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81 Pontiac Lemans R.E.

1K views 1 reply 2 participants last post by  dh79 
#1 ·
I got this r.e. toput in my 39 Chevy . It's 52" axle flange to axle flange. Will this be the same as a Monte or Nova of that age range? It looks like the axle housing is slightly smaller than a 10 bolt out of a 81 Caprice that I also have.The Caprice looks like it would be to wide. The Lemans was just a 4.4 L or 267 and turbo 350, so r.e. could be lighter.I'm just building a nice cruiser, so don't need a big tough r.e. Was even thinking about using this complete powertrain in my 39. Any thoughts on this r.e. would be helpfull. Thanks.
 
#2 ·
Most G bodies (what you have) came with a 7.5" 10 bolt rear end. The monte SS and grand nationals got the much stronger 8.5" units. Caprices have a 8.5" but they have longer axles than the G body rear ends so they won't fit (without mods).

The 7.5" aren't very strong. If you'll be keeping a stock or mild engine, it'll be just fine. If it'll run in the 13's, time to move up to a 8.5". The only real advantage of the 7.5" is that they're plentiful and cheap.
dh
 
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