Learn me: Mini Spools

chiodos wrote: 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

Pretty sure they are a different splien count on the axles.

Look for an SS monte carlo rear end. LSD for cheap.

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/pts/4804810147.html

G_Body_Man wrote: In reply to chiodos: I can't de smog, as it's the first year of OBDI

Maybe I should have said un-detune it.

Look for a Zexel Torson or other limited slip differential on e-bay. In a GM 10 bolt differential they are not too hard to change out without doing the whole (setting pinion and seal)rear end. There are several links on the internet with pretty clear instructions. If you look around they sometimes come up for under $200. However, if you are going to the trouble might just as well change axle bearings and of course seals.

One of our lemons cars is a 4.3 S10 (with a boat on it), and it runs a very similar axle. We ran a mini spool in it for 7 races and while it was great on track as we could put power down anywhere, it totally sucked everywhere else, like the paddock, especially when we had 10 people in it for paddock cruising and water skiing. We got a zexel Torsen from a 2001 Camaro ($160 on eBay) which went right in, and though we are a little slower on some tracks, paddock driving and whatnot is now totally drama free, and it is much better than the open diff was on track.

Its fun until it spits an axle out. ive seen some people get them to live forever and others have issues right away. my buddys ten bolt survived 3 years of donuts, burnouts and daily driver duty so he swears by them. I personally would save the money for an actual posi/limited slip.

Come on guys! It's winter! You aren't going to break parts spinning/skipping the tires in snow / rain!

(p.s. take pictures)

You will break an axle eventually, and you do not want that on a C clip rear end. The wheel will slide out with whatever is left of the axle.

G_Body_Man wrote: In reply to chiodos: I can't de smog, as it's the first year of OBDI

Not going to tell you again. You are emissions exempt by 3 years.

Tons of g bodies around. You just need to know where to look.

In reply to Zomby Woof:

Yes, but the computer throws a fit when you try to mess with emissions equipment. Also, Where are all these G-bodies? There were 2 monte carlos at my local scrapper last year. No SS models, no Regals, no Cutlasses.

A locked rear in the winter can get tiring after a while. My mother used to get pretty aggravated taking us to school in the snow once dad welded up the rear in their Monte Carlo.

What about the Lunchbox Locker?

I'm tempted to put one in my V8 Firefly.

Screw the computer crap! Spend your spool money on a carb and distributor then follow the modification rabbit hole. After school part time jobs are great for buying car parts haha.

If they work get one out of. 4th Gen fbody. Clutch types are super cheap because everyone switches to the torsen. Torsens aren't super expensive either and are more reliable.

I do not think the camaro, s10, or anything except a g body diff will work. The spline count on the early cars is weird.

All the above is iirc.

Powertrax:

http://www.jegs.com/p/Powertrax/Powertrax-No-Slip-Traction-Systems/744476/10002/-1?itemPerPage=60&pno=1

http://www.jegs.com/p/Powertrax/Powertrax-Lock-Right-Automatic-Positive-Locking-Differentials/745940/10002/-1?itemPerPage=60&pno=1

I have not used a Powertrax, but I've had a couple of GM vehicles with a factory locking differential (G80) - 2000 GMC Sonoma ZR2 and a 85 Chevy Impala. Both where awesome, especially in the WI winters (when I lived there). My 85 with snow tires and two tubes of sand in the trunk, pulled my neighbors Firebird out of his driveway on multiple occasions stuck in the snow.

My current project, a '72 Nova SS, was a former bracket racer. The rear was a 4:88 rear with a spool. It was terrible to drive with the locked rear end, every turn a tire squealing adventure. Drive on wet pavement, good luck.

The first thing I did to the car was replace it with the correctly geared Posi rear end.

Seems to me if you sorted the suspension a bit, you'd get a ton more traction. Even without a diff, 150hp in a 3500lb car should not be presenting traction problems. Don't G-bodies take circle track parts?

Spools are absolutely uncivilized on the street. Your rear wheels will turn at the same speed no matter what. Some lockers aren't much better.

If you want to reduce the one-wheel-peeling without any downsides, get a Torsen - they're many times more expensive though.

In reply to ProDarwin:

The main issue with traction is the very easily deployable 240 lb-ft. Around here, even chirping the tires can get your vehicle impounded. I just want to have some more traction.

G_Body_Man wrote: In reply to Zomby Woof: Yes, but the computer throws a fit when you try to mess with emissions equipment. Also, Where are all these G-bodies? There were 2 monte carlos at my local scrapper last year. No SS models, no Regals, no Cutlasses.

No it doesn't. I don't think you even need to use the computer on that car. Tons of g bodies on the Rez.

GameboyRMH wrote: Spools are absolutely uncivilized on the street.

Serious question: what vehicle did you have a spool in? How many miles did you drive it? Under what conditions?

I ask because I've put thousands of miles on a spool and your comment above couldn't be less accurate from what I've experienced.

I'm not trying to be confrontational, I just want to try to figure out how I was so lucky because I hear mostly second-hand nightmare stories.

G_Body_Man wrote: In reply to ProDarwin: The main issue with traction is the very easily deployable 240 lb-ft. Around here, even chirping the tires can get your vehicle impounded. I just want to have some more traction.

What tires are you running? Size? Wheels? Suspension setup?

You can work around an open diff. 240lb-ft isn't an astonishing amount of tq.

If chirping tires gets you into trouble a spool is the last thing you would ever want. It's nearly impossible to corner without tire noise if you have a spool unless you go <2mph while turning.

We a spool in a FSAE car in college. It made the car understeer like no other unless you were left foot braking. I would have rather had an open diff.

My first car was a '85 Monte Carlo SS and the diff clutches were worn out. I'm not sure what you're doing, but traction should not be too hard to come by with that amount of power unless on snow/ice or you have the wrong tires.

This guy won rock-crawling championships with a 12 bolt rear with a spool and a 10 bolt front.

[URL=http://s265.photobucket.com/user/derekrichardson/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image-102.jpg.html][/URL]

That 10 bolt should be spitting chucks of axles out all day if the 'net is to believed.

Like I said, thousands of spooled miles under my belt and some hard off road use too.

No under steer and no broken axles and no negative effects whatsoever.

I may be the outlier I guess.