OK, so I'm throwing in the towel. I need help. I KNOW I saw it at one time, but now I can't find it. A nice little list of the vehicles that would swap axles with my sorry 2.73(?) rear end. I don't drive this thing much, but I do tow with it. I don't have to have Posi(though it would be nice) but I do need lower gears. I know there are some half way decent junk yards around here, but I have no clue what to look for. Any Help??
a rear end from any B or C body non-wagon car (possibly excluding Caddies) from 71-76: http://www.classicbuicks.com/body_style.htm here's the sticky thread with the assembly #'s you need to take to your parts yard: http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?t=75045
You might find a full size Buick rear axle if you place an ad on the board here or GSCA website. On my Centurion I swapped the 2.93 open for a 3.42 posi from a Riv GS. I did it to bring the engine temp down while towing through the mountains, hopefully to eliminate pinging. I don't really feel any difference in power but my engine is stock and original 125,000 miles. I think it's time to rebuild it for more power!
I'm not sure I believe all of those figures on those lists... I have a posi carrier taken from a 73 Pontiac Catalina which had the big 455 engine, but it's still smaller than the Buick's 9 3/8 carrier = no swap.. I've never seen a '74+ B-body Buick with the same axle as a 71-73 B-body in the yard. To be completely certain to get the right stuff out, I'd look for 71-73 B-body Buicks with the 455 engine. It seems they all had the 9 3/8 rear end. 12 bolts on the cover, 12 bolts on the ring gear.. The gear ratios available I believe are 2.73 , 2.93 , 3.08 , 3.23 , 3.42, but I could be wrong here. It's funny, every six months we need to go through this again. We probably just start to forget stuff by the time we have another go at it.
Kimson I'm not sure I believe all of those figures on those lists... I have a posi carrier taken from a 73 Pontiac Catalina which had the big 455 engine, but it's still smaller than the Buick's 9 3/8 carrier = no swap. there's a reason for that. i'm talking about swapping rear end assemblies (brake drum to brake drum) in that thread. your 73 Cat probably has the 8 7/8" housing which is part #435-00067B, or the 2nd housing on the list. the early 70's cars use the 9 3/8" rear which was phased out for the Pontiac produced 8 7/8" housing about the time of your car. obviously, you're not going to be able to swap parts between the 8 1/2", 8 7/8" and 9 3/8" rear ends. the housings are, however, bolt in replacements for each other. so you can replace your 9 3/8" or 8 7/8" rear end with an 8 1/2" and have access to any gear ratio you want.
You mean the whole axle will interchange between different models. Like shock positions, width, control arms positions, drive shaft connector point etc. would be the same..?
