87 555 with 88 or 89 intermals

[amoparx]

Hi All,

I just pulled the guts out of my "loud" 87 555. The bearing and shaft at the back side of the tranny are toast. This is the shaft with the bearing "mounted" in the back of the case. Not the tapered one. Now, I have what I believe is an 88 55 from a Lancer Shelby I pulled out of a car a dozen years ago. The innereds are great. The two shafts look identical. (old and new) The tag is dated 3-15-88 so I'm guessing it's an 88. If it's an 89, can I just put both shafts from that tranny in the 87 case? I assume the 87 and 88's are the same. I do know something was changed in the 89's.
What are my options? Is there a way to look at the gears and know for sure if it's an 88 or 89?
Thanks

[turbovanman²]

What ever main shaft you use, you should also use the matching diff for wear reasons and some had different pitch's and gear ratio's.

If the end bearings are the same then go for it, but I do believe that there can be synchro differences so I would use the whole gear set if its ok.

If your shaft bearing surface is shot, go here-

http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46305

[amoparx]

Both trannys are 385's and the shafts look identical. The end of the shafts say 10 86 on the 87 tranny and 10 87 on the one I assume is an 88. I did see the differences (in pictures) of the shafts between an 87/88 and an 89, but with the gears installed, you can't see the differences. I'm about to install the one I think is an 88. Actually both shafts. I'm about positive it's the same. All I can do is distroy everything and be forced to put an 89 back in my "89.:)

[BadAssPerformance]

.... Now, I have what I believe is an 88 55 from a Lancer Shelby I pulled out of a car a dozen years ago. The innereds are great.

Why not swap the whole trans?

[amoparx]

I've got the parts right here. The tranny has been apart since I bought it 12 years ago. I can have it all back together in just a couple hours this way.
I'm doing this job 'in car'. If the tranny was out, I'd just switch trannys. I just pulled the guts out of the tranny in the car because I figured I could save the tranny by putting new bearing in it. Not the case. This one looks just like the one I pulled apart 14-15 years ago out of my 89 Shelby Daytona. Both had worn shafts.

[BadAssPerformance]

Gotcha on the "in the car" procedure... As Simon mentioned, gear mesh is a concern with miss-matching ring/pinion tho

[turbovanman²]

Gotcha on the "in the car" procedure... As Simon mentioned, gear mesh is a concern with miss-matching ring/pinion tho

Well he doesn't care so we'll find out, :eyebrows:

[amoparx]

Oh I care. Just not that much.:thumb: Both are the same final drive ratios. The car isn't long for the world as it is. Very rusty floor. (89 TII GTC) I started this project thinking I could do a quick fix. That's not the case now. As it is, It looks like I may pull the tranny anyway. Aparently, you can't pull that rear bearing with the differential in tact. I may as well throw my spare 89 555 in it and call it a day.:banghead:

[BadAssPerformance]

Yeah, diff is a PITA to service in car :( unless you drop the K-member

[amoparx]

Yeah, diff is a PITA to service in car unless you drop the K-member

Yeah I did that about 5 years ago in my 90 TI Shelby Daytona. I needed new diff bearings and seals. The one good thing was I had just replaced the steering rack a couple months earlier so all the bolts were freshly used. Too bad the bearings went bad after I had already dropped the k frame once. That's not something I enjoy doing twice a summer. :banghead:

At least the tranny will be a bit easier to pull now that so much weight has been removed.

I'm seriously thinking about dumping the car now. (After I pull all the goodies that is) I'd love to find a rust free "factory" TII GTC convertible. I've had the car about 11 years and love it.