How to install a LSD in a V6 F-body

Tired of leaving one rubber stripe? Well here is how to fix it! Installing a LSD in a F-body is relatively painless, if you have an idea of what you are doing. This was the first major non bolt on mod I did to my car, and I had few problems. It took awhile, but that's because I was on my own.. nobody had ever done this before themselves. If you are mechanically inclined, I foresee no problems with undertaking this project. I purchased the LSD from Internet Racers Supply as a take-off for $89.95. You will also need some new gear oil(80W-90), new rear end gasket, and some GM limited slip addictive.

1) Jack the car up by the diff housing, and place jack stands under each side of the car(where the manual says to jack the car). Then place chocks in front of the front wheels. After the front wheels have been chocked, remove the jack, so that the rear suspension will extend.

2) Now remove the rear tires, and the drums. To remove the drums you must remove the small clips on 2 of the studs. I found it easiest to cut them off with a dremel tool. After that, you should be able to pull the drum off. If the drum won't come all the way off do to rust, take some 240grit sand paper, and sand the center of the hub a little bit so the drum can be removed. Make sure you don't put all the parts in the same place, you must put right side parts on the right side, and left on the left side.

3) Now the messy part, draining the rear end. This oil smells really terrible, so try to spill as little as possible. Place a large container under the diff. You need a large container because the oil tend to go everywhere. Loosen all the rear end screws about 1 turn. Then remove all of the lower screws, and loosen the top screws a little more. If the oil is not already pouring out, put a screw driver in between the surfaces of the cover and the diff, and pry LIGHTLY(don't damage the mating surfaces). After all the oil is removed, go ahead and remove the rest of the bolts from the cover, and remove it.

4) Clean the inside of the rear end as best as you can, otherwise you will have more oil pouring out as you work on the rear end.

5) Now you must remove the axles. To do this, you must first remove the screw that hold the pinion shaft in. This screw is VERY tight for such as small screw. This screw goes left to right, you may have to turn the diff to find the screw. Remove the screw, and slide the pinion shaft out. The final step is to remove the C clips that hold the axles in. This is easy.. just push each axle in about an inch, the clips should fall off and onto the bottom of the diff housing. Now pull the axles out about 1 foot.

6) It is now time to remove the bearing caps. Remove the four bolts, and pull the caps off.

7) The diff is now ready to be removed. The diff is in VERY TIGHT, you must use a 2x4 to pry it out. Insert the 2x4 in the center cavity of the diff, and pry! The diff should pop out, and two washers and two outer bearing races will fall out. Clean these, and put them aside.

8) Now you must remove the ring gear and ABS reluctor ring. There are 10 bolts that hold the gear on. These are LEFT HANDED bolts, so be sure to turn them the right way! Remove the 10 bolts, and pull the ring gear off. Next is removing the reluctor ring. This is press fitted on the diff, so you must knock it off with a hammer and a block of wood (to protect the reluctor ring). The reluctor ring comes off the same direction of the ring gear.

9) Install the reluctor ring and the ring gear on the new diff housing. Put the reluctor ring on, then the ring gear. As you tighten the 10 bolts evenly, the reluctor ring will get pressed onto the diff housing. Once all 10 bolts are snug, torque them all to 35ft-lbs. Then do a final pass, and torque them to 65ft-lbs.

Here my friend is torqueing down the 10 ring gear bolts. To

hold the diff from moving while we tightened the bolts, we

ran a metal bar through the diff, and stepped on it. This can

be used when loosening the bolts also.

10) Next is the most difficult part, putting the diff back in the diff housing. Because it is meant to be a tight fit, everything must be aligned PERFECTLY to fit. Put both the out bearing races back on the bearings, and put the diff in the diff housing. Now put one of the spacers that came out earlier on the left side between the diff housing, and the bearing race. Now push everything as tight as you can up against the left side of the housing to make room for the space that must fit on the right side. Everything must be straight, and packed against the left side. Now slide the space in on the right side, it will probably only go in a little bit. Now break out the hammer, and hammer it in. I ended up using a small sledge. I talked to the local Chevy dealership, and they use a special tool(which us mortals can't get) that holds the spacer, then you hammer on the back of it. My way worked, but the special tool might have made it easier.

11) Put the main caps back on, being sure that the "tabs" on the caps point out. They will if you remember to separate left and right side parts.

12) Home stretch! Time to reinstall the axles. Push them back in, guiding them through the bearings and into the diff. Push them as far in as they will go. Now put the C-clips back on the axle, and pull the axles out till they stop.

Here is the new diff installed, with caps, before

installing the pinion shaft

13) Almost done! Put the NEW pinion shaft in, making sure that the hole for the screw is aligned. Put the screw in, and tighten it down... tight.

14) Just a bit farther! Clean the gasket surfaces of both the housing, and the cover. Then apply a RTV type gasket making compound to the gasket surface on the cover. Then stick the new gasket to the cover, and put the cover on the rear diff housing. Install all the screws in the cover, being sure to use the long screws for the brake line brackets.

15) Can you see the light? Install the drums(w/o clips), tires and fill the diff with lube, and one bottle of GM limited slip addictive.