New rear end

I found a 3.73 rear end to put in my 79 TA.  It's out of a second gen Camaro.  I believe its complete from brake to brake.  Is it a very difficult swap?  In theory, I should be able to remove mine and just bolt in the entire thing right?  Are there any drawbacks to it with a Turbo 350?  Other than no gas mileage.  

Yes, It should work.  My Interchange Manual confirms it but it is not 100% accurate.  I'm sure someone on this site has done it before - if they confirm it then go for it.  

As long as you don't have rear disc brakes, it will bolt right in. Try Summit or TCI for speedometer drive and driven gears and use Wallace Racing's speedo gear calculator on their website to determine what you need. You may find that you have to change only the driven gear or the drive gear in the trans tail housing or you may need to change both and the collar housing that the driven gear goes thru to get the speedo to read correctly. Have fun, and don't be surprised if the next swap you do is a 200-4r overdrive automatic swap!
Steve  
A little help... 'cause we don't all have to learn the hard way!

Should bolt in. Took a 3.73 out of a 79 Camaro and bolted it into my 75 T/A years ago.

One thing you need to think about. Go to a trailer parts store and get some 9/16 u-bolts. you will have to drill the mounting pads out, but they are a lot stronger than the one 7/16  and 2 t-bolts that are on there now.  


Anna Mae quit.

How would it be on the highway?  I read somewhere that it would be almost unbearably noisy.  

Depending on what gears your TA came with, the rpm is going to increase quite a bit. It depends on what size tires you are running, but the rpm at 65mph is going to be between 3200 and 3500rpm with 3.73's. That's where the noise is going to come from, unless the gears/bearings themselves are worn and howling. It is also going to affect fuel mileage and top speed as well as throwing your speedo out of calibration as I mentioned above.
Steve  
A little help... 'cause we don't all have to learn the hard way!

The 3.73 will definitely give you a rush off the line, but daily hiway driving and vacations will be a bit tedious due to the higher RPM. I ended up putting a 3.42 back in my 79 since I wasn't really racing it, and I wanted to hear the radio. It's fun to play with if the rest of the drivetrain is up to par but it will put extra strain on a stock 79 Trans Am. The engine blocks are not as resiliant as pre-1973 engines, and the higher RPM's can take their toll.  

+1 - 3.42 with a 200-4r overdrive automatic swap would still give you some good acceleration and you could hear your tunes at 80  

It will be noisy only if it was set-up wrong. Gear teeth pattern that is.  


Anna Mae quit.