I need to double check but I believe I have the G80 rear. Not best for performance I'm learning. The rear axle is offset so I can't just put one in from another vehicle like an S-10. I'd have to swap carriers, which ain't all bad. Supposed to be 7.65 gear and 28 spline for my 92. Suggestions?
Local circle track is doing drags on the front straight and I thought I'd show up with a v8 powered minivan. Maybe even do a drift event for the LOLs.
LOTS of LSD's for those. If it was an open diff, there are lunchbox lockers that can be a lot of fun. I believe the Detroit TruTrac At Summit Racing is the cheapest "real" LSD for that axle, but I might be mistaken.
Late 4th gen camaros/trans ams have a Torsen in the same basic rear end. We have one of them in our late S10 rear end, bought it on eBay for about $150, search for a Zexel Torsen. Or just get a mini spool for $76.
Nothing to add other than: awesome thread title! 
A 7.65 rear gear?! Is that a typo?
Love Sense8
thatsnowinnebago wrote: A 7.65 rear gear?! Is that a typo?
Diameter...
In reply to 93gsxturbo:
Ohhhh, now I get it. Fooled me too. 
My last non overdrive vehicle was a 79 panther LTD with a 2.26:1 gear ratio. Pretty extreme, just in the other way.
Drift event + drag? Grab a mini-spool!
93gsxturbo wrote:thatsnowinnebago wrote: A 7.65 rear gear?! Is that a typo?Diameter...
Haha, whoops 
G_Body_Man wrote: Drift event + drag? Grab a mini-spool!
From my research it looks like a mini spool would not be fun on the street. But, the Zexels appear to be reasonable on ebay.
I think there was also a traditional clutch type LSD carrier for those from the factory, not the G80 that was more of a clutched locker.
In reply to vwcorvette:
Although all my experience is with four-link/leaf springs + all terrains, I haven't found mini-spools to suck as much as people say they do. The only time they really suck is in parking lots, or during low speed maneuvers with lots of steering input.
vwcorvette wrote: Local circle track is doing drags on the front straight and I thought I'd show up with a v8 powered minivan.
I'm not sure how nice a vehicle this is, but those type of things are often full contact racing so taking a vehicle you intend to keep may not be wise.
In reply to G_Body_Man:
Add stickier tires and the pain of a spool gets far worse.
Tk8398 wrote:vwcorvette wrote: Local circle track is doing drags on the front straight and I thought I'd show up with a v8 powered minivan.I'm not sure how nice a vehicle this is, but those type of things are often full contact racing so taking a vehicle you intend to keep may not be wise.
Not talking about enduros, just a short 1/8 mile drag.
vwcorvette wrote:Tk8398 wrote:Not talking about enduros, just a short 1/8 mile drag.vwcorvette wrote: Local circle track is doing drags on the front straight and I thought I'd show up with a v8 powered minivan.I'm not sure how nice a vehicle this is, but those type of things are often full contact racing so taking a vehicle you intend to keep may not be wise.
That's what I meant, there are definitely people who buy beater cars for those events to intentionally spin people, etc. If you are talking about something more like actual drag racing as you would do at a strip that's different though.
Tk8398 wrote:vwcorvette wrote:That's what I meant, there are definitely people who buy beater cars for those events to intentionally spin people, etc. If you are talking about something more like actual drag racing as you would do at a strip that's different though.Tk8398 wrote:Not talking about enduros, just a short 1/8 mile drag.vwcorvette wrote: Local circle track is doing drags on the front straight and I thought I'd show up with a v8 powered minivan.I'm not sure how nice a vehicle this is, but those type of things are often full contact racing so taking a vehicle you intend to keep may not be wise.
Yeah, I have a friend that's won an enduro, but it's getting harder as there are traveling teams with body on frame cars that work together putting out cars then they split the winnings.
This is not that. Just straight up drag race using the front straight of a half mile oval. New this year.
vwcorvette wrote:Tk8398 wrote:Yeah, I have a friend that's won an enduro, but it's getting harder as there are traveling teams with body on frame cars that work together putting out cars then they split the winnings. This is not that. Just straight up drag race using the front straight of a half mile oval. New this year.vwcorvette wrote:That's what I meant, there are definitely people who buy beater cars for those events to intentionally spin people, etc. If you are talking about something more like actual drag racing as you would do at a strip that's different though.Tk8398 wrote:Not talking about enduros, just a short 1/8 mile drag.vwcorvette wrote: Local circle track is doing drags on the front straight and I thought I'd show up with a v8 powered minivan.I'm not sure how nice a vehicle this is, but those type of things are often full contact racing so taking a vehicle you intend to keep may not be wise.
This is an example of what I mean (someone in a beater s 10 spinning an srt8 Jeep)
https://youtu.be/xZw29SsJ5YU
It sounds like yours may be a bit more civilized though.
rslifkin wrote: In reply to G_Body_Man: Add stickier tires and the pain of a spool gets far worse.
That would explain it. I go through rear tires too quickly to justify buying sticky ones .
In reply to G_Body_Man:
Just street car with a spool things.
In reply to Chadeux:
Spools are a quick way to learn that if you don't break traction, you usually break something else.
With all the different possible types of "G80" its hard to know what you're getting, but there are three most common ones in the 7.625" rear: The Eaton-style with traditional clutches, the Auburn style with cones, and the Zexel style. The Torsen style is great, but not very aggressive. It relies on some traction from each wheel. If you get one wheel going with little torque bias between the two, it will freewheel like an open diff. The Auburn style is not rebuildable nor is it easy to modify. The clutch-style is rebuildable and pretty easy to adjust torque bias with preload springs.
curtis73 wrote: With all the different possible types of "G80" its hard to know what you're getting, but there are three most common ones in the 7.625" rear: The Eaton-style with traditional clutches, the Auburn style with cones, and the Zexel style. The Torsen style is great, but not very aggressive. It relies on some traction from each wheel. If you get one wheel going with little torque bias between the two, it will freewheel like an open diff. The Auburn style is not rebuildable nor is it easy to modify. The clutch-style is rebuildable and pretty easy to adjust torque bias with preload springs.
Is the clutch style something I could find in a salvage yard in another GM product?
Yes, but be aware of spline count (early vs. late).
The 7.5" carrier is mostly interchangeable with the 7.625" as long as the bearings are the same. The carrier isn't the weak point, its the case. Too much power/traction and you'll just rip out the bolt bosses and blow the whole thing out the cover. For that reason I strongly suggest against a spool or ratcheting locker.
Most of the later F-body diffs will be the torsen style. Again, not very aggressive because GM didn't want to replace the rear axle when it hooked up. I might consider a Gov-lock. They are not as bad as everyone thinks. They're no good for a 900hp dragster. What happens is they start as an open diff and lock up when they sense slip. In a milder vehicle, that's fine. When you stab the throttle with 900hp, you get a lot of wheel spin on one side for a split second and then WHAM, they lock up and bad things happen. The reason I suggest a gov-lock is that they A) don't spend their whole lives wearing on clutches so a used model is likely just fine, B) they are often found for under $100, and C) they were pretty widely used in the truck-ish versions of things: El Caminos, Astro vans, S10s etc. Like THIS ONE ON EBAY
The clutch style was used in early F-body and G-body cars I think, but there is a good chance that the clutches are toast since they likely spent 30 years scrubbing themselves in every corner. Also, sometimes when you say the words "camaro" or "cutlass" the price doubles.
Honestly, where I would look first is in cheap, boxy-body, grocery-getter 4-banger S10s. Look for the G80 option. Almost always, those 4-cylinder S10s came with 4.10 rears to compensate for the whopping 95 hp under the hood. If you need a higher gear (lower numerically) carrier, look to the V6 version with the G80. That should find you either a clutch style or a gov-lock style.
I wish I could narrow it down better for you, but most of that info has left my brain over the years. For every beer I drink, I lose another bit of info. 
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