guys i have a spare 10 bolt rear end out of my 71 skylark custom. i want to pull the rear end and upgrade it with a posi unit and 3.42 gears. Does this rearend have c clip axles or bolt in? it is an eaton series 3 28 spline unit. Also. can i just drop this in place of the old open diff?
The rear should be a '71-72 8.5 A-body. This version of 8.5 rear has bolt-in tapered bearing axles. Might scan down further in this forum, open a few topics, & look at a few pics to verify what you have is the original 8.5 rear. For new internals, a new low ratio 8.5 Eaton 28 spline posi carrier & new US Gear-Strange, US Gear-Torqueline, or Precision gears are a good choice. Planning on going a LOT quicker, say 1.60 60 foot times or better, the 8.5 can be built up with 30 spline Eaton HD carrier or 33 spline Strange spool. When going 30 or 33 spline carrier, one will be ordering new axles. :3gears: Roger
No, if you have never set up a ring and pinon before I would suggest having it done by a professional.
Jon, What gears do you currently have in the rear.....2.73??????? I'd be interested in them if there are no real issues using used gears from one car & installing into another. I know nothing about the swap but my buddy could handle it. My '71 is currently 2.56 open.
i have no clue what the stock gears are. its an all original rearend. Ive never rebuilt a rearend b4 but my had used to be a heavy equipment mechanic for 30years so he knows how to do it. i just need info on if the series 3 posi will work lol. it comes with new bears and race bearings. and i plan on using 3.42 gears. Steve, give me a month or 2 and i will pull the rear end out of the car and take out the gears and count the teeth and see if you can figure out what gear ratio it is okay? hope there isnt a rush on it. but if you dont mind waiting a while, i'll sell them cheap if they are what you need. So guys. tell me about the eaton series 3 posi and what else i need. its just going in my 71 skylark 4 door the a stock 350. no serious racing lol.
Jon, No hurry at all. Lower side of the right side axle tube, mine is at the bottom.You will find a 3 letter code. LKB for 2.56, standard for a 2V engine. LLB for 2.73, standard on the 4V engine. LAB for 3.08,performance ratio, available on both for '71. Check www.buickperformance.com for detailed info. on rearend & gear issues.
okay then i will let you know by this weekend what gears it has. you may get lucky, this car originally had a 4bbl carb. my 4 door had a 2v so i guess it has the granny gears and now i may need a spacer.. maybe
Jon, At your convenience. Don't forget you will need the swap the speedo drive gear in the trans.. Access from the outside, where the cable attaches. This is only if you want your speedo to read correct with the new set-up.
its no problem at all steve. i'll be down at my place this weekend for afew days and i'll get those #;s for you and see what it has in the rear. Thanks for reminding me about speedo gears.
Howdy Steve. Got some good news and some bad news. The good news is. Its an LLB code 2.73 rearend. The bad news is..... .. well there is none. LOL email me and we can work on the price. I'll have to pull the rearend out and gut it to get to the good stuff. Once its pulled i can get you a shipping quote. jonRcolorado@aol.com Thanks, Jon
Wow, 4 years old. Surprised no one has asked before now. Any name brand 80W/90 with the GM posi additive is fine.
