is Van Steel Differential rebuild worth cost?
10-22-2011, 10:10 AM
#2
Le Mans Master
not sure i understand the question.if you need a rebuild,yes its worth it .if you wonder about the price ,i would call others and compare .be sure to compare shops that do mostly corvettes.they will do you a better job ,they know what they are doing .other shops some times learn at your expense.if you go with a forum vender you may get a discount and a place to vent if if all does not go well.vansteel has a good reputation.
10-22-2011, 11:06 AM
#3
Team Owner
Member Since: Jun 2000
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A: do you need a rebuild?
B: can you do the work yourself?
B: can you do the work yourself?
10-22-2011, 11:32 AM
#4
Burning Brakes
Van Steel has always provided outstanding products and service for me. What's also interesting is if you look at some of their rebuilt parts, (steering control valve and power steering cylinder) they have 5 year warranties vs. the new parts 1 year warranty. I'd say yes, it's worth it....
10-22-2011, 05:29 PM
#6
Le Mans Master
I have done differential rebuilds. This is not easy work, knowledge and expirience help Vettes are special cases in that the differential sits really close to the passenger compartment. Poorly assembled the Vette irs will be noisy and unreliable.
I know of a local racer who paid so very good$$ for a rebuild and the work was CRAP! Probably the only salvagable parts will be the outer housing, side yokes, and input yoke. To do a Vette irs properly, it takes over $1000 if you already have a decent core. Most irs units are so old that gears are junk, posi carrier is cracked. Failing parts drive costs up quickly. If you want to race the Vette, bring lots of $$$ to the rebuilder. I am doing a "super 10 bolt" right now and machine work would run 300-500 alone, not to mention select fitting all the new parts.
I know of a local racer who paid so very good$$ for a rebuild and the work was CRAP! Probably the only salvagable parts will be the outer housing, side yokes, and input yoke. To do a Vette irs properly, it takes over $1000 if you already have a decent core. Most irs units are so old that gears are junk, posi carrier is cracked. Failing parts drive costs up quickly. If you want to race the Vette, bring lots of $$$ to the rebuilder. I am doing a "super 10 bolt" right now and machine work would run 300-500 alone, not to mention select fitting all the new parts.
10-23-2011, 03:17 PM
#7
Racer
Thread Starter
Im just not sure if it really needs a 600$ rebuild. But i live in driving distance to van steel. Is there any signs of a bad differential? its out of the car so yea. Thanks for all the replies. Also i will have over 450 hp if that matters...
10-23-2011, 03:45 PM
#8
Burning Brakes
Is there any signs of a bad differential?
You can check for ring gear slop by putting one hand on the input shaft and the other on one of the side yokes and see how much you have to rotate the input shaft before you get any movement in the side yoke. You shouldn't get much.
Also, check the end play of the side yokes. These are important because they affect the camber of your rear wheels. The end play should be between .005-.010. This is barely noticable by hand. If the side yokes clunk in and out, they need to be repaired or replaced.
Remove the rear cover and look for obvious damage to the ring gear, pinion gear, and side differential gears. Look for metal pieces in the oil or laying on the bottom of the housing.
I'm sure Van Steel will do a great repair if it needs it.
John
You can check for ring gear slop by putting one hand on the input shaft and the other on one of the side yokes and see how much you have to rotate the input shaft before you get any movement in the side yoke. You shouldn't get much.
Also, check the end play of the side yokes. These are important because they affect the camber of your rear wheels. The end play should be between .005-.010. This is barely noticable by hand. If the side yokes clunk in and out, they need to be repaired or replaced.
Remove the rear cover and look for obvious damage to the ring gear, pinion gear, and side differential gears. Look for metal pieces in the oil or laying on the bottom of the housing.
I'm sure Van Steel will do a great repair if it needs it.
John
10-23-2011, 08:17 PM
#10
Le Mans Master
if i had 450 hp it would have had to been replaced a long time ago .if your are doing the trailing arms .i would do it all one time and be done .it should last a long time .
