Limited slip retrofit question

I'm shopping for a new tow vehicle to replace my '88 E350. I currently have a limited slip differential. I've found the vans to be far cheaper than a truck, so I'm looking for a newer, but used, E350. For the back roads I traverse with a large trailer, and driving over the mountains in the spring, limited slip is the next best thing to 4x4. Limited slip is hard to find, but I'm seeing retrofit kits for ~$400.

The differential is one of the few automotive projects I've never undertaken. How easy would it be to retrofit limited slip? Does this involve removing the ring & pinion? What about shimming gears for proper clearance?

Thanks for any info.

-Jeff Deeney-

Reply to
Jeff Deeney
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It involves the same work as rebuilding the rear end. The kit replaces the carrier on which the ring gear is mounted with one that includes the limited slip features. Yes, the job includes shimming as necessary to setup proper running clearances. Auburn makes one of the more popular and cheaper units which I installed in a 12 bolt Chevy some time back with good results. Eaton has a unit that uses clutches. It is also a good unit. Various places on the net have had them at good prices over the past several months that make them cost about the same as the Auburn unit. I don't have enough direct experience over the long haul to tell you whether one is better than the other. Given the brand names, they are both probably good units. If you run a google search for differentials or rearends and similar terms, you will learn more than you ever wanted to know on the subject.

Reply to
lugnut

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