Camaro rear-end

I had always thought that 3.42s came standard on all v8 cars, but now information i'm reading begs to differ stating that 2.73s actually standard... http://www.chevroleteurope.com/english/model_lineup/camaro/specs/en_xx_engin_trans_z28.htm
I recently bought a formula rearend to put in my '96 3.8 (without the covetted y87 package) to aquire an LSD and 3.42s (mine's stock 3.08) under this impression. Am i correct in realize i actually got 2.73s rather than 3.42s?? Can anyone shed some light on this??

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there were many options for the rear ends, open, LSD, 2.73, 3.27, 3.42, and in SLP cars 3.73 i believe. if your rear end came from a formula, basicly the base firebird, i would wager that even with the LSD you got 2.73 gears. the V8's got high gearing for gas milage. your best bet, if you want the higher gears, is you buy the rear out of a V6 bird or camaro. they were geared lower to have better acceleration. they would prolby have at least the 3.27. your best bet, and ill see if i can do this for you. is to find the build codes for the gear ratios. and look in the doner car and find the build code, and match it up. really the only way to be certain. well, the easiest way anyway. but ill see what i can find for ya at work, and post tomorrow.

oh also, i see im stuck in third gen mode, and gave the wrong ratios, and forgot to mention that the newer cars had a very desireable torsen option. if you can find a torsen rear, grab it. i dont know if thats what you meant as a LSD but the two are not similar. torsens are MUCH better.

2 things... 1)the formula isn't a base-model, it's a v8 and 2) you mention buying the rear form a v6, but that is what I have, a '96 3.8 v6 (not to be confused with the v8 5.7) with a stock 3.08 rear. The only v6 rear that is an advantage to me is the rare and unavailable y87 performance package rear.

While the formula does have a V8, the rest of the car is basicly base model. But any event you got your self the wrong stuff. You probably want a rear end from a B4C car, but good luck. If you want to save time and head ache trying to find a donor car you should go to jegs and find a LSD set up with 3.42 gears, that should show your V6 off a little.

ok, if you want stock parts, and are just looking to get gears, or a pumpkin. here are the build codes.

GU2 = 2.73
GU4 = 3.08
GU5 = 3.23
GU6 = 3.42
G80 = LSD which i think is the torsen in those years. someone call me on this if im wrong. the build sheets on these cars that will show these codes, is in the glovebox i think, i know its somewhere on the instument panel. and im pretty sure its in the glovebox. just look for the GU* and youll know what gear the car orignialy came with. as far as after that, its a crapshoot that the owner didnt change it or that its the same rear that was originally in the car. as far as determining that, use your gut and look everything over and see if it looks stock. no way to really know till you pull the gears and measure em.

Damn, I wish my car had a glove box. LOL

so i would reccomend going back and if possible find the car you bought and look in the glovebox. there is a stamp on the rear axle, that can tell you, and it might be on there, but the stamp was shallow, and rusts off and wears and becomes unreadable very quickly. but if its there, it should be on the passenger side axle shaft, between the front and top of the tube. about halfway across from the pumpkin to the axle seal.

it does, its in the center armrest ;) but i dont know what youre talking about, i like my passenger seat guillotine :)

Ah the center console. HA..makes for quicker grabs for the registration and proof of insurance..LOL

lmao, no joke!! :)

like that huh?

well, when i stop anyway ;)

I've got a question, I'm new to the camaro scene with my recently purchased '96 3800 5sp. The guy who had it before me was going to turn it into a drag car and was ready for a 400 small block drop. He had already finished the rear end and put in 3.73 gears. You say that the coveted y87 rear ends are the best? what exactly are they? Does anyone have any specs?

Nobody knows the answer to this???? I thought you guys were the gods of camaros?

I don't know why he thinks the 87 gears are great. Gears are gears, and most people don't keep there gears stock when they mod there cars. I think the gears you have will be good for you.

i agree with 92RS, but ya know, heres a thought, if we dont know what your talking about, rather than sit there and be put out, go do some homework on your own, theres a whole world wide web out there with the answer somewhere. go find it rather than waiting impatiently for someone to drop in in your lap.

Nobody knows the answer to this???? I thought you guys were the gods of camaros?

Here's your heavenly answer... :)

In 4th gens, the T/A and the Formula are both exactly the same thing, except for the body styling. They have the upgraded suspension as well as the bigger rims and that same power as the T/A.

Stock gears in 4th gens were either 2.73, 3.23, or 3.42. No stock cars, even the SLP ones came with 3.73's. If someone told ya that, they are lying... :)

Autos came with 2.73's and 3.23's. You could tell which you had by looking at the gear selector. If the selector has a 1st on it, then you have 3.23's, if it doesn't, you have 2.73's. I'm not positive, but it may also have been able to get the 3.42's on an auto, but that probably would have been a special order thing.

Manuals came with 3.23's and 3.42's and optionally 2.73's. The only way to tell on those cars is to check the rear end stamping.

If you just bought a rear end, you'll have to check the stamp on it, unless you know exactly what car it came from...

Hope this helps...

for you 3rd gen guys go find a rear end out of a GN. 3.42 gear and it is the 8.5 ring gear ten-bolt and not the 7.5 that GM for some reason just seems to think that they will hold up in your cars. Alot of people go as low as the high 10's on a stock Grand National rearend.

Will that bolt on as a direct replacement?

Yup they put the same rearend in a '89 Turbo Trans Am. The only difference is the TTA rearend has disc brakes. Both cars are a four link setup.

dude, thanx for the tip, thats golden :)

Now the hunt for a GN that still has the gears..The hunt is on. Wish me luck, I'm gonna need it..

good luck man, get two, and send me one for christmas :)

good luck man, get two, and send me one for christmas :)

I know where four or five are sitting just waitin for some power to be put to them.... they are all 10 bolts 8.5inch ring gear all posi.

??? personal stock? dont have the money at the moment, too many bills. but if its a place that always has em in stock, for future mods, a website would be cool.

I want it I want it I want it....hmmm can't afford it. damn the luck

??? personal stock? dont have the money at the moment, too many bills. but if its a place that always has em in stock, for future mods, a website would be cool.


HA yea they are personal stock... I know how that goes about not affording something There is sooo much I want to to. Beefier trans, propane injection accel FAST computer system....etc.

one of those rears wouldn't happen to fit a 4th gen would it? :)

one of those rears wouldn't happen to fit a 4th gen would it? :)

After looking at my buddys '02 z I think they would. Ill know more when I can get his car up on the stands and do some measuring and what not.

hey hypsi, heres another question for ya, cuz i dont know alot about the 8.5in rear end. i have a torsen carrier for my 7.5 in rear, will that fit in the 8.5 housing and just bolt the 8.5in ring gear on the carrier? or do i have to go buy another torsen for the 8.5????

hey hypsi, heres another question for ya, cuz i dont know alot about the 8.5in rear end. i have a torsen carrier for my 7.5 in rear, will that fit in the 8.5 housing and just bolt the 8.5in ring gear on the carrier? or do i have to go buy another torsen for the 8.5????

You would have to get anotherone. The carrier for the 8.5 is bigger than the 7.5 rear end.

BLAST FOILED AGAIN!!!!! :) thanx anyway

i agree with 92RS, but ya know, heres a thought, if we dont know what your talking about, rather than sit there and be put out, go do some homework on your own, theres a whole world wide web out there with the answer somewhere. go find it rather than waiting impatiently for someone to drop in in your lap.


Hey now no need to get snippy, i was only kidding w/ you. By the way i did try to do some research, but couldn't come up with any good solid answers. I even went as far as asking the master mechanic at the dealership my family has connections w/ and he wasn't familiar with the y87 rear end in a camaro.

oh sorry, i gues some of the newbies on here are getting to me, and im on an impluse to put em down. i apologize. but yeah, i couldnt even find the Y87 code in the shop manual for the camaros in 1989

oh thats alright, do you think it could possibly be the same rear end as the one in the Buick GN?? the guy who mentioned it said that he had a V6 and this was the best and rarest stock rear end available? and then went on to mention something about a GN??

oh thats alright, do you think it could possibly be the same rear end as the one in the Buick GN?? the guy who mentioned it said that he had a V6 and this was the best and rarest stock rear end available? and then went on to mention something about a GN??

Ill check my build codes tommrow and some other stuff..... I will see if I can assoicate that number with a Grand National.

Sorry it took soo long but this is what I found...

The rear axle ratio, differential type, manufacturer, and build dateinformation is stamped on the right axle tube (as viewed from the front of the car) on the forward side... a real Pain to see when it's still in the car. The first 3 digits indicate the axle code, the next one indicates manufacturer (B=Buick, O=Olds, C=Chevy, P=Pontiac), the next is Julian date it was built and the last it the shift it was made on. Limited slip rearshad a tag on the differential cover that stated it need posi fluid... that's usually missing, if the cover has ever been off. However, a "B" in the axle code (i.e., 2BX) usually indicates a posi.

The 7.5" rears have a differential cover that is smooth and kind of a squared off oval shape. The 8.5" rears have a rounder shaped cover with a raisedhorizontal area in the middle.

200-4R 3.8 Turbo(LC2) 7 3.42 peg-leg code3TJ. Posi Code 3TP RPO Code GU6


Gear
Ratio Ring
Gear Assembly Codes
2.29 7.5" 2BH, 2AH
2.41 7.5" 2AJ, 2BJ, 2BZ, 2AZ
2.73 7.5" 2AB, 2BB, 2AX, 2BX
3.08 7.5" 2AC, 2AV, 2BC, 2BV
3.23 7.5" 2AD, 2BD
3.73 7.625" 2TF, 2TH
3.42 8.5" 3TP, 3TJ
3.73 8.5" 3TE, 3TX

I could not find anything with Y 87 on it.

alright well thanks for the info, maybe the guy didn't have any idea what he was talking about... oh well guess we'll never know

Here's your heavenly answer... :)

In 4th gens...Autos came with 2.73's and 3.23's. You could tell which you had by looking at the gear selector. If the selector has a 1st on it, then you have 3.23's, if it doesn't, you have 2.73's

2.93's were also put into some auto's. As for the selector, many cars had the "1" locked out because of noise pollution laws. Don't ask me why. Its a common mod to pop up the selector top and cut away the little piece of plastic that blocks the shifter from getting into the "1" position.

odd..... They had a slector that already had the 1 taken off of it. Why didn't they just use that instead of trying to trick you. Sometimes I just don't understand GM

While the formula does have a V8, the rest of the car is basicly base model. But any event you got your self the wrong stuff. You probably want a rear end from a B4C car, but good luck. If you want to save time and head ache trying to find a donor car you should go to jegs and find a LSD set up with 3.42 gears, that should show your V6 off a little.
Ok , sems as though all of you are clueless , If you want a 3:42 rear end you would have to get one form a 6 speed , none come stock with 3:73's , Formula is not base model w/a v8 it is simply a trans am without ground effects ..other then that they are the same car . 2:73's come standard in almost all automatic 4th generation f-body's , there is no such thins as a 6-speed camaro/firebird w/2:73's ......a B4c car has 3:23's in it unless it a 6 speed then it has the same gear as every other 6 speed camaro . Hope this helps , BTW 3:73's are for a 3 serise carrier and 2:73's are for a 2 series ...if you bought a whole rear end you cant get anything bigger then a 3:08 to fit your rear end ...youll have to buy a new one , a 3 series !!!!