Hey guy's,

I have a friend with a '67 goat. It has a 8.2" 10 bolt. He is about to dump some money to have it gone through... and a posi added. I am trying to get him to look around for a 12 bolt(before he spends the money on that 10 bolt) that would possibly bolt up under his car without any/major surgery. I suggested he find one from a similar model Chevelle..... but it is just a guess on my part. What year cars and what widths are out there that would be close.... with the factory 4-link stuff? My best guess is that a '67 (or there about) Chevelle could have a 12 bolt that would bolt up.......

Hey guy's,

I have a friend with a '67 goat. It has a 8.2" 10 bolt. He is about to dump some money to have it gone through... and a posi added. I am trying to get him to look around for a 12 bolt(before he spends the money on that 10 bolt) that would possibly bolt up under his car without any/major surgery. I suggested he find one from a similar model Chevelle..... but it is just a guess on my part. What year cars and what widths are out there that would be close.... with the factory 4-link stuff? My best guess is that a '67 (or there about) Chevelle could have a 12 bolt that would bolt up.......

Any '64 -'72 Chevelle rear will bolt in, the earlier ones (pre-'66 I believe) will be narrower. Another good option would be to find a '71 -'72 Olds or Buick rear, they are the stronger 8.5" 10-bolt rears.

A good Chevelle 12-bolt is getting harder to find these days. One thing your friend might consider is a spankin' new one, available from Moser Engineering in pretty much any width you choose. Even a Ford 9-inch is worth considering, they are available to bolt right in as well.

All the '64 -'72 GM A-body rears will swap from one brand to the next, nice that GM cars have that ability.

Swapping to a 12-bolt/Ford 9/GM 8.5 rear will require driveshaft shortenening and a different (or adapter-type) rear U-joint.

The GM 8.2 is not going to handle very much abuse compared to the other stronger rear ends, a 12-bolt swap is money well-spent in my opinion. http://forums.performanceyears.com/g.../icon_wink.gif

A 12 bolt from a Chevelle is a good option-if you can find one at a reasonable price. The swap is easy and if memory serves me correctly you have to get a different rear u joint. (been 30 years since I did this) The original 10 bolt is not worth spending money on if you have a high horsepower motor or run sticky tires. I was never able to keep a 10 bolt together in my mid 12 second 67. Swapped to a 12 bolt and never had a problem.

If you use one of the Ford 9" replacement units you DO NOT have to change either drive shaft length or u-joint. I installed one in my 1967 GTO. I ordered the 1965 unit because it was !" narrower and it made fitting wide tires easier.

Bob, could you e-mail me cause I am interested in replacing the peg leg in a 66 lemans with a 9". I have a source that seems resonably priced.

[email protected].

Thanks,

Tom

I have an 8.5 10 bolt that will work in a 67 GTO. The only thing you need to do is shorten the driveshaft 1 inch. These rear ends are very strong if you are wanting to use slicks.

There is nothing wrong with upgrading your existing rear with an aftermarket Posi unit and gears.
They are available.
Plus the cost is the same as getting another redone rear. http://forums.performanceyears.com/g.../icon_wink.gif

Just to clarify something...

Putting a new eaton posi unit into the 8.2 inch is a good idea?
Or should I get a moser 12 bolt redone rear.
Can the 8.2 rear ever be strong enough?
They are just as strong and it will cost about the same?
I just put in a 500 HP engine, I have a 8.2 inch safety trac. I am just thinking ahead for next year. I am just a lttle leary of busting my rear, Kinda have the devil on my shoulder teling me to do it, just do it. http://pysales.com/images/evil.gif..I want to light them up so bad, but I don't want to damage anything at the start of the season, I know the rear I have is not the strongest, so I have to redo the rear eventually.

If the 8.2 was strong enough to take the abuse of high-performance driving there wouldn't be much of a market for the 12-bolt/9-inch replacements.

Many people find it more cost effective to swap to a stronger rear than to invest funds in a weaker design. The GM factory put 12-bolt rears in most of the higher-horsepower/big-block cars. Your choice. http://forums.performanceyears.com/g.../icon_wink.gif

The reason I was asking, Is that their complete rear package comes with Eaton carrier.
Damn, they are almost 2 grand complete! http://forums.performanceyears.com/g...on_redface.gif

Update.

I called some of my old junkyard sources around where I went to college. I used to (while I probably should have been studying more.... http://forums.performanceyears.com/g...on_biggrin.gif) beat the bushes hard for stuff. I think I found a 12 bolt from a '71 Chevelle SS. It is a non-posi. The guy said he would have to put his hands on it.... but if he didn't rob an axle off of it..... he would take $250 for it. Does this sound reasonable. I told my friend..... at minimum.... I would put a posi in it.... some new axle seals... and a new pinion seal..... and repack all the bearings. I am sure the brakes will need refurbishing as well.... if they are still on there. Will his 8.2" 10 bolt brake drums and hardware work on the 12 bolt? Are the bolt patterns the same? What do you guys think the gear ratio was for a '71 Chevelle SS? I am going to guess somewhere between 3.42 - 3.73.