yet another diff post

[joe]

well as of later this week i will be picking up a 1984 supra heh

grats to me ;)


but anyway, it is kinda run down, and i am mostly buying it because

1) its cheap
2) i don't know a ton about cars, and ripping this thing apart and putting it back togeather will be a great learning experience in my opinion


the problem with the car is that the differential is shot from what i understand - so first thing i plan on doing to it is to rip that out and play with it

i have read almost all the posts on this forum regarding these so i have a decent understanding of what needs to be done, at least a lot better idea then when i first heard that that was the problem

i do not have it out and in my hands yet though, so thinking worse case scenario - if it is shattered with metal shards and all - can it be rebuilt without machine work, or do i have to try and find a new one, and if i have to find a new one where should i look, and what should i look for in it

either way i plan on taking it apart so i can get a good idea on what they look like on the inside

i will be joining your yahoo group when i get home from work, and i heard there is a good write up with pictures there that i am hoping will help me out some.

i am not going in this blind either, i am working with a car savy friend who knows his way around cars very well, i am just trying to gain the knowledge as well


long term, i plan on ripping the engine out and rebuilding it as well so i can get a good understanding of how they are put togeather


even farther long term, i plan on either performacing up this car, or selling this one, and buying one that has a little cleaner interior/exterior


thanks in advance

-Joe

[rumptis]

What makes you think its bad? they are well known for making a nice whining noise as they get worn but can still last along time and just replacing the fluid with some good oil can help with that alot.

[joe]

well the guy i am buying it from says it is shot - said it would cost like 2 grand to get it fixed

i have no desire to get it fixed in a shop, because i want the experience so that wasnt a turn off for me


guy is still out of town, but when he gets back i will be heading over there and looking at it a little closer, and talking to him in person


from what i understand from what he says it is dead - and as of right now i have limited car experience - lol thats a good way to put it ;) - but yea, i am just shooting for worse case scenario, and help from there


once i get a better understanding what is wrong i will post and then maybe you all can give me a better idea


thanks again for any help, and sorry for the lack of current details

[John X]

Welcome to the forums!

It shouldn't be that hard to swap in a working diff either from a junkyard or purchase one from someone on this forum. And $2000 is a fairly rediculous price I think for "fixing" a differential. Apparently they are insanely hard to rebuild, but just a swap can't be that bad.

And interior pieces are the easiest thing in the world to swap. Finding decent condition ones can be toughish depending on where you live. You could have every interior piece except the dash out of the car in about 1 weekend and then back in the next weekend. These cars are great to learn on as 90% of the stuff makes sense after you learn it for the first time. There is tons of room in the engine bay to get at stuff, and overall they are very solidly built.

And this is all coming from someone who just started getting into this stuff about April or so. I've learned a lot since then. :D

Oh yeah: Look for rust on the car! Everything else can be fixed without too much of a hassle but rust will destroy your car! Look for it: on the hatch, around the gas door, under the fenders. Take out the battery and look for excessive rust around that area. If battery acid has spilled there it will eat through the paint and cause the frame to rust. It can be stopped if caught quick enough, though.

-John

PS: Fill out the location field in your profile so we know where you are. :) Helps us give you better advice about some stuff (like which junkyards to go to, which parts-stores have good deals, when a local supra get-together is going on, etc.)

[joe]

yea i heard that these were nicer cars to learn on which is why i had decided to go for one


as for a swap, that might be fine just to get the car running, but i would love to learn how to rebuild one just to have that experience as well

and yea i ripped apart my 89 plymouth voyager's interior, and i kinda figured that it wouldnt be too crazy hard to get that stuff out


but yea there is a little rust on it, but again that was something i wasn't overly concerned about because i plan on taking welding classes, and the rust i can see at least just appears around the tires and hatch - give bondo and sanding a try where i can, but learning to weld would be great as well heh

i honestly really plan on getting into cars pretty heavy, so i am trying to learn how to do everything i can - a personality quirk of mine - if it is something i am interested in, i wanna be able to do it all, i dont need to be the best, but be able to fake my way through it if i have to

anyway thanks for the replies, going tomorrow or saturday to look at it with a friend - keeps getting postponed - damn job heh

-Joe

[coldcuts]

be sure to find out what you learn about the diff! pic's are a must.

congrats on your new-found thirst for cars, i discovered mine about two and a half years ago (just turned nineteen), and God knows i just can't get enough. and speak of the devil, i just got my '85 p-type a month and a half ago, not knowing too much of what i was doing, and successfully changed all the fluids, the driveshaft bearing, the wiper / blinker stalk, every single bulb i could find, the alternator (which died from high-revving...RIP), and tons of other things -
with only a good set of sockets and my chilton's manual for 70s and 80s supras. i'm in the process of replacing my head and all the gaskets and all the belts as we speak.

this is an excellent car to learn how to fix things on. unfortunately (or fortunately, if you're a sick person like me), they're often in bad shape. hope it's what you're looking for!

[joe]

lol well yea i am turning 20 in november ;)


but yea, i want a car that is in bad shape so i can play around and learn on it - hence the $300-400 budget lol


anyway, i will definatly be going tomorrow to look at the car with a friend if the guy is home - worked a nice 17 hour day today so i didn't get a chance to go today heh

then i can possibly give some better details on what is wrong with it, and i will try and get my hands on a digital camera and take some pics so you all can see my ugly baby hehe