i have a 82 regal i am putting a 455 in. can someone tell me how to spot the 8.5 from the7.5. and wich cars i can find the good rear end in.ou:
...the 8.5 was offered in the Grand National, Turbo regal, and Hurst 442. the odds of finding one at a wrecker within your lifetime is roughly zero. Best bet is to buy one at the Turbo Buick site...
can you get a 8.5 that is not a possie. i found a few gn rearends but they want stupid money one was 1500.00. non possies are cheap i can get that and build a good one.cause i am thinking of putting 373 gears in it. i just dont know the outside markings on 8.5 are...........thanx shane.........
Here's how you spot the difference: http://www.maliburacing.com/rearend_guide.html $1500 is actually an average price for a GN rear. The 8.5 did come in a non-posi, converting them will take you about 8-20 hours depending on skill level.
what would be the best way to do this. find a non posie and put gears and a chunk in it. or get a gn rearend. trying to go as budget as possable. and i dont want a 9inch rear end. something about putting anything that originated from a ford in GM , thats just wrong.......................thanx shane...........
Even if you find a non-posi it may still have the gear you want in it. I passed on a GN rear end (non posi) that had a 3.42 gear in it and let my buddy buy it for $160.00 (I already had two). Because its a non posi doesn't have anything to do what gear ratio it has. Most GN's had a 3.42 gear from the factory if not all unless ordered differently from the factory.
I'm about 99% sure that the 3.42 was in every GN and T-Type from 84-87 with the 8.5" 10 bolt. The Hurst Olds Cutlasses came with 3.73 in a 8.5" 10 bolt. Before 84 GM used the 7.5 in all their G-bodies.
If you don't have a lot of time to work on the car buy a good used GN rear end for $1000-1500. If you have lots and lots of time free, buy a non-posi for under $400 and convert it. It will be cheaper, and stronger but take a lot of effort.
