[pukes66]

I have the opportunity to obtain several 12 bolt rear ends. The rear ends are from 70-72 Olds Cutlasses. The gentleman asked me if I was going to install one in my 66 Chevelle. He said that these rears were different, besides being a little wider. He said that Olds used a different carrier. I have never heard of this. I thought an A-Body was an A-Body as far as suspension and differntials are concerned. Has anyone heard of this? If so, what is the difference in the carrier? Will it compromise strength?

 

[Steves71]

I looked into this a while back and found them to be different. Something about them not being as strong as a chevy 12 bolt. Do a seach and I believe you find the specifics.

Steve

 

[big gear head]

What you are looking at is the "O" axle. It is completely different on the inside from the Chevy 12 bolt. The "O" axle has 12 bolts in the cover and 10 in the ring gear. It is actually much more like an 8.5 10 bolt on the inside. There are performance parts available for this rear end, but they are quite a bit more expensive than the Chevy parts, and it is not as strong. The one advantage that the "O" axle has over the 12 bolt Chevy is that the axles are retained by the axle bearings, not c clips.

 

[pukes66]

Thanks for the info!! I think that I will pass on the rear ends.