['ol Pinion head]

-Year of manufacture was not indicated on the axle tube.
-There is no universal casting number for a "68-72" Pontiac 8.2 A-body nodular housing. The '68 nodular housing carries its own casting number & '69 carried another, there was two different casting numbers for '69 nodular 8.2 housings used in A-bodys. I will have to dig out notes, when I get home to get exact casting numbers. I only have two 8.2 nodulars in the racks right now. I know the '70 & '71 8.2 nodular housing carried another casting number as I've had quite a few in my hands over the years (if you didn't know, my nickname Pinion head came from building posi rears). '71's are also what I've studied in depth since the late '80's. Two of my keepers are '71 HO cars & I've owned several other 71's & cut up a ton more.

The data for the printing of the '71 Pontiac Service Manual was compiled in the Spring of '70, well before production was started. That is where the axle codes were taken from that one will see re-posted on many sites. Just because its listed in tabular form on someone's GTO or Pontiac website doesn't make it true, Many of the same sites list '71 Pontiac A-bodys as being built in numerous plants including Arlington TX & Baltimore Maryland. Plants that quit producing Pontiac A-bodys after '70 model production.

With '70 & 71 nodular casting number being the same, no stamped year assembled, the big draw demand for your rear will be a restorer needing a rear for a '70 RAIV & RAIII car that was ordered with the special order axle. The highest restoration demand '71 Pontiac performance A-body axles are the McKinnon manufactured 12 bolts code XU K's & XV K's, then the 4 pinion Safe-Track 10 bolts coded XH.