i have a dilema, bout a year and a half ago i out about 600 in my ten bolt with richmond gears and rebuild kit and an eaton posi. now im looking at building a new motor and im not sure if th little guy can handle it. i hoping for low 11s on nitrous. if i added good axles and a aftermarket cover will i be strong enough or will this thin grenade after the first launch. ive heard the 8.5s have gone 9's but the 8.2s are supposed to be of less strength. remember this is in a 3300 lb chevelle with a 350 to not so much tourqe.

Heavy car with enough UMPH / traction to run low 11's will, in my humble mind, equal fragged 10 bolt rear end. graemlins/sad.gif Dont neglect to address trans / drive shaft issues that relate to running 11's. Anything that is not up to par will show up when you least need to recongize the weak link. :eek:

trans and driveshaft should be ok. new u joints in driveshaft and trans has heavy duty clutches shiftkit, converter has anti balloning plate. cars really not that heavy (well it is but not for chevelle) 3300 lbs weighed on a scale.

your 10 bolt should be just fine........i have ran several combos with a 10 bolt rear end......and they have been nothing more then stock units with aftermarket gears.

my current and fastest set up runs into the 10's with a bbc.

i ran slicks and nitrous as well right off the line with 10 bolts and have yet to break one in the 10 plus years racing.

I'd say RUN IT!!! Whatever breaks is what you need to replace right!!! But you probably should go with a Moser 12 bolt eventually. Because you and the car will get faster.

Grumpy used to swear by 10 bolts for ProStock. Less parasytic drag. 2200 # car, but 650+ hp, back in the day...

ive seen alot of rear ends break at the track but 8.2s usually get the axles with slicks my buddy used to get a ring and pinion at least once a year with his 12 bolt he has since put one of those after market covers on that torck the caps and he hasnt replaced one in a couple of years now so i know the covers work .you have alot of money in it already i would run what you have and keep my eyes open for a 8.5 or 12 bolt rear end when the extra money comes along dont forget they also use c clips just like an 8.2 unless its a olds 8.5

300,
Chuck the ten bolt and replace it with a good twelve bolt with aftermarket parts. Problem with the ten bolt is the punny pinion gear. Have seen many of them fail in moderate horsepower cars with good suspension and bite. The twelve bolt Chevrolet style rear end has less parasitic horsepower drag than a nine inch and weighs much less than a Dana 60.
Wow, don't think I have EVER seen a pro-stock car with a ten bolt rear!

i think a GM 8.5"10-bolt has a pinion gear size fairly close to that of a 12-bolt.if a 12-bolt is not in the budget i think a 8.5" 10-bolt that is accurately assembled with a hi-strength cap is fairly tough for its size,although i wouldn't trust it behind a 750 horsepower big-block. a f*#% 9" is a lot tougher,but i would plug in a hanson c.d.in my stereo before i would desecrate my chevy with a f*#% part! tongue.gif

i think i will just put in better axles and run her. my best freind runs one in a nova that runs 12.00s with high 1.6 60' with mini spool with my old carrier that came stock in my car.

If the mini spool doesn't break he isn't putting any load on it. Find something else there are a lot of 12 bolts out there if you look hard.