Rearend Question

OK...I have an 8.2" 10-bolt 2.56 peg-leg. I've been exploring options on what to do with this in my project, and they all seem pretty expensive.

I'm planning a street friendly 383. Vortec heads, GM hot cam in a Gen II block, T5 tranny, aiming at 350+ HP. A 12-bolt posi will run pretty close to 2 grand. A 9" using a friend's connections almost as much (and I really don't like the way a 9" looks). The latest issue of Car Craft says that an 8.2 with a posi can handle 450HP which would be more than I will have. If I add a girdle that will make it stronger yet.

Have any of you built up an 8.2 with a posi? How hard is it? What is the difference between a "cone (Auburn)" and a "clutch (GM)"? What else would I need to get something close to a 3.43 ratio (I don't know what ratios are available for an 8.2)?

Lots of questions!! I really appreciate your thoughts.

Dave

Thats almost identical to my situation, Dave. Except I have an 8.5" open with a 3.08 (I think). Anyways, Im planning on using an 8.8" out of a 1996-2001 Ford Explorer from a yard. They supposedly dont need much fab work done and theyre very strong. Plus that way Ill have rear discs ;) Since I havent actually done it yet, I cant say for sure how easy or difficult the exchange will be, nor how much itll cost, but from what Ive been told, the fab work I can do myself, and the rear + new axles + anything else Ill need shouldnt be over $500-600. But like I said, I havent done it yet, and we all know how these things actually GO sometimes once ya get started :D

Aren't those Explorer rearends offset to one side? I mean, to use it on a chevy don't you have to narrow one side to match the other and use two of the other side's axles?

That sounds really interesting CD! Any idea where I would find out more about this as an option? Let me know if you find out anything else.

Dave

Bluesman,

Because you have 2.56's, I "BELIEVE" you may have to run a special ring and pinion or a ring gear spacer because you have the wrong series carrier to go with 3.36 or 3.55 gears. Here is Richmonds site with some info:
http://www.richmondgear.com/01pdfs/page9.pdf
I know a friend that went from 2.56s to a 3.73 and had purchased the wrong gear set initially. He swapped them out or added a spacer...I can't recall.

Also, I had terrible luck with an 8.2 combined with a standard trans. I broke enough spider pins and gears that I could have dumped the money into a 12 bolt or 9" and saved money. I was very lucky never to have destroyed my quarter panels with the numerous broken axles and c-clips. I am glad it is all history. I went with a 9". The 71 Nova dimensions are the same as numerous stock vehicles that came with 12 bolts and 9"s so you could shop around and go very inexpensive with used parts.

Call John at John's Industries http://www.9inchfactory.com/ and see how much an entry-level new 9" would be. Way under $2k. The prices escalate with 35+ axles, posi's or lockers, nodular cases, etc but you won't have to go nuts with 450hp.

Also, get more opinions from the members of this site. I am definitely low man on the totum with knowledge here. I just can site what has happened to me from being an abusive stick driver.

go to a wrecker and find an 80's cadillac and get the rear end out of it for your 71 thats what i did for my 70 ss and they r a multi leaf rear end the leafs r the right width and they r 12 bolts and have disc brakes u just ahve to grab the drive shaft with the diff

I did some more homework and Shifter is right. My carrier will not hold lower gears without spacers, and those who know say not to use them.

I found a great list of dimensions on hotrodders.com that include almost everything before mid-80s. I wish I could claim credit for all this work but I can say I sure appreciate someone's patience!:D

http://50chevy.freeservers.com/Suspension_Widths.html

Check it out!!

Dave

You might consider an 8.5- 10 bolt rear, '80's model camaros had them and some other rear drive G.M.s also. They were the replacement for the 12 bolts. I picked one up on ebay with 4:11 posi for $400.00, the Buick Gran Nationals had them, and some of them ran 11s. I put mine in a '62' Nova and had to get special offset wheels as it was 2" wider. Might not matter so much in a '70'!

GM started putting the 8.5 10 bolt rears in Novas in 73 I think, maybe it was 72. If you can find one of those, its an easy swap for your 71.

Good Luck

The second gen Camaro rear is about two inches wider than the third gen Nova. Something to think about. I believe the fourth gen Nova rear will fit but be careful of the 7.5" rears in some of them.

Greetings,

Late 73's and all the 74's have the 8.5" rear in them. I have one under mine with an Auburn Gear pro differential. I've ran this setup (only difference is ring and pinion) with everything from a mild 350 (what I have now) to a 600hp 468 without any issues at all. With the right center section and axles they are very strong and won't cost anywhere near $2000 to do. I'm sure you can find someone here with a 8.5" rear in the Wanted section and you can get the rest of the items out of Jegs.

Jason

Here's some good rearend info at this site. Make sure you read the sidebar links on the lower part of the page as well.
http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/techarticles/49998_10_bolt_identification_guide/index.html

That's a nice site, TJ. Thanks, I've added it to my list of favorites.

Dave

OK...here is what I have found about Ford Explorer rear ends. The dimensions are (referring to the picture from http://novaresource.org/axle.htm)...

........Year.........A........B...........C
Nova 62-67.....43 1/2..50 3/4....57 3/4
Nova 68-79.....42 3/4..53 1/4....60 1/4
Ford 95-01......39 1/8..53 3/8....60 3/8

These measurements are from an Explorer rearend with disk brakes. As you can see, it probably isn't worth it for an early Nova; but for a Gen. III it is a near perfect fit. The spring mounts definitely need to be moved (replaced actually as the index hole is in the wrong place) and you may need to play with the offsets on your wheels, but other than that its good to go.

I just got one of these from a local junkyard for $250 (and where I live it is really expensive!!). What I got is a "complete rear axle assembly" (I know...that's what they call it) which included:

>Ford 8.8" rearend
>Disk Brake rotors and calipers
>3.73 Posi (Ford calls it Limited Slip and the code on the inspection tag reads 3L73)
>31 spline C-Clip axles and a lot of other 12-bolt parts because (TA-DA!!) that's basically what it is!!
>electric locker (Maybe I can even use that??)


As I said at the start of this thread, I am building a street thug, not a strip runner, so I never expect to run more than 400 HP or so. I expect this rear will work fine for my purposes.

Dave

72VenturaIIAren't those Explorer rearends offset to one side? I mean, to use it on a chevy don't you have to narrow one side to match the other and use two of the other side's axles?

I just took a quick eyeball measurement on an 8.5 posi rearend I have in my garage and the pinion shaft/yoke is pretty close to being centered between the spring perches (about 1/4" offset).

Will the Explorer's 8.8" rearend pinion 2-3/16" offset be a problem? :confused:

Or maybe you're gonna "Tub 'n Narrow" your car?

I got a 74 nova parts car for $100 Plus the $200 it took me to tow it home. It had an open 8.5. I went to a swap meet and found a limited slip 8.5 3rd series carrier, brand new set of 3.73 gears, and a center section rebuild kit for less than $200. Now I have the axles out of a 69 8.2 rear and the axles out of the 8.5, but I am not totally happy with them so I will probably buy a new set of axles, but I really do not have to. Now all I have to do is clean the housing and also I want to get a new set of axle bearings and I can start putting this thing together. I will probably also get a rebuild kit for the Limited slip carrier also. So all and all I will probably have about $800-$900 into the rear by the time it is done. The other thing are the other parts I plan on using of the 74 that are basically free at this point or the parts I've sold. I like using parts cars and my most recent is a 68 Firebird (Need it since I am using a Pontiac engine in my Nova!) The biggest problem I have found with parts cars are the time it takes from the real project, the additional space needed to strip it down, and the wife doesn't really like having them around.

Know what you mean, Hound! My neighbors have started asking if we had a car wreck in our driveway!!:o The answer, of course, would be for us to be rich enough to just buy everything we need from Summit or Classic. Unfortunately that ain't me!:rolleyes: My solution is to start giving stuff away to whoever will come get it!

Also...truthfully....I get a kick out of solving some problem without just throwing **** at it.

Anyway, back to the Explorer rearend, I forgot to mention that the pumpkin is offset about 3 inches. It is so little that it won't matter (so long as the shafts are parallel). The 8.2 pinyon is also offset, but only about 1 inch.

Once again, I think this is a real option for street Novas. There are so many Explorer 8.8s in the yards now, and all the trailer packages came with 3.73 posi's and 31 spline axles, along with the disks.

Dave

1970 Nova SS,
You posted to grab the rear out of an 80's Caddy. Here's my question. Is it a direct swap to the 3rd gen Nova? Is there a width change, especially considering the disc brakes? The reason I ask is I have an 8.2 10 bolt, factory posi with Richmond 4.10's. I have my Drag Stars backspace perfect in the rear and I do NOT want to buy new wheels. I was wondeing if the Caddy is a direct swap with identical measurements to a 8.2.
Thanks
Lewis

Here's a page all about swapping a explorer 8.8 into an S-10 truck, very interesting read. I too would like more info on a 3rd gen Nova swap with the 8.8. Maybe someone here on the boards has done one? I remember a long discussion on this topic many months ago.

http://s-series.org/component/option,com_tech_article/Itemid,/item,58/task,item/

You posted to grab the rear out of an 80's Caddy. Here's my question. Is it a direct swap to the 3rd gen Nova?

I assume you're talking about a Seville since the other Cads have coil springs? I think a Seville would be a bolt-in deal in a 4th gen Nova, but no others.

I still say if you are planning on beating your toy like I do, the 350+ hp and 5 speed can break a lot of parts, so choose wisely. I am all about saving money; however, I have saved money initially only to pay twice as much in the end (many times).