tommorow im going to be replacing my rear end and i have 3 to choose from but me and my dad dont know what they are....they have all 3 came out of 1975 through 1985 camaros/novas.....all three are a 10 bolt and 2 are open diff and one is a limited slip... is there anyway we can tell if its a 8.5 or 8.2 ?...or what is the difference ?...my last rear end shatterd when some bolts came out and people said it was because i had a spacer between the diff gear and the plate...the two open diff rear ends i have laying around do not have the spacer, but the one with the limited slip does have a spacer ?
im GUESSING you can get a 8.2 gear set to fit in a 8.5 by adding the spacer ?

They will be 8.5 inch ten bolts (they replaced the twelve bolt rear end in 1973) but they are all going to be too long to use in a first gen Camaro. The track (width) is wider. You need one out of a V-8 powered Nova 1968-1979 as that is a direct bolt in if you want a used rear end. Currie, Moser, and others offer brand new stronger 12 bolt rear ends professionally set up and ready to go. If you need a stronger rear end than a 12 bolt the Dana 60 can be had ready to bolt in for the same money and it is 40% stronger than a12 bolt.

Larger Dave

They will be 8.5 inch ten bolts (they replaced the twelve bolt rear end in 1973) but they are all going to be too long to use in a first gen Camaro. The track (width) is wider. You need one out of a V-8 powered Nova 1968-1979 as that is a direct bolt in if you want a used rear end. Currie, Moser, and others offer brand new stronger 12 bolt rear ends professionally set up and ready to go. If you need a stronger rear end than a 12 bolt the Dana 60 can be had ready to bolt in for the same money and it is 40% stronger than a12 bolt.

Larger Dave
yea, thats what this came out of, but the nova had a 5:38 gear "raced it" with a spacer between the big ring gear and the plate....so i was thinking maybe its a 3.XX carrier and if i put a 3:73 gear on it maybe i can get by without using a spacer ?
any ideas ?
after satruday when my rear locked up and im hereing all the bad stuff on ring spacers i dont want to use one again...and out of these 3 rear ends i have lyeing around im hoping one will have a 3.xx gear carrier...i know one is a 2.73 gear so i take it that one will need a spacer...then one has a 5:38 with a spacer, so maybe that one will work...the other one i havnt mesaured yet

Two weeks ago I installed a 1973 Nova SS 3.42 posi rearend I bought off Craig's List in my 68 Camaro. Before doing so, Jaws in Sacramento broke it down. Diagnosis was: axle bearing surfaces pitted and carrier bearings shot. Next: new axles, bearings, flushed out, new carrier/w pinion bearings, gasket, posi additive, all for $680.00. It bolted in without a problem. No running down to the store for parts.Tomorrow, I install Bowtie Overdrives Level II 2004R to take advantage of these gears.

4 or 5 gear with a spacer implies a 3 series carrier.

Just for future refrence, I just personally took the rear end out of an 81 Camaro to put in my 69. The actual axle width (hub to hub) is correct, but the leaf spring perches are wider by about 4". (2" on each side) Other than relocating the spring perches off of the original 69 axle, (the 81 perches won't work) everything else should work.

Of course I will be finding all of this out this week somtime.:D

Joe

The '70 to '81 Camaro rear end is 1 inch wider than the earlier Camaro rear end and the spring perches are 3 1/4 inches farther apart. The '82 and later Camaro rear end is not even close to being right for the earlier Camaro. The '68 to '79 Nova and other X body rear ends will bolt in the early Camaro.

Here is what a ring gear spacer will do for you.
http://thumb7.webshots.net/t/14/15/8/46/32/2501846320041712107dAvBiX_th.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2501846320041712107dAvBiX)

Here is what a ring gear spacer will do for you.
http://thumb7.webshots.net/t/14/15/8/46/32/2501846320041712107dAvBiX_th.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2501846320041712107dAvBiX)

You can clearly see the compressed metal threads on opposite sides of the bolt lying in the bottom of the rear end were it was sheared in two.

Larger Dave