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g body rear end question....

23K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  cbrock420 
#1 ·
I have a 1983 buick regal. It has a stout 350 chevy with a th350 trans. I'm looking to lay down 2 rubber patches instead of one. I've seen a few fairly priced rear ends on my local craigs list but my question is , is which rear ends will fit under this car other that that of a buick regal or turbo rega (which unfortunately I can't afford) I don't care if it would be a few inches wider. It wouldn't break my heart to have the rear wheels stick out of the fenderwells a little if necessary as long as I can find a direct bolt in. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Chris
 
#2 ·
Turbo Buicks, 83-84 Hurst Olds and 84-85? 442 Olds have a 8.5'' ring gear, posi, 3.73 gears and are a bolt in swap. If you can live with a different bolt pattern in the rear and have fabrication skills, the Ford explorer 8.8 is about the same width. You will need to weld brackets to it, but it comes with up to 4.10 gears, posi, and disc brakes.
 
#3 ·
Yeah I'm not much of a fabricator. The only thing I can make is a sandwich. I'm looking more for a direct bolt in. Reason I was asking was I seen a rearend on my local craigslist for a mid 70s chevelle with 411s in it. I'm not sure hot that would bolt up but from what I understand its a little wider but I'm not sure by how much. If my wheens were to stick out a little id be ok with that. The engine in my car is a 75 truck morot and the trans is a 76 corvette trans. So I'm not really afraid to put older stuff in it as long as I can work. I know it sounds a little silly coming from a car guy but id like to keep it all gm at least. I know the potential of a ford rear end but I will not put any ford part on my car....
Thanks for your input.
 
#4 ·
cal1320 said:
Turbo Buicks, 83-84 Hurst Olds and 84-85? 442 Olds have a 8.5'' ring gear, posi, 3.73 gears and are a bolt in swap.
Not quite.

The 84 Hurst/Olds (not the 83) and the 85-87 442s came with a 3.73 8.5" axle. The 85-87 GNs (and possibly turbo T-type cars) came with a 3.42 8.5" axle. Those are the only bolt-in 8.5" G-body axles; all the other cars came with 7.5".
 
#5 ·
joe_padavano said:
Not quite.

The 84 Hurst/Olds (not the 83) and the 85-87 442s came with a 3.73 8.5" axle. The 85-87 GNs (and possibly turbo T-type cars) came with a 3.42 8.5" axle. Those are the only bolt-in 8.5" G-body axles; all the other cars came with 7.5".
Also expect to pay $800+ and you'll prolly need to go through the posi unit - if - it has one (some didn't). I'd look at finding a bud who can weld and building up an Explorer 8.8", you can find one with the right gear and a locker (which can be rebuilt for < $100) and have the axles and drums redrilled for about half that...

Russ
 
#6 ·
There's a turbo buick salvage yard out in az called speedway automotive. I believe I'm going to just save me pennies and buy a gnx rear end and have it built. I know some people around here that are rear end savvy. I can have it rebuilt pretty cheap as long as I'm helping which I would do with my own stuff anyhow. This car may end up turning over a few 1/4 mile runs over in norwalk but she's my daily driver. I just have the car to drive and enjoy the **** out of. But its a muscle machine too. But the 9 miles a gallon I'm getting with it may ultimately result in turning my car into a lawn ornament.
 
#7 ·
cbrock420 said:
There's a turbo buick salvage yard out in az called speedway automotive. I believe I'm going to just save me pennies and buy a gnx rear end and have it built. I know some people around here that are rear end savvy. I can have it rebuilt pretty cheap as long as I'm helping which I would do with my own stuff anyhow. This car may end up turning over a few 1/4 mile runs over in norwalk but she's my daily driver. I just have the car to drive and enjoy the **** out of. But its a muscle machine too. But the 9 miles a gallon I'm getting with it may ultimately result in turning my car into a lawn ornament.
The GNX rear is different than a typical g-body rear, or a Grand National rear. Instead of a 4-link, it uses a 3-link plus a torque arm like a Camaro or Monza.



 
#8 ·
No kidding I did not know that I'm glad you came along before I dropped the cash on the rearend. That is a killer set up though. Looks a little complicated but not impossible to accomplish. But like I've posted before I'm far from a fabricator. So ill just be seeking a rear end out of a gn. I found one with 30,000 actual miles supposedly in good shape. The car had major front damage. 900 dollars. Tell y'all what I'm sure glad that I've stumbled upon this website. I'm a gearhear but I don't know everything I should for as long as I've worked on cars. This site has helped me a lot. Along with the gearheads who are glad to help out a fellow gearhead.
Thanks
 
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