I'm swapping an SE full rear end into my 83 GS and I have a few queations. Is it a direct bolt in - do any control arms or suspension pieces need to be modified? Anyone know where I can find a write up of how to do this, maybe with pics? Thanks in advance.

 

direct bolt in ii have full se suspnesion on my 81

the rearend was easy as hell to swap out, a one man job IMO, i pulled my old one and put the se one in solo in about an hour and a half...

-greg

 

sweet, but what about the brake hard lines, even tho you are switching form drum to disc, the lines still connect to the same spot?

 

you'll need e-brake cables...but i agree with gregs...its easy...just don't hurt your back

 

The ebrake is a 5-cable setup. There's one cable from the mount under the car to the handbrake and one to each rear wheel. Each cable stops just short of the frame. There's a little junction there where you can disconnect the remaining cable from each end and swap it. You just need the last 2 feet or so of cable, just from that junction inside the frame to the ebrake mounts behind the caliper. The hydraulic fittings under your car are the same, so that's an easy swap, though I'm not sure of the proportioning valve next to the master cylinder under the hood. I've heard it both ways. Some will tell you to swap the valve and some won't, but I know everything else will bolt right in. I swapped the links also because the bushings in the SE were in better shape - take 'em and check them out while you're swapping. Might need em, might not. Oh, and the driveshaft just slips out of the back of the tranny once the rearend slides back a few inches, so take it off the SE if it's in better shape too.

You gonna swap the fronts too?

 

Crit pretty much covered it. You should, but dont have to swap the prop valve and master cyl. However, the hose that connects the axle to the body IS different in a GS and GSL/ GSL-SE. I made that mistake once. I bought a rear at a junkyard and they jsut cut the hose (I knew about the cables, so I saved them). When I went to hook it up........... different style hose on the axle end. I wasnt happy.