enzo1267

has anyone swaped there live axel for a vette indepent rear suspension? can it be done? i was thinking that the ride of my z would be better with the independant rear on the streats of nyc.

ronin013

ive seen it discussed a number of times on forums. i think there have been people that have put the C4 vette IRS on 3rd gen fbodies, but no one has been able to do the C5 yet. last i heard people looking into it said you could never make a "kit" to do it, it would still take a ton of custom fabrication work to hook everything up and such, if anyone could even determine where and how to bolt/weld everything up to so it would fit and still perform corectly to make it worth.


it would be nice if someone could figure it out, it be on my wish list

n2ceptor

Seen it once in a 2nd gen camaro at a car show.... It can be done, just need the time and geometry... They do it to 55-57 shoebox chevys...

JordonMusser

why not just buy a C4...

dnz28

not worth the cash.

enzo1267

well for a few reasons, first I love the vette but I love the camaro a whole lot more, second the difference in insurance for me in nyc is 2100 full coverage on my camaro where they want 5600 full coverage for a vette.that difference in money is a possable vacation for me or something else

Steve in Seattle

I looked into the C5 IRS/transaxle conversion, would be real trick for weight distribution but there's a major problem: 7.5" Ring & Pinion.

The C4 IRS came in 2 versions: The Dana 36 and the Dana 44.

The Dana 44 has a 8.5" Ring & Pinion. Not exactly a Ford 8.8, Chevy 12-bolt (8.875), or Ford 9... but it sounds like the winning ticket for those looking for a durable IRS conversion.

The Dana 36 is junk and C4 guys practically give them away... I've seen entire 3rd sections go for $40. Ring size? 7.5625" Sound familiar? <rollseyes>


The Dana 44 is the only real option for a high-hp corvette IRS, and there are companies that specialize in Dana 44 IRS conversions... last quote I received was ~$3500 if I recall correctly (including the Dana, the arms, the half-shafts).

There are other options out there... like the late model Lincoln's (Mark VIII I belive). They're around 8.8" IRS and a favorite of some Ford enthusiasts (like Cougar guys). The Cobra's IRS is also an option, and shouldn't be TOO hard to dig up... a fair number of Cobra owners are tossing them out for a solid axle due to the excessive wheel hop they're experiencing (some say stiffer shocks cure the problem though).

All said an done it really isn't that cheap of a setup unless you find a wrencked C4 with a good Dana 44 in it... then it's just $1500 for a company to perform the conversion (or they can source you the Dana for 2 g's).


With the lack of a T2R or Quaife helical gear diff in the 12-bolt rears I'm currently choosing between the Ford 8.8 and 9" conversion. 9 sounds like the winning ticket really... but that Dana 44 IRS keeps popping up in my mind.

LT4Firehawk

Sounds like you are getting screwed on your insurance quotes. My 92 LT1 Vette was cheaper than any of my f-bodies, and my 01 Z06 was cheaper than my 2000 TA was.

enzo1267

in good old new york city its ****y prices for insurance

MrDude_1

in general, insurance prices for vettes are LOWER then Fbodies.....

LT4Firehawk

That's what I was trying to get at. I'm not sure why NY would be different than anywhere else, but who knows?

enzo1267

was told insurance companies are using a horsepower to weight ratio to determine liability

Xride

they use the risk factor. Fact is that the Camaro is much more likely to cost the insurance company then a vette is.
IE, too many young showboaters in Fbodies wreck it for everyone else.
its not really that cost to fix the car, thats cheap compaired to the medical and liability costs.


Anyways, on topic.
You could make the IRS work, but if you look at the IRS and the Fbody rear suspension you will see that not only is there no mounting hole shared, but there is no surface shared either.
A 4 link would be easier but still a huge pain in the *** to do, and really, if your complaining about the ride, you bought the wrong car. if you wanted the IRS for handling then we can fix that, you can make a Fbody perform with the vettes, and it would probably be cheaper then putting the IRS in.
not to mention the lighter IRS will scew with the already not very good weight distribution.