85 SR5 Winnsboro $1000, now $700

[Gottolovem]

You will need the rear pumpkin from that 83 to match the front diff of that trans. The gearing is not compatible with your car.

Or if your existing "broken"transmission still has a good diff in the front of it still you can change it out to the replacement tranny ?

As to a fair price I personally would not pay more than 3 to 4 hundred! Less if i had to pull it myself.

Be sure to check the tranny before you pay for it! After you pull it and it's on the ground select each gear and turn the input shaft by hand to verify the gears are turning the front diff at the same time CHECK ALL GEARS 1 THROUGH 5 INCLUDING REVERSE if they all spin the diff it's likley a good one
good luck

[4WDriver]

Thanks guys!

Yea my car still has a good front (and rear) dif. I would think that if I just installed the transmission from the 83, then it would work just fine. Since I would still have the same ratio in the front and rear; that shouldn't cause any problems.

[Gottolovem]

It will be easier to change the diff gears only and not change the tranny(gear cluster) over to the bellhousing diff assembly.

[Petros]

I would not change the diff gears only, removing the ring and pinion means you have to reset the lash. lots of work. you can swap out the front diff assembly with the belhousing, or the rear diff assembly (the third member) without removing the ring and pinion gears from the assembly. keep them together and you will not have to reset the lash.

[Gottolovem]

Dosent the lash need to be reset when changing third member?

[Petros]

No, the third member carries the input shaft bearing and seal, the pinion, the ring, diff itself and spider gears, the the diff bearings. the relationship between all these parts does not change, you unbolt the drive shaft from the flange, pull the axles out on their spline shafts, and than unbolt the carrier or third member from the axle housing and it comes out together, and there is not change between these parts.

It is only if you disrupt the relationship between the ring and pinion gears that you have to reset the lash.

[Gottolovem]

Always learning something new