hooking it back up, otherwise just ziptie the bracket that holds the cables so it doesn't flop around. It'll make a ton of noise and annoy the hell out of you. I just figured out what the noise was and it was that damn thing 99+ has better posi (IMO, but apparently not better for drag racing) in which it uses all gears instead of clutches. So that's also why I went with a 99 rear. As for the brakes, they are bigger on the 98+ rears and you'll have to buy the calipers and discs for it. You could swap over the mounting hardware from your old one (4 bolts that hold it to the axle tubes) and then re-use all your 94 disc setup, that'd save you time. And the 'bigger' is only .3 inches, so it won't add much stopping power to be of any benefit. Now a good upgrade is getting the front brakes from 98+ F-Bodies, as they are about 1" bigger and use dual piston calipers.

And a last thing, check your RPO sheet and look for GU2 or GU5 to see if you have 2.73s or 3.23s. I got a rear from a M6 car which is GU6 and has 3.42s.

blakegeee

Thanks a lot for the info! I am checking it out later today so I will let you know how it goes. My biggest concern will be the auto tranny. I am interested in getting this to make a few $$$. I figure if it basically just needs the rear end and some minor stuff and the tranny is still good, than I should be able to sell it for at least $3000 or more with these km's.

blakegeee

Ok, I talked to the seller myself. He says that the tranny is slipping already. In that case, I don't think that I will get into it, but I will look into it a bit. My time is limited and there is definitely less money to be made, and a lot more time required to get it in descent shape. Thanks for all the info guys. I will let you know if I make a move on it.

Formula350

iTrader: (3)

$500 for the car, $250-600 for a rear (depending on year, miles, and what comes with it) and about $800-$1K for a rebuild. So that's $2100 if you take the max costs, and doesn't factor in the little things either.