76 Riviera rear end

Does the 76 still have the 9 3/8 rear end? If so, is there another rear end that can be swapped in?

 

I believe it does.
Im guessing you could swap in any full size GM rear, but you'll have to make some minor changes such as drive shaft.
I know you can swap between the Electra and LeSabre

 

I’m seeing the same thing Larry. I might pm the guys who build rear ends

 

Keep in mind the suspension mounting brackets are different between A body, G body etc.

 

ALL 1971 - 1976 FULL SIZE B-c Chassis cars are interchangeable chevy Pontiac Oldsmobile and Buick. Even caddy RWD This was the CORPERATE era and GM was making everything simpler.

So all these FULL size cars have the round yoke coupler and usually that double Double Cardan u-joint close to the rear end yoke...I call them finger smasher joints
So whether you have the ( 9.3 12 bolt cover OLDS rear 455 cars normally) or the 10 bolt cover 12 bolt ring Pontiac 8.875 31 spline axles or the 8.5 10 bolt rear they all completely drum to drum are interchangeable.
Jim
same with A body 73- 77

 

Thanks for the information.

 

It’s too bad the aftermarket doesn’t make gears for that rear, it’s a beast.

 

It’s too bad I can’t make enough power to make that pig move. Car had serious overheating issues. Now it has set for almost 40 years. We’re going to drag it out of its resting place to see if it can be made roadworthy. It was a pretty sweet ride at one time.

 

Are you looking to change the whole rear axle just to get a better choice of axle ratios?
I’m sure the gear that’s in the stock rear is 2.56, not great for performance, but the neutered 455 doesn’t help, only 205 hp and 340/350 torque.
Going to a lower ratio like 3.23 or 3.42 won’t make your Riv any quicker, the engine is still going to make the same power, the power you have will just arrive sooner, then die off at 4500 rpm…….. which will come quicker
I’d focus on getting more power out of the engine first, more compression, better heads, MILD cam, dual exhaust.
Lotsa folks on here have gone fast with highway gears in big cars, they just have more power than you

 

I have a spare engine that needs to be freshened up. It will also need a cam

 

TORQUE is the key to make a BIG car go. Do not focus on the HP numbers. BIG CUBES always helps. Do not get to nutty on the .050 duration or that big car will be a DOG out of the hole. Jim
The more lift you can get with the least amount of duration will give you low end torque fast. NOW remember there is only so much you can do with a flat tappet cam. THIS is why everyone likes to use roller cams. Quiet lift off the base line and keep the duration under 230 at .050 will help get that BIG CAR out of the hole.
I personally like 212 -218 at .050 duration cams ...lots of fun torque with a good torque convertor 2000-3000 depending on where and how you use your car. FUN torque!
will still have great street manners - Great seat of the pants feel.
Again this is my opinion and likes.
Jim
JD Race

 

The ‘76 bottom end is good, it’s the heads that suck. Put a set of ‘67-‘71 non smog heads on it. Put a mild torque oriented cam in it; 215-225 or so. Curve the distributor and it’ll really wake it up. (And if the catalytic converter were to fall off and be temporarily replaced by 2.25” muffler shop dual exhaust, you’d feel an improvement!)
Patrick

 

Distributor is something EVERYONE over looks... Definitely do a spring kit in the advance weights and make sure it is all clean and working properly.
If you can afford a stall convertor that will give some more snap off the line. stock converters are like 1300-1500 stall just horrible for launches. 2000 stall is a absolute for every car I build even stock. All we have is a B & M torquer convertor they were cheap years ago...BUT NOW... Everything is stupid priced.
Jim
JD Race

 

You guys are convincing me to take this project on