I have a 71 buick skylark that I am trying to convert to a rear drum brake setup. I am also trying to change to a 5 on 5 bolt pattern. My rear end is a 8.5 posi with 2.56 gears. I have rear axles and disc setup from a 79 cadillac seville which has a 5 on 5 pattern. I have discovered that the axles are the same length but there are no bearings on the seville axles and the skylark bearings will not work. Any suggestions?
I have a '77 Seville rear axle (and front spindles) on my car with the 5x5 bolt pattern. I'm not sure I follow you on the bearing statement. There are bearings at the end of the axle tubes and on either side of the carrier (and pinion). Is the rear axle width the same on a '71 Skylark as the '79 Seville? I'd think the Seville's is narrower.
Hmm, then what's centering the axles at the ends? Are you sure there isn't a bearing behind the seal there? I'm thinking maybe the old 8.2" rear axle might have pressed on bearing on the axles where as the Seville's 8.5" will have slide on bearings and C-clips.
You can use discs off a WS6 Trans Am as these will have the same bolt pattern as your skylark rear end. The mounting brackets off of the T/A or the seville will work with their calipers, but the seville should have a C-CLIP rear axle setup that does not fit your skylark. In addition the seville is based off of the same year Malibu/Gbody platform, not much will be a direct fit to your car. If you have the mounting brackets and calipers from the seville,the T/A discs are about$40-$45 at most part stores, cheaper than changing the skylarks bolt pattern. Or if you want I'll buy the seville brackets and calipers off you.:laugh:
The Seville is a K-body car, which is actually based on the X-body, just stretched a bit between the subframes, but uses the same subframes. The rear axles and spindles bolted directly, unmodified, up to my X-body '77 Skylark. Gbodies are wider and I think full framed.
I have the axle shafts if you need and or want to try what you are doing same as 71 72 bolt in axles with 5 on 5 bolt pattern. WILL bolt right in 28 spline etc. Jim
See the article on my site......for rear disc conversion.....you will need the correct brackets and the 79-85 Seville/Eldo/Riv/Tor calipers will work......you don't want to use the 5x5 axle shafts......www.tsmmfg.com makes a great kit for them......or if you want to use later calipers.....visit www.scarebird.com as he makes all kinds of brackets to convert to rear disc brakes.
