Ideas for "Pulling The Trigger PT2"

As some of you may know my CAI, LT, ORY, LM2 and AIR delete thread was named "Pulling The Trigger" and before i can move onto PT2 some things need to happen. First being a 7 month pump in the box and second being what rearend to go with. Done a lot of reading on here and on the web and im still undecided. So i'll layout the plans for my bird and hopefully that may help you guys in what you think would work good for me. Here they are, I want to do a 402 LQ4 and use cathedal port heads so that i do not have to buy new headers. thats about as far as ive gotten with the motor, no specifics yet but i do want to push around 600hp give or take. As far as a transmission goes i want to swap in a th400 and have it built to handle the hp. Suspension i want to run stranos springs, blitstien or koni shocks dropped 1.25 inches with complete aftermarket set up for the front( upper/lower, k member, etc), move the torque arm off the trans, lca relocation, panhard relocation. as far as use goes i want to be able to drive the car to the track, race (whether it be drag or road course) and drive home, the car wont be a daily driver though so drive-ability isn't an issue. With that said now onto the rear here are my Qs.

-12 bolt or 9 inch? ( read that autos go 12 bolt but didnt really find an explination on as to why past that an auto trans preloads the drivetrain so a 12 bolt is a good option.)

-locker or limited slip? which one and who makes a good one? heard good things about the wave-trac could it be an option for what i want to do?

-Splines? i was thinking 31s good or no?

-ABS? im lost when it comes to this... three channel, 4 channel, w/ or wo/ exciter ring... ya no idea... i want to do the CTS-V brake upgrade to the front like GMHTP did on their STI Killer if that helps with this question.

-Gears? seems like everyone with autos goes 3.73s, good choice eveb though ill be going to a th400 down the road?

so with all that being said what do you guys think? I would call MWC or someone along the same lines but i really don't get much phone time.

I personally would pick a 9" with the setup you are describing. Or even a Dana 60. Get the wavetrac with 35 spline axles. 3 or 4 channel depends on whether you have TCS or not. If you do, then it's 4 channel. If not, 3 channel. The exciter ring needs to be installed on the axle if you plan to retain the use of ABS/TCS. You could choose to eliminate ABS/TCS as well, as some have. As for gears, 3.73s are the most popular for autos. They give good low end, and don't top out before the end of the 1/4 mile. Here's a good gear calculator to check out that will show RPM at MPH with whatever gear choice you make - http://www.richmondgear.com/101032.html

MWC makes good rears, but expect a longer wait. Around 2-3 months. Strange will also take a bit of time. Moser will usually ship within a week. I run one and have no problems. Very nice peice of equipment. Your timeline may determine who to go with.

Hope this helps, and feel free to ask any other questions. It's the best thing to do when planning some major mods.

Here's the basic deal with rears:

Stength: Dana > 9" > 12 bolt

Weight: 12 bolt < 9" < Dana

Efficiency: 12 bolt > 9" > Dana

Having been through all of this with our car, my first choice if I had to do it all over again would be a Strange 12 bolt.

ya id like to do an MWC rear, the wait wouldn't be an issue as i would be doing the purchase around half way through my deployment. I don't have TCS so i guess that settles the ABS question. Couple more questions, here they are;

Center section: Nodular Iron or Aluminum?
Drain and/or fill plug: Allright i imagine these items make it easier to change out your gear oil but is it worth the 70-100 added bucks to get them on the rear?

Iron will be stronger, but heavier. And the fill and drain plugs are definately worth it. Much easier to fill and drain.

Well worth it... unless the drain plug pulls the threads out the first time you unscrew it. :whistle:

One thing you may want to consider is that with the Moser 9" WaveTrac you get a lifetime warranty. I don't know what the other manufacturer's offer.

allright so here is what im thinking, tell me if this sounds good or not

9 inch
nodular iron
reuse stock brakes & leave ABS
Stock width
35 spline
wavetrac
fill & drain plugs
3.73 gears
LCA relocations brackets
LCAs
panhard relocation
panhard bar
new torque arm
tunnel mount torque arm bracket
stranos springs
biltstien shocks

what do you guys think? am i missing anything?

Are you getting new reluctor rings?

3.73 gears are not available through Moser are they?

I would also suggest a drive shaft...

good looks on the drive shaft

I havent called moser or anyone for that matter yet to see if they can support that setup or if ill have to change anything around

the reluctor rings? is that for the abs or am i thinking of exciter rings? Prolly just put my foot in my mouth there, pretty newb when it comes to a rearend.

You don't have to get a new DS, but your stock one will now be the weak link in your set-up. Just a recommendation. I think Moser offers a 3.75 gear. Ford has odd-ball gears. Example, instead of a 4.10 ratio you can get a 4.11 ratio.

You are correct. That would be for the ABS. I think tone ring/exciter ring/reluctor ring are all interchangeable words/expressions for that. I could be wrong though. You can reuse your existing ones which will require you to pull them and press them on your new axles or you can get them pressed on from Moser (I believe).

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Originally Posted by 35th-ANV-SS

You don't have to get a new DS, but your stock one will now be the weak link in your set-up. Just a recommendation. I think Moser offers a 3.75 gear. Ford has odd-ball gears. Example, instead of a 4.10 ratio you can get a 4.11 ratio.

You are correct. That would be for the ABS. I think tone ring/exciter ring/reluctor ring are all interchangeable words/expressions for that. I could be wrong though. You can reuse your existing ones which will require you to pull them and press them on your new axles or you can get them pressed on from Moser (I believe).

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Moser will install new rings if requested. You will need to have the axle bearings pressed on after transfering your backing plates to the new axles.

thanks for the heads up on the gears, rings, bearings and backing plates guys. i appreciate it. As for the drive shaft i thought about it and ill will prolly wait till the trans is built and ready to go in. Pretty sure ill need a custom shaft after swapping to a th400 so instead of two i just buy one. No more hp/tq mods any way till the trans is in so i dont think itll hurt to wait.

Sounds like a good plan! Looking forward to seeing progress when it all comes together.

Figured id throw an update out there, got a kid on the way so the new plan is to wait till the card is paid back off before pulling the trigger again. That nice chunk of change igot right now just got realocated for a bay room and diapers lol. Looks like itll be long nights up with the kid instead ofthe T/A! well while i pay the card off im prolly gonna use the base hobby shop and knock out my body work. Time consuming and cheap (dont need any new panels save a sail) so at least I wont feel like im neglecting the ole T/A.

Congrats! Don't forget to get a child safety seat that fits the Trans Am!

Na I bought the wife a fusion and im gonna find a nice little grocery getter that gets good gas mileage. Kid will have to wait till it just needs a booster seat lol.