new rear end?
 

http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=781110

anyone have any thoughts on this rear to replace my 12 bolt? it will only cost me about a couple hundred bucks more than what i can sell my 12 bolt for and what it will cost to repair the gear whine in it. remember, i rarely go to the track. i just want something that will affect my handling and drivability as little as possible and not have to worry about getting stranded one day. heres my view on it:

advantages:
stronger
weighs MUCH less
better TA design

disadvantages:
still new design, unsure of reliability and performance
possible clearance issues (although he said there are none)
worth the extra money?

what do you guys think?

jake that looks nasty, its gotta be stronger and for sure lighter, if you ask me its a no-brainer go for it... i would

my 12 bolt whines some, isnt that normal?

mine is louder then my exhaust at highway speeds. heads/cam ls1 with 4.10s... that can't be normal

a small amount of gear whine is acceptable with aftermarket gears but if it is loud enough that it is really noticeable there is probably a problem with a bearing or the gear tooth contact surface

do you mind if i ask your personal opinion on that rear i posted up about? either way, i was gonna bring the car to you to either fix my current rear or have that one installed. does anyone know anything about custom fabircated rear ends?

I wouldn't waste the money if you already have a 12 bolt, the difference in strength between the two is minimal and the ford rear has its fair share of issues as well. They are only as good as the center section you put into it. I left my 9" scattered all over Atco and it had a nodular chunk, steel spool, billit yoke, billit support, etc, etc.. Didnt make much of a difference when it was being shoveled into the trash can next to the starting line..

its not really the strength i'm going for. its certainly the weight, torque arm design, and drivability i'm going for. i really can't deal with the clunks and whining of this rear. but then again, i'm not really certain the clunking is coming from the rear. i'm so confused...

Jake, just drive the car down to Josh's shop and let him stick it on a lift and check it out.....

- Justin

yeah, i was supposed to do that last week but i realized i forgot to call him and didn't wanna impose like that. whats holding me back is that i'm extremely indecisive on which direction i wanna head on this issue. it would be unfair to have my sitting on his lift for weeks while i sit and contemplate what i want to do with my car. the only thing i know is that i'm sick of whines, clunks, vibrations, and ABS lights. i'm willing to buy a new rear if thats what it takes. this fab 9 inch looks promising and the idea of starting new as opposed to this used 12 bolt sounds extremely appealing right now.

No need to leave the car there for weeks, just take it down and have him figure out what's wrong with it. I'm sure he won't have a problem with helping you find the problem and fix it. If it turns out that your 12 bolt really is causing all the problems, he can either fix it or replace it for you.

- Justin

i think i'm gonna schedule an appointment to have him lift it up and check it out. maybe i won't have to leave it and that can give me the winter to research and decide which direction to go with it. i would just love to have some unbiased info on that rear. it looks promising.

The weight between the 12 and the ford rear isnt all that much different. Your car is probably a bit too heavy to go with the aluminum center section so the weight savings would be minimal.

IMO, and I could be way off:

I'd be wary using this on the street because of the wall thickness of the housing. Not in terms of strength, but because it looks thinner than a stock casting and as such probably doesn't dampen as much gear noise. Yes, properly installed gears shouldn't make noise, but if you end up with a set that does it might be worse than what you have now.

in that case let the diagnostics begin, we're gonna fix that 12 bolt :)

haha jake, josh is gonna be doing the same to my 12 bolt, when he was driving my car he told me we HAVE to look into it...... it was LOUD

mine is damn loud too. along with some clunks and bangs from the undercarriage. i think josh is gonna learn to hate me soon... :)

clunks and bangs??? did u check out ur U-Joints? Mine are worn a lil and i have some clunks. The bangs are b/c my exhaust hits my panhard bar upper mount (need a relocation bracket).

u-joints? its not an exhaust clearance issue i know that, i think it has something to do with my diff and axles.

Your u-joints are at either end of your driveshaft....they look like this:

http://northwestfab.com/images/NWF%20006.jpg

If there is play in them, that will make plenty of noise while driving, and they'll need to be replaced ASAP.

- Justin

hmm.... DS is used. maybe thats it. what kind of noise would they make if they were bad? like say a whining noise?

Usually more of a clunk/bang. Although I suppose the bearings in them could whine.

- Justin

eff it... i'll replace it anyway. gotta drop off the car at josh's soon

Usually you can tell if they are bad just by reaching underneath and trying to rotate the driveshaft by hand while the car is parked. If you can twist it, then you have slop in the driveline, and that slop could be caused by worn/bad u-joints.

Josh will check all that stuff I'm sure though.

- Justin

usually u joints will make a clunk or vibration not usually known to make any whining noises.