Hello,

I'm new to this forum. I've looked in before and have found some good info....so I joined.

I have a 1978 Elcamino and have owned it for about 6 years. I was lucky to find one with virtually no rust.
It's a daily driver, I don't race it,but I want the acceleration/power to be there when I want it.

Currently, the car runs good, but lacks any get up and go from 0 to about 2000 rpm. The motor doesn't miss or sputter...the car just doesn't move out. I would be hard pressed to break the tires loose from the get go.

I have the stock rear end...I believe it's a 2.4 something. I've been told to put a mild cam, tranny, etc.. in it to improve my low end get up. I'm feeling that until I do something with the rear end, I'm wasting my time with anything else.

My question(s):

What ratio would be good to give me a good around town driver yet have that 'spunk' when you want it?

What cars have compatable rear ends to fit my 78 camino?

Is it easier/better to change out the complete axle/differential as a unit or change just the hogs head?

I'm good mechanically, but haven't messed with rear end ratios and such.

Here's the skinny on what I have:

1978 Camino
Motor:
1963 Chevy 327 bored .030 over., stock cam, Wiend intake, Edelbrock 600 carb, dual exhaust, MSD ignition/distributor, stock exhaust manifolds.

Tranny
Th350 automatic

Drive
15" rims

Any information will be appreciated.

Thanks.

i went thru that same thing. i bought a moser ford 9in thur summit 853.00 with axles. went to new pick and pull and found a locker for 49.00. plus and extra center that i going to set up with 4:11 posi.

the best low buck bolt in rear change for your car would be a 373 posi rear from a montecarlo ss. it is a direct bolt in. the only difference will be that the wheel studs are metric ( you will need new lug nuts). it is still a 7.5 rear.next step up is a 8.5 rear from a buick grand national ,or olds442 84-87 i think is the years for the olds. the earlier chevelle 12 bolts 64-67 will work also but you need aftermarket trailing arms to make the swap the 64-67 rear are the closest to your stock length .you need to check out www.maliburacing.com it is a exclusive g body site with all the info you need for your camino. check it out it's all there.

You could consider a 2004R trans. Relatively cheap, and available. I had mine rebuilt (2004r) and beefed a bit for around $400. The best part is it's an almost direct bolt in. Better than that, it's an overdrive 4 pseed, with a .67 4th gear! If you run a 373 posi rear end, you'll not only wind up with a 2.50 final drive, but will save you RPM and Fuel. The 2004r has a deeper 1st gear, and more evenly spread 1st through 4th than the 700R4, and is a more simple installation. It gets a bad rap for being a lightweight, but with proper rebuilding, installation, and adjustment, it will more than handle your 327! You'd have a vehicle that would jump off the line like a frog, and be a low RPM gas saver on the highway. How could you beat that? If you are lucky, maybe you can find a 2004r out of a Corvette, or a Grand National. These were already built beefier, and are now regularly used in vehicles producing 400+ HP!