Okay, so I wanna give my car a bit of a kick and I'm wondering what the best rear-end combo would be for the best money (not too cheap, not too expensive, but a good price) for my engine/transmission/driving habits.

My Elky is a daily driver with a 330ho crate motor from GM, 2000 stall converter, and th350. Currently I have a peglegged 10 bolt with burner gears. I want posi and I was thinking a moderate gear, something like a 3.42. 10 bolt, 12 bolt? and opinions (and parts suppliers would be great. TIA!

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--Amanda :)

Proud owner of a 68 ElCam

http://www.geocities.com/el_camino_ca/

"A truly wise man never plays leapfrog with a Unicorn."

If you go with the 10 bolt, then it will be easier to find a donor axle. And (assuming that your car is already a 10 bolt), you could do a little selecting among the two sets of axle shafts and use the best 2. Another consideration on the 12 bolt is that they can come with two different size u-joint yokes, adding another variable. Unless you absolutely got to have a 12 bolt, stick with the 10 bolt for cost and availability.
P.S., I do not know if the prop shaft length is the same between the two types of axles, but someone will surely answer that one soon.

[This message has been edited by JWagner (edited 03-05-2000).]

I think JWagner made some very good points.. but heres some more stuff to think about:

yes, a 12 bolt is going to be a little harder to find, and probably more expensive but its also stronger than a 10 bolt, and will add value to your car if you ever go to sell it.. "12 bolt posi" always looks good on the car ad.. Not to mention people will take you more seriously with a 12 bolt when you're bragging about your car http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif maybe all of this stuff doesnt matter to you but I honestly must say that, if I were you I would definately be building up a 12 bolt...

now, you mentioned wanting the best value for your car & driving habits.. if thats all you care about (not a problem with that) then Id say stick with the 10 bolt.. 10 bolts are strong, dont let anyone tell you otherwise.. Id be willing to bet a lot of money that you could not break a rebuilt 10 bolt with normal street driving, even if you wanted to.. And they WILL be cheaper if you buy a used housing, etc.. Also, you will have extra parts that you know will interchange, unlike if you switch to a 12 bolt where everything is different..

If I were looking for a new gearset, Id look in the offroad/hotrod type magazines for the cheapest prices on brandnames, then do a websearch.. theres several online places that specialize in ring & pinions, like randys, etc. and see what kind of prices they have.. Well good luck and let us know what you do!!

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Mike Reeh
Gold #34
San Diego, CA

Amanda, I think your original conclusion is entirely correct, 342 or 331 10 bolt is fine. You don;t need the added strength or cost of a 12 bolt.

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Chaas
Gold #62/ACES
67 SS396/L88
www.chevelles.com/showroom/chaas1.jpg (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/chaas1.jpg)

Actually Amanda, you'll have to go with a 3.36 or 3.55 gear for the 10 bolt, the others aren't available.

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1972 Malibu (1 st. car) Project waiting to happen
Team Chevelle # 427
A.C.E.S. # 1282

25.5" tires + 3.55 gears = 2900rpm at 65-70mph with a TH350 tranny

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Lowered '67 Elcamino
ZZ430HP / 4L60
"Canyon Carver"
www.chevelles.com/showroom/elkydriveway1.jpeg (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/elkydriveway1.jpeg)

Okay, you'll have to excuse my ignorance (I know lots about the front half of my car, but very little about the back half <sheepish look> ).

It seems like the best thing to do right now is rebuild my 10 bolt the way I want 'specially if this thing is just going to be my daily vehicle. soo...

If i'm converting to Posi, what specific parts am I going to need and what should I be able to reuse (other than the housing...or is that all)? Again, TIA!

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--Amanda :)

Proud owner of a 68 ElCam

http://www.geocities.com/el_camino_ca/

"A truly wise man never plays leapfrog with a Unicorn."

I am currently going through a rebuild on my 10-bolt. It was a 3.08 open rear, and I am converting it to a 3.73 Posi. I have been looking around for weeks on what I should do and finally decided on rebuilding what I have.
Also, contrary to popular belief, there is more than one posi (Auburn) available for the 8.2 rear. Torq-line makes a clutch type posi. I bought mine from Strange Engineering for bout 300 dollars. I think this to be a better deal, since it is rebuildable. The rest of the parts I bought from a Tom's Differentials. After I get the parts installed wednesday at the rearend shop, I will have rebuilt it for a little less than a grand. This is includin new gears, posi, axles, and install kit.

Hope this helps some,
Tim

I would recommend finding a used 10 bolt posi. I bought mine for $150 with 3.55 gears. Although when I found out that it was BOP rear when I got it, and not 4.11s and I was promised, its going behind a mild 327 and $150 aint bad. Although you might not be able to find one for so cheap, you're probably looking at over $700 with parts and labor to rebuild with a posi. I'd rather spend double and get a new 12 bolt or bolt in 9" that could take all punishment.

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Joe Y.
68 malibu
Bloomington/Normal, IL

I wholeheartedly agree with Joe Y. If a new rear is not necessary at the moment and you don't mind waiting a few months, I'm sure that you can find a used rearend with updated components in your local swap sheet. This should be even easier seeing that you live in Cali. Average cost of a decent used, rebuilt 10 bolt is around $3-500 with 12 bolts reaching $5-700. While that may sound steep, compare that with the $1100 to $1500 it will cost to set up a new one with similar components. Just my opinion.

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Ted Stojkovski
Syracuse NY
Team Chevelle #172

[This message has been edited by Tedster (edited 03-06-2000).]