yes, another 8.2" question

Discussion in 'Got gears?' started by 69GSCAL, Apr 11, 2007.

  1. 69GSCAL

    69GSCAL Well-Known Member

    I understand nobody makes a 8.2" posi for our 68-70 Buicks, but do they make an open ended carrier?
     
  2. gsxbuildernut

    gsxbuildernut Well-Known Member


    My thoughts were if you had enough open carriers and people to call and put pressure on Richmond gear, they might make a powertrax unit and give people a chance to keep their stock housings. There is alot of people with broken posi units and very little choices for repair. I'm not sure how many open carriers are around, most would call them junk but I think this could help with the problem of no aftermarket or replacement parts.

    Steve :idea2:
     
  3. lowflyer

    lowflyer Well-Known Member

    So, the Powertrax unit won't work on my '70 rear end?

    What are the options out there? Will a Pontiac, Olds, Chevelle 10 bolt fit right into place without any other mods to the chasis?

    Sorry to hijack the thread...
     
  4. gsxbuildernut

    gsxbuildernut Well-Known Member


    The way I understand it is that they make a powertrax for the regular BOP open rear end but not the Buick 8.2 rear that has the two different size carrier bearings. It would be nice to know if they made an open carrier with the two sizes of bearings, if they did then anybody with the hard to find posi could just go with an open carrier and add the powertrax to it. I'm new to the Buick cars so maybe someone else can clear this up. I have talked to Richmond Gear and they said they would look into it, lets hope something comes out of this. I have a 70 8.2 posi out of a stage 1 car but the posi cones and gears are bad, I ended up using a 8.5 rear but wanted to keep the 8.2 incase parts become available.

    Steve
     
  5. Sturmgewehr

    Sturmgewehr Well-Known Member

    I have a 12 bolt Olds(total drum to drum setup) in my 70 GS455
    bolts right in---it's a 69 TYPE "O" S7(323 Anti-spin)--works well and still
    has rebuild parts available---supposed to be a little stronger then Buick 8.2
    rear. There must be more Oldsmobile parts available because someone else here has the same setup as me but has 391 gears--there are only 3 sets of gears for the Olds 323,342,391 but it is better then an 8.2 Buick rear with NO posi. Pete
     
  6. oPh

    oPh Well-Known Member

    No company makes new '68-70 BUICK 8.2 10 bolt open or posi carriers, due to the the market for them being very small.

    As far as PowerTrax units go, they're a gimmick, want to gamble $450 on one, hope you have better luck with them than my customers have.

    Another source for posi to fit the '68-70 BUICK 8.2...
    Have modified several low ratio '70-72 Pontiac 8.2 4 pinion Safe-T-Track carriers to fit in '68-70 BUICK rears, it can be done by having a bushing machined & installed on the lh carrier boss. Opposite deal... have had customers with '70-72 Pontiac 8.2 rears that were sold misidentified '68-70 BUICK posi carriers through both bulletin board & e-Bay transactions, & managed, with a little help ;), to install them in their Pontiac 8.2 rears through the use of a common carrier bearing. Main thing when attempting to swap carriers between these two rearend designs, is have to have a VERY similiar stagger carrier... have been down this road before... ck the archives, there are 4 different ratios of the '68-70 BUICK 8.2 carriers.

    Last, anyone needing a set... finally got to pulling another high-mid ratio BUICK 8.2 open carrier & the set of 2.93's that were on them. They're in the solvent tank & are avail for sale.

    Got Posi?
    :3gears:
    Roger
     
  7. Jim Rodgers

    Jim Rodgers Well-Known Member

    Roger,

    I have a 1970 Buick 8.2 originally out of a 1970 Stage 1 with 3.64 gears. Everything is fine but the posi is junk. The carrier case is busted.

    What are my options? I am ready to do some business right now! I'm not shy.

    I would like to beef this rear end up as much as possible with axles etc. Its going into a stock appearing 1970 GS with pretty good power. A spool would be fine too with 4.10 gear. Or am I barking up the wrong tree?

    Thanks for your time.
     
  8. gsxbuildernut

    gsxbuildernut Well-Known Member


    Well Roger if you like I can give you a ride in my car and afterwards if you think they are a gimmick then fine but most of the issues are with installation, mine was installed wrong by the guy who set up my gears. I did it myself this time and it is very quiet and works great. I fully understand how it works now and can see where if you don't it can lead to problems. I would like to see if the 8.2 buick open carrier would take the same guts as the BOP one, if so then the powertrax would fit. I realize the posi one is a special animal but I would like to see the open carriers side by side. Just having the option to put another type of posi in the buick 8.2 is interesting and would help out alot of people. The people at Richmond Gear told me that they would listen and possibly make something work with enough interest from buick owners. I am just trying to suggest things that might solve a long standing problem with the 8.2, maybe someone can take it from here.

    Steve :confused:
     
  9. 10sec 455

    10sec 455 Well-Known Member

    Put an 8.5 in it and be done with it.
     
  10. lowflyer

    lowflyer Well-Known Member

    So how are they installed wrong? What do you do that is different to make them last. I am very curious, as I don't want to build up the motor only to have it hampered by a peg leg rear. Thanks.
     
  11. gsxbuildernut

    gsxbuildernut Well-Known Member


    The directions are quite small that come with the unit, I downloaded one from the website and it was much larger and easier to read. If you get them just one tooth off you have to force things together at the end, this is a sign that somethings not aligned right. The key is to keep the two sides wedged apart from each other (which also keeps the gear teeth meshed together) while you install the springs then the large pin down the center. Patients is the name of the game, you need to grease the parts with wheel bearing grease so they stick together when being installed, if you do it dry they will never stay aligned properly. The grease makes it hard to hold on to the parts but has to be used. My posi works great and I hear only a little click when it locks or unlocks. It does get quieter as it breaks in.

    Steve :beer
     

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