Ok, so I decided to go with the OBX LSD after ruining my second trans due to the diff. pins popping out. After much searching, I was finding anything from: "I just replaced the washers and threw it in, works perfect!" to "I have decided to ditch this piece of shit obx due to having to shave my axle down... blah blah blah... You get the point.

So, being the ambitious person I am, I ordered one and decided if anyone can make one work, I can make one work. And I figured everyone would appreciate some UP TO DATE information.

It seems that obx's quality control is the main downfall, and its always a gamble whether or not your lsd will be *fixable*?

This is what I had to do to get mine to work (to my standards):

First thing I did was tore it completely apart, remembering where every piece went. I was looking for anything obvious that couldn't be fixed. First thing i noticed, is that some of the helical gears were in upside down. Not sure if it matters, but one side of each gear had a shiny side with a small shallow hole, and the other side was rough with a slightly bigger, deeper hole. This just goes to show what kind of quality control obx has, I mean how hard is it to see that 3 gears facing one way, and 2 gears are facing the other? Next thing I notice is all the extra metal burs and sharp rough edges due to poor machining. Washers were all intact, but did seem rather cheap. The passengers side axle splines appeared to be broached slightly off center, and the lip for the axle clip was machined at a 90*, whereas the drivers side was machined at a 45*, allowing the axle clip to collapse and pop out. (Like it should) Other than that, everything APPEARED to be fine.

So, I decide to order new spring washers, and case hardened bolts right off the bat. (Available at turbosunleashed.com ~$36) I then went to fleet farm, and got a couple of green grinding stones for my dremel. I went around the whole inside and outside of the housing and removed all the burs and smoothed all edges. Then just for good measure, I took it to work and glass bead blasted both case halves. Luckily I have access to a lathe, so I re-machined the 90* angle on the pass. side gear, to a correct 45*, allowing me to use axle clips. (Yes, some people don't use them) Then, I pressed new cone roller bearings on both sides of the diff. They seemed to go on rather easily with a simple arbor press. It is now a good idea to test fit the splined gears on the axle. Even though one was broached slightly off center, it seemed to fit smooth enough for my comfort. Then try to slide each half of the lsd housing over the smooth portion of your axles. Mine wouldn't even go on a centimeter, and it needs to go in about 3" when its all said and done. So I sat there with a brake cylinder hone and slightly enlarged the hole on each side of the housing until they both slid easily over the axles. Took a good hour of honing to get them to fit. Maybe the bearings being pressed on constricted the opening, or they were just not machined to spec, either way, its no surprise with obx. I sprayed out the housing with break cleaner, and blew it out with compressed air.

Once the spring washers arrived, I was ready for assembly. I coated the inside of the housing with assembly lube, and inserted the helical gears into the lower half of the diff, including the pass. side axle gear. I then inserted the center retainer, with two cups that hold the spring washers together. You should see it visably sitting higher than the center retainer, thats how it gets the preload. Next comes the other set of helical gears, along with the drivers side axle gear. Place the top of the housing over the assembled bottom half, and torque bolts to 25 ft. lbs. (I used ARP torque lube)

Now it was time to test fit the diff. in the trans, to determine if the preload was correct. This must be done before putting the ring gear on the diff. They say use all these special tools, blah blah. I just cleaned my eclipse bellhousing and neon gearbox (mating surface), and torqued every other bolt around the diff to 21 ft. lbs. Turn the diff. back and fourth a few times. It should turn relatively freely, but shouldn't have any play from side to side. (Technically, it should take 6-12 in. lbs to turn the diff) Mine seemed to fit perfect, so I unbolted the two halves, and took the diff. back out. If there is too much play, or its real hard to turn the diff, you may need to re-shim the bearing races to obtain proper preload. Now you can bolt your old ring gear to the diff. Remember to use new bolts. (Dealer)

Next I greased all bearing surfaces, and applied a thin bead of anerobic sealant to the mating surface of the bellhousing. Drop in the diff. and make sure output shaft bearing is fully seated in its race and not upside down. Put some grease on the plastic washer for the reverse gear and slide it on the reverse shaft. The grease will hold it in place for the next step. Now slowly lower the gearbox onto the bellhousing, making sure that the reverse gear washer doesn't fall out, and all shift fork rails are lining up. Also make sure the output shaft is fully in its bearing and the ring gear teeth are lined up with the teeth on the output shaft. Tap it down on the dowels with a mallet, and torque all case bolts to 21 ft. lbs. Good time to pop in some new axle seals.

So I finally get the trans in my car. Put in nearly $40 worth of t350 trans fluid (2.3 quarts) I read somewhere that doing a few figure eights in a parking lot will help break in the lsd. I dont know, but thats all I could find on it, so I figured it would'nt hurt. After that, it was time to rip!

Started at a stoplight and just ripped first through about half way through third. DEFINITELY worth all the dickin around. No more wheel hop, or doing one wheeler peelers. Best part is the corners though. It's a rather different experience, you kinda just point, mash the gas, and go. Drove from where I live, to Milwaukee, WI and back, probably put on a few hundred miles. I was ripping on it the whole time. Never heard any strange noises, and it was hooking up just like it should. It has now been a few days and so far, its nothing but smooth operating.

I will keep you guys posted in the days to come and update my progress with the obx unit. Plan on taking the whip to the track within the next month. See what I can do in the quarter... lol
All I can say is 6k, slip that clutch, launch that bitch.

Hope this helps. Sorry if I was long winded, just didn't want to leave anything out. Peace!