Swapping S51 (Camry) 5th gear AND final drive into S54, + LSD Options

[slavie]

Hey y'all,

Quick intro: I've been lurking around the forum for some time, even got myself a project 3S-GTE 6gc off a member here. Big plans there (Haltech EMS, SS susp & brakes, GT4 nose, bilstein c/o), but I'm determined to first finish my project 5spd swapped Camry (Colt cams, eManage, poly susp bushings, OBX exhaust, V6 BBK, tein springs, trd rsb, TWM short shifter, ACT clutch, tranny mods) and take it to the track one last time.

So...

5th gear is definitely getting transferred to the 6gc S54 with ~105k mi on it from the S51 in my Camry (210k mi, 3rd synchro is gone, 1st gear's crusty).
Oh yea, there's also the Kaaz LSD sitting on the shelf.
This is all going into the Camry, as the 6gc already has an E153 w/ LSD.

After doing a bunch of research, I'm leaning towards swapping the Camry 3.994 final drive in lieu of the 4.176 of the S54. The gearing is already quite a bit shorter on the S54, so retaining the lower final drive will yield a smaller bump in the 1-4 gears, and will give me the best possible fuel economy in the 5th gear for the highway.

Yes, going with the higher final drive will give me better acceleration, yada yada yada, BUT, this is going into the Camry that I would ultimately like to be a little quieter on the highway and, let's face it, it's not a dedicated track car and isn't competing in LeMans.

QUESTION 1:
Does anybody have good info on swapping the smaller final drive gear? I'm not sure how much disassembly is required on the output shaft. Basically, any info/help will be appreciated here.

QUESTION 2:
Let me know if anybody has specific request on pictures and whatnot. General suggestion/discussion on the topic is welcome.

The transmission is already out of the Camry, so it's time to crack open the gearboxes!
Thanks!

[slavie]

Alright, everything is back together and the car moves. I had also replaced the steering rack bushings, CV axle carrier bearing, front control arm bushings, so putting everything back together was a pain in the arse.

I'm also installing OBX full exhaust, heat-wrapped headers, magnaflow cat. So far, only the headers are in.

Tried to take her for a spin, break in the LSD a bit. After 5 minutes, a park ranger paid me a visit and told me to get my obnoxiously loud junk out of there and into the Home Depot parking lot. Fortunately, the lady was cool and understanding to my "I have to drive in figure 8s for 30 minutes to break my LSD in" excuse. Smoke coming out from under the hood from the exhaust wrap off gassing like crazy did not help my cause.

Will continue work on putting the rest of the exhaust on tomorrow, and hopefully finish the tranny break in.
Fixing the leak in the trunk, wiring heated mirrors, and replacing my burnt out dash cam, wheel alignment and state inspection are also on the list, and it all has to happen before I'm off on a 1000 mile road trip to Canada on Friday.

Wish me luck.