Quaife Installation questions

[RM1SepEx]

So it's that time... I need an LSD in my 05 WRX transaxle... A Quaife unit looks like the right choice

How difficult are they to install?
Should I be looking for someone to install it?
How much $ to install if that is the case...

The Quaife unit runs about $1K

[metalmaker12]

If you have worked on a subie tranny before and successfully repaired it, than have at it, if not I would consult someone who has.
There not the simplest set ups to work on. I have built honda, nissan, ford, vw etc and like two subie ones, and they to me were the most difficult

[RM1SepEx]

Any special tools?

I've tackled many very high tech low tolerance machines over the years... I was engineer for a high speed punch and forming machine that had 50 millionths of an inch tolerances... that's 1/2 a tenth of a thousanth. A fingerprint would disrupt assembly and operation.

I remember my Yamaha dealer telling me I wasn't qualified to work on my 1981 FJ550 motor... but his mechanic was... he was a loser from my HS! I rebuilt it on the kitchen table, was a great conversation piece during parties... I was 23 years old!

I also have a great set of friends to help, one who may be the best in the country rebuilding Saab diffs.

Good directions, the right tools and a patient approach...

[Mechie3]

There's a couple of special tools listed in the FSM, but I've seen people do without them. Most of them are for alignment, shimming, and diff preload tools. The one guy I know that's done it made his own alignment tool, but it's an AX only car (trailered to events) and he tends to break gears once or twice a year so he doesn't care if it's not preloaded correctly as even a random diff installation outlasts the gears.

[RM1SepEx]

Cool, thanks for the info, sounds like I need to investigate in depth before I decide how to proceed... making your own special tools can be fun tho...

[metalmaker12]

Cool, thanks for the info, sounds like I need to investigate in depth before I decide how to proceed... making your own special tools can be fun tho...

There are aliment tools used, I had a generic set that worked out to shim it up, it was about five years ago so I am a bit gray on the exact size and tool part numbers, but it can be researched out. If you have successfully built a motor have at it, it is not that bad once you understand the pattern of how it goes together.