As many people have questioned here before (but i havent found the answer i'm looking for), I am the proud owner of a 8.2" 10 bolt in my 70. What can/should I do here? It is a 2.73 one legger. If I swap the gears to 3.73's and add a posi unit or powertrax, will this rear end hold up to an LS1/4L60e set-up. The LS1 will at most have a cam & headers, nothing too crazy. I do not race the car, and it will ride on 17 or 18 inch tires. It may see the occasional stoplight to stoplight abuse but again nothing crazy. Thanks for the input.

I have a 71 8.2" Nova rear that I rebuild with 3.73's and a new Eaton posi from BigGearHead (AKA: Freddie) and it's working fine for me (so far... few hundred miles and 20-30 track passes w/o issues).

http://www.lubedealer.com/biggearhead/

I've seen 454's blow up before the 8.2 rear when guys I know were trying to blow up the rears as an excuse to swap to a 12. I would think as long as your not running sticky tires at the strip consistantly you'll be fine. JN

How does one tell if its an 8.2"?and,what makes em so special?

They are not special, just the stock rear end in most malibu's/monte carlo's. They will have a 10 bolt cover.

Rick

I think you will be fine. Its not like your gonna get that much traction with lo pro tires. Since you arent draggin, you should be fine. The ol' 10 bolt has a bad rep, but for normal to moderate street use, they work great.

what about a supercharged LS1 with mild track use (at most 5 times in the life of the car) and street driving on a monthly basis?

how does it differ from 8.5"?is IT any better?

how does it differ from 8.5"?is IT any better?
If anything the 8.5 is better and a 12 bolt is best

I'd wager that your 8.2", set up properly with good parts, is much stronger than the 7.5" that came with LS1 powered f-bodies.

Thanks everybody, thats the kind of answers i was looking for, I figure if I use stronger axles it will help too - how about the differential, should I go with a powertrax in the stock carrier or replace it entirely with a posi unit (if so which brand)? Thanks again.

Eaton "new style" is said to be very good.

7.5"/8.2"/8.5" - Hate to sound like such an idiot but what is that exactly and how to determine? I have never paid that much attention to the rear end business of the car.

Chief

I have an 8.2 with strange billet axles, an eaton posi and 3.73 gears.
I have had no issues with it, but the real test will be how it holds my next notor.

7.5"/8.2"/8.5" - Hate to sound like such an idiot but what is that exactly and how to determine? I have never paid that much attention to the rear end business of the car.

Chief

It's the diameter of the ring gear that this measurement refers to. There are some visual cues on the rear cover that can help determine the differences. They were also in production at different times so that's another clue.

Thanks Zeke, I will do some investigation.

could i run my 8.2 10 bolt posi with my new 383 stroker 486 hp motor?

could i run my 8.2 10 bolt posi with my new 383 stroker 486 hp motor?

How hard do you plan to abuse it?
How well is it built?

I think it would hold up fine as long as your not just drag racing and launching at 5500.:)

8.2 w/Powertrax here.Only serious issue I've had has been the ring gear bolts/ring gear spacer.Original gear was 2.56 and had to use the spacer with that series carrier for the 3.73,the ring gear bolts broke.It has seen alot of abuse and use,but what sux is finding a 3 series carrier to eliminate having to use the spacer.Other than this I've had good luck with my 8.2-knock on wood.Looks like I'm going to have to reassemble it with the spacer.

Or I might just change the arrangement in the 12 bolt that's in it now.

I built an 8.2 for a '69 Camaro with a 383 and 4 speed. It is holding up well so far and has been down the strip with slicks several times. I'm finishing up a 468 for this car right now and we'll see how long the 8.2 lives behind this one. It has a Torque Line posi and Moser axles with 3.55 gears. As for the LS1 and 4L60E, it should be fine if the rear end is built right. I'd use an Eaton posi.

daily driver and im gonna floor it at stoplights constantly
and its not built its still stock 3.08 gears

Have a friend with a 509 camaro and a built 8.2 rear. Blew up the trans but not the rear.

7.5"/8.2"/8.5" - Hate to sound like such an idiot but what is that exactly and how to determine? I have never paid that much attention to the rear end business of the car.

Chief

Chief the housings of these 3 sizes are different as well as the ring gear diameter. The 7.5" is strictly for low power cars. Below is a photo I borrowed from another site so you can see how to tell the difference.

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j199/64elcamino/rearID.jpg

That's perfect Phillip #42, thanks for the diagrams.

My brother put a 502 hp 502 GM crate motor in a 70 Nova, m21 4-speed,
and a 8.2 posi. It's been over a year of fun street driving and no problems
at all.

Thanks everyone for your input, those are the answers I was looking for, looks like the good ol 10 bolt will remain in its place!