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| This will be walk through on changing the rear end from my stock one to the Z28 rear. This Is done to upgrade the crappy V6 open rear to LSD, and for those with 1997 CAMARO and under, it upgrades to the rear disk brakes, for better stopping and better looks. |
1. you need to jack up the rear of the as far as you can. I use 2 jack stands and set the car on the Lower control arm were it mounts to the frame, this lets you get the rear up high
but also lets it fall down so you have room to work. Then I used the ramp and some blocks of wood on each side of the car just in case .
2. Put the E-brake on and take off the tires. you can also loosen the lugs before you lift the car.
3. You should now be able to see the rear springs, Pan hard bar (PHB), Torque arm (TQ ARM), and L Lower control Arms (LCA). Along with your brakes and the rest of the rear end. on the passenger side I reached up in there and pulled out my rear spring (yeah it's that easy) on the driver side my father just swished the spring with his hand and it came out. This gives a lot more room to work with and allows more light to get in the work area..
4. Next get the shocks out of the way. First pull back the carpet inside the car with the back seat down You will see a white piece of foam like padding in the corner . . pull this out and you will see the nut holding the shock in. you need to take this off.. put the washer and rubber piece were you will not lose it. Next undo the bolt that connects the shock to the rear end. repeat for other side.
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5. Take the PHB off the rear end . this is only one bolt, the PHB centers the rear end. Its above and behind the rear end. with one bolt on the rear (closer to drive side of car) and one on the frame of the car (close to pass side of car).
6. put a jack under the ball of the rear and jack it up so the rear will not fall. next unbolt the sway bar from the rear or if your rear has one you can use it and just unbolt it from the frame ;. (use power tools if you have them)
7. Now you will see on the pass side of the car in front of the rear where the brake lines connect. you need to undo this however mine was major PITA. so just take the one off the rear for now its only one bolt.
8.Crawl under the car and you will see the TQ ARM , it bolts to the top and bottom of the rear and is a triangle shape to a rubber holder that bolts to the Tranny. Loosen this at the Tranny and let it hang. Next unbolt the drive shaft from the rear. and take it out of your way. See first picture on the right)
The fun part ;)
9. Now you can see the E-brake cables, release the E-brake and take these off, you have to turn the "T" side ways and then work with the cables to get them out.
10. Finally unbolt the LCA's, this will let the rear drop down and out of the car so be careful to balance the rear as you do each side. Then let it down and pull it out from under the car.
11. Unbolt your TQ arm. from the rear and transfer it over to the new one. If using your stock Sway bar do the same.
12. unscrew the PITA brake line or you can use that one it should fit but I replaced mine because the one on the Z28 rear was in better shape.
13. do everything in reverse.
NOTE: My Drive shaft was already out from taking the motor out. it has been a year since putting it in but I Believe its only 4 bolts that hold the driveshaft to the rear.
Time it took about 3 hours to get the rear out. about 1 hour to get the brake line off (PITA) and about 2 hours to put the rear back in the car and set it back down on them.
Hints this is the best time do upgrade TQ arm, LCA's, PHB, Sway bar. Drive shaft. I would have these ready if you can.
I can not be held responsible if you injure your self (drop car on head for example) in anyway, or damage you car. This is only written to give a general idea on "how to" and pictures are met for aids only. You should a have a Hayes or Chilton's manual to get exact information.
