Has anyone tried to put a 87 GN rear end into a 67 Skylark? It appears that it will fit. The 67 drum to drum overall length is 61".The 87 GN drum to drum overall length is 59", which will actually give me extra room outboard in the wheel well. Do upper and lower control arms mount up the same way? I noticed that the distance between the shock mounts on the GN is about 3" shorter, thus it will change the angle of the shock. Will this be a problem? The spring seats look to be the same distance appart. Can anyone help me? Thanks!
gn rear Ok Are you sure you want to do that ? That rear is worth alot as is. I would sell it and use the money to get a custom one done right. Just my opinion...see alot of 12 bolts chopped but I think the GN 8.5 is even more rare than the 12 bolt chevelle / camaro rears? Anyone got some numbers? Am I all wishy washy on this one? Jim o No: ou:
Jim's reply on rear end swap Wanted to get an opinion on how much the GN rear end is worth, it has low miles? I will try to find the part number, does anyone know where it is located? Again does anyone know if this swap will work?
There's little to be gained by using the GN rearend in an early A-body. For strength, you'd be much better off with an upgraded tapered axle bearing 8.5 A-body rear or a propperly upgraded 12 bolt. Here are problems when trying to install '78+ A-body rears in '64-72 A-bodys. Know these problems well, as have converted dozens of 8.5 A-body rears to fit '78+ A bodys ('81+ G bodys). -spread between upper control arm mounts is different, making it near impossible to get upper arms to fit. It can be done if arms are loosened up & bushings are really worn, but upper rear control arms will still bind. W/o aftermarket adj arms, pinion will point down an extra 10 degrees. This can be remedied through use of adj upper arms. -Rearend is narrower & is dangerous c-clip axle retention. -Shock mounts angle outward toward tire section width getting in way of wide tire/wheel combo's. -Speaking of tire/wheel combo's... with the GN rear, one has just pulled the tire wheel in aprox 1 3/8" on each side compared to typical 55.25" wide A-body housing. -Coil springs mount on top of GN axle tube vs few inchs in front of axle tube on '64-72 GM A-body rears. - Oem backing plate is held on with metal screws & brake line goes through the big steel mtg tab, just like 7.5 rears. Makes it no fun to swap out rears w/o bleeding brakes. Hope this helps explain things. :3gears: Roger
