Quote:
Originally Posted by 'ol Pinion head
Leaf spring rears: HD bolt-in axle 8.5 housing wise from the factory, there is nothing as drop in as there is with the 8.5 A-body rears. On '67-69 Firebirds, they are however, the same width as the '71-72 8.5 A-body rear. It is some work, but stripping off the A-body lower perchs & TIG welding on reinforced multileaf brackets in a jig yields a stock width 8.5 early Firebird housing or 2nd Gen F-body rear.. One can also cut the c-clip housing ends off the 1" narrower Nova 8.5 housing & jig weld on bolt-in axle ends (either new or used A-10 GM ends) then order bolt-in tapered bearing axles. I really like the A-10 bearing end 8.5 A-body housing, but they are tough to find & as housings and have always been used up quickly. About 15 years ago, I ran across a B series GM housing with A-10 housing ends. Out of local crusher yards & Pick-N-Pulls managed to cut off several dozen pairs of A-10 housing ends. After trimming them, putting a bevel on them in the lathe & properly welding them on, the A-10 ends look like they came on the leafspring 8.5 housings I've welded them on. Of course one can buy the CNC' ed aftermarket ends... I just like the stealth look of the A-10 ends a little better & a 2.9" OD A10 tapered bearing & seal is a whole lot less expensive than Mosers 3.150" road race tapered bearing. Both can support a very beefy axle & aggressive cornering. Last, if a car is built for great handling, it does not need sealed ball bearing axle bearings, something one needs to consider when custom ordering any performance rearend.
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Can you explain what the A-10 bearing end is. Is this the press in bearing with the backing plate your talking about?
I have a 77GP with a Buick rear that is a 8.5 with the press on axle bearings and backing plate. Would this be the same axle bearing that the 8.2 rears have?
I always thought the ford ends were the way to go to eliminate the C-clips?