i plan on buying a posi for my 79z, which has 3.42s, i was wondering if anyone could explain the steps in putting this in...also i know you need to pull the axles out, so i should probably replace the seals while im at it, right? any help is appreciated. Thank You!

 

We charge 5.5 hrs to rebuild rearends. and I have installed a few Auburn posi carriers. There are to many steps to list, and alot of things you have to pay attention to, such as pinion and carrier preload and facing the ring gear and the carrier, how many people do that? Sure, anyone on these forums will tell you it's simple, and to guys like me it is, but, I have expierence. If it's not done right, you'll end up with a noisey rearend that won't last long. Case in point, I currently have a Corvette rear end on my bench getting rebuilt, the first guy that touched it had it so f'd up it did'nt even have the right case shims in it. Carrier preload was so tight the bearings disintegrated. I fix alot first timer mistakes. Don't take this the wrong way chvy79z, my intention is not to insult, only inform. If you have to ask then you should not attempt it yourself, get profesional help or let them do it.

 

to make a long story short, this isn't a job for the inexperienced. this is a job that you need specialized tools to measure needed shimming and backlash. you also need to know what those figures are. this isn't just a remove and replace job. axles, bearings and seals are ok for beginners but a carrier and gear change is best left to someone experienced

3.42 was a stock gear for your Z-28 in a 4-speed car so you might be better off looking for a rearend already done

 

alrighty then, appreciate ya telling me before i go pulling things out and not knowing what to do. I got a 3 speed with 3.42s with an open diff and wanted to put a posi in

 

hahaha!!! I just looked at this thread again and saw that you (v8chevyguy) posted before me. I have to wonder who started typing first? I type about as fast as a turtle crawls [:@]so I would have to guess it was me

 

at the risk of being the devils advocate ... if your not a total dumbass and fairly knowledgeable at turning wrenchs a rearend build isn't quite as bad as most make it out to be. you will have to get the bearings pressed but other than that if you use the original spacers on the pinion and carrier and place them excactly as they came out 9 times out of 10 there won't be any adjustment needed. there is nothing more satisfying than learning how to do the job yourself. since i've been bracket racing i have found that winning $500 is winning $500, but winning $500 with something you have built with your own two hands is priceless. Sick

 

I did'nt mean to say that rearends are hard to do cause to me they are'nt, But, for a first timer with no help, that can be an expensive learning curve. I've done alot of rearends over the years and have never had one set up without any adjustment. If you're reusing the gears and just doing a rebearing, then the set up is a little faster, but, you have to take a backlash reading and pattern the gears before dissasembly and set it back to what those readings were. Now if you're changing carriers, as is the case in this thread, then you will definately need to make adjustments. I wanted to encourage 79z to do it himself as long as he had knowledgeable guidence helping him though showing him what it is, what it dose, and explaining why and how it dose it. To inpart knowledge and have someone learn and prosper from it is also priceless.

 

In the past when I contemplated tackling something I had never done before and the penalty for not doing it correctly was steep, I have had it done and simply watched or been as close to the project as I could. I ask a lot of questions and usually the folks doing the work are more than happy to share their knowledge.

Over these many years I've learned how to do a number of things that way. Some things are intuitive, some things aren't.

Which ever way you decide, good luck and enjoy your posi.

 

Hugger, there's a small car show at the Johnny Rockets in O'Fallon on the third saturday of every month, just local guys, I considered joining in. Ever hear about it?