i went to the junk yard today and found a lsd rear end and i know the bolt patterns are differrent so is there a way to swap hubs up front and how difficult is it?

 

The bolt pattern wil only be different if it's out of a gsl-se. If it's just a gsl your pattern will stay the same. If it is out of an se, the front swap is simple. Just remove the four nuts from the strut tower under the hood, the two bolts on the bottom, and the brake line.

 

Oh yeah. There's also some driveline differences. I'm not positive, but I think '82 and under are different from '83 and up. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

It it's coming out of a GSL, grab all of the rearend. Control arms, brake lines, handbrake cables and the driveshaft. If it's coming out of an SE, grab the complete front strut assembly including rotors and calipers. I would grab the proportioning valve too.

I think there is a difference in the control arms, but I don't remember what it is. While you are doing the swap, it would be a good time to install poly bushings too.

 

81-83 are the same. 84-85 are different

 

well, as for grabbing the driveshaft from it some jackass busted one end of the drive shaft when he pulled it i think. the spot on the end that looks like a nipple with a large piercing hole in it =P was missing about a 1/8 inch chunk so i wouldn't trust it too much. As far as everything else i believe it is all there, but its hard to say as im new to rear wheel drive and don't really know what im looking at. As far as the front end goes i was planning on doing the poly bushings (already started with sway bar bushings and link end bushings

i will try to go in the next day or two with a digi camera and take some pics. or if anyone in my area that knows about this crap could go with me that would be even better

EDIT : oh yeah...and i believe that it is a GSL-SE because it has the 13b in it however this could have been a swap.....hard to say being as it also had a front strut tri brace - plan on getting that too....

 

If it has the + wheels, it's a GSL. If it has a multi-flat spoke wheel, with no paint, it's an SE. Any manual 84-85 driveshaft will work. As far as the brake cables, you needs both sides from the clevis pins back.

 

Everyone is forgetting that 83 is the "mutt" year, the 83 rear end still has the smaller axles like the earlier cars, but it has the larger pinion flange that the 84/85 cars have. So depending on what year your car and the junk yard cars are this could be an issue. Now if the car is a GSL-SE then none of what I just said applies to you

 

I did a rear axle swap, ealier this year. I documented mine with photo references. It may help abit. Click on my signature, below, and you can see the adventure!