So I was looking through my Summit Racing catalog to try and find a solution for my one-wheel-peeling, when I came across this.
Basically, it replaces the spider gears in your differential with a solid mechanism so you get a good lock. My question is: On a scale of slightly dumb to Really Berkeleying dumb, how bad would it be for me to temporarily run one in my 150-horse, 3500lb Cutlass?
Those are mostly for circle track use but I don't think it'll be a problem for your street car. It'll just make the rear tires skip when you're making tight turns.
They work great, unless you want your rear wheels to turn at different rates ever.
Like, for instance, when you turn.
Not really a "street" solution.
Don't. Breaking parts on the street and/or chirping the rear tires when turning is how this works. You need a differential on the street. Turning causes the outer wheel to need to turn faster than the inner. Get a clutch-type LSD for a low cost method of getting both wheels to lock together with application of power. Or a Torsen-type for more but with less maintenance.
Pretty dumb! You'll probably break it or your axles. Either a limited slip or nothing for the street.
Good to know. I'll save my pennies for a real diff.
cheaper yet, welding the diff
Yeah don't weld the diff either.
I know. Diffs aren't meant to be welded.
Finding a complete rear end assembly with a limited slip and swapping that in will probably be the most cost effective route for you. That way you can also get at the rear control arms, getting the uppers free in their range of motion is key to making that car turn. If the budget allows, a set of uppers with rod ends would be super helpful.
tuna55 wrote: Pretty dumb! You'll probably break it or your axles. Either a limited slip or nothing for the street.
I'll just say I used a minispool in my Dana 44 in my XJ with 33" Super Swampers which I used as my daily driver for a few years.
That included street as well as for weekend rock crawling.
Never had a single problem. Best $89.00 I ever spent!
Again, I'm coming from the off-road world... We ARE NOT easy on our vehicles. But there are so many guys out there that use welded differentials with 36" plus tires and big motors with nothing breaking.
I guess some experiences don't agree with conjecture.
In reply to ebonyandivory:
Front or rear?
ebonyandivory wrote:tuna55 wrote: Pretty dumb! You'll probably break it or your axles. Either a limited slip or nothing for the street.I'll just say I used a minispool in my Dana 44 in my XJ with 33" Super Swampers which I used as my daily driver for a few years. That included street as well as for weekend rock crawling. Never had a single problem. Best $89.00 I ever spent!
Noted! I guess it can work. I haven't seen it work without sucking, though.
You wouldn't be the first person to run one on the street, and you almost certainly won't be the last either, but that doesn't make it a good idea.
No junkyard limited slips available for that platform? Don't know much about G bodies but there's usually at least one.
In the 10 bolt in your Cutlass I would say no, they are fairly week and will probably kill the axle shafts pretty quickly. A limited slip shouldn't be too hard to find.
I've had several welded rears in stock cars and as long as they are done right the aren't the problem the Internet seems to think they are.
In reply to cmcgregor:
G-bodies are far and few between up here. We're lucky to find one in a junkyard, and even then it's usually a V6 Monte Carlo.
In reply to Wally:
10 bolt LSDs are hard to come by up here. Are you sure it would kill the axle shafts? I know it's only a 26-spline, but what about those drift kids with their S13s?
G_Body_Man wrote: In reply to ebonyandivory: Front or rear?
Rear. If we're talking front axle, thats a whole other story and the answer is NO!
Unless your drive was perfectly straight!
Skip it, im sure you actually have to try hard to do a burnout anyways... just keep an eye out for something to swap in or hell im sure you can find someone south of your border to send you a lsd.
Edit. My googlefu says a 3rd gen z28 or iroc has a useful differential for g bodys
In reply to chiodos:
With 240 lb. ft. in a 3500-lb car, it shouldn't be too hard. Also, I'll ask my uncle to keep an eye out, although they will probably be out of my budget.
In reply to G_Body_Man:
I knew a kid in highschool that put a spool in an early Ford 9" out of some large car. I think he broke his first axleshaft in less than two months of street use. The axle in your car isn't nearly as tough.
I'd focus efforts elsewhere and at some later date revisit this with a proper diff. Myst 2 cents.
In reply to pres589:
Sounds like a plan.
Lincoln locker rules!
240ft lbs in a v8? My 2.3l makes that! Spend the money and de smog it and add other go fast crap instead
In reply to chiodos:
I can't de smog, as it's the first year of OBDI
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