How much will shipping be, and how long will it take for me to receive my Rear?
Everything is shipped out directly from Moser once prepared. Moser typically takes 2 days to prepare a complete rear and get it out the door.
9" Rears will ship in multiple packages and need to be partially assembled upon delivery. There's nothing complicated about it--you simply bolt the center section into the housing and insert the axles and you're basically good to go. These packages typically go out via UPS Ground. Shipping charges are typically $75 or higher. We charge everyone a flat rate of $75 on a complete 9" rear to save time going back and forth finding out exact shipping costs.
12-Bolt rears will ship completely assembled via truck freight. Shipping charges will be collected COD at the time of the delivery--you only pay exactly what the shipping costs are, so you know you're getting the best deal possible. Moser deals with various freight carriers depending on the location of the delivery. They try to get the product to you as quickly as possible and for the best price. We will need a contact number so that the freight company can get in touch with you to arrange a delivery time and to inform you of the shipping costs. Depending on how far you are from Moser in Indiana, shipping charges can vary from under $100 up to almost $200. Charges typically fall in the $100-$150 range from what Moser has told me. Because I never get charged the shipping costs myself, it's hard to know exactly what people are getting charged.
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Posi vs. Locker: Will a Posi Be Enough?
Generally, abuse on the street isn't as large an issue as far as strength goes, as traction is quite limited on the street. The amount of torque your rear will see on the street (unless you're really going to hook up somehow) is much less than that on the track. An Eaton posi or Trac-Loc posi will be more streetable than a Detroit Locker--much more streetable than a spool--and unless you plan on getting into frequent track use for the car either posi should hold up fine for 400-500 rear wheel horsepower applications. A Detroit locker may be overkill for any less than 450 horsepower at the rear wheels, especially if you're going to only see occasional track use. However, you're likely to never break the Detroit Locker. If street comfort (noise and vibration) isn't any concern, then the Locker will work great. The Eaton and Trac-Loc are both good, strong units. The Eaton is a little stronger, but the 9" rear itself is a little stronger than the 12 Bolt, so it's sort of a trade off. Either posi is really only suitable for up to 500 rear wheel horsepower when you're talking about high traction strip use. If you're near that 500 rwhp zone, you might want to consider the locker, as those are practically indestructible and will operate on the street better than a full spool. You would need to deal with the chatter of the locking and unlocking during turns, that's all.
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How can I tell what type of ABS system I have so I can get the correct option?
12-bolt rears with a posi carrier can utilize either a 3 or 4 channel ABS system. Four channel ABS systems will have a sensor at the end of each axle. (2 up front plus 2 out back = 4) Three channel ABS systems have a single sensor mounted in the top of the rear housing.
Make 100% sure you know which type of ABS system you have before ordering so you don't get the wrong type. Don't confuse the brake lines themselves with the ABS wiring--it sounds nuts but I've heard of it happening.
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What this situation with the late-model F-Body brake backing plates?
The brake backing plates bolt on to the end of the housing and hold your rear calipers in place.
The backing plates bolt right onto the housing, that's not a big deal at all--the difficulty is that the axles will not pass through the backing plates with the axle bearing installed. Because the axle bearing does not fit through the plates, the bearing needs to be pressed onto the axle after the axle is slid through the backing plate. Taking the axle out of the housing and putting it back in is a quick and easy job for most, even if they've never done it before. It's essentially the same thing as pulling out and reinserting a dipstick, you just need to line the splines up so it goes in all the way that's all.
Moser does not have the plates, nor do they include them as part of a package. What they do is ship the axle bearings loose so you can have them pressed on after you slide your backing plates over the axle. As even Moser states it, taking the axles to a shop and having the bearings pressed on isn't a difficult task . They do say, however, that if you were to send them your brake backing plates they would be able to slip the axle through and press the bearing on themselves. In the case of the 9" rears, the axles need to be inserted anyway. They ship the 9" rears in three packages--the housing, the center section, and the axles. The 12 bolts come with the axles already inserted, however removing them is a piece of cake.
The other option would be to purchase all new brake backing plates from GM and send them to Moser, then you can get the rear shipped to you ready to install for the least amount of downtime.
Here's a good article that explains the whole installation process: http://www.fbody.com/moser.htm
The information regarding the topic of the backing plates is on page three at http://www.fbody.com/moser3.htm
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Who manufactures the ring and pinion sets that Moser includes in their rear packages?
The gears that Moser uses are mostly manufactured by US Gear. I believe they are the exact same thing that Strange uses and are also known as Strange Gears. You can check out their site at http://www.usgear.com and take a look at http://www.usgear.com/us_strange.htm to see what I mean about the US Gear/Strange relationship. In some circumstances they use Richmonds for some off-sizes that US Gear doesn't cover.
Moser has said they have had people call in complaining about gear whine in the past, but that's the nature of the beast. They said their rears aren't made to be quiet or for street comfort, they're made to handle power. As they put it: they're made to put up with punishment and last, and that's the main priority. However they try to design them with all of the variables in mind, including noise level. In F-Bodies using aftermarket torque arms, the whine can sometimes be enhanced. That most likely has to do with how you set your pinion angle. Plenty of people use Moser rears and have no complaints of gear whine at all. All I can offer is that you should be prepared for the possibility of some gear whine.
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