Im still looking to upgrade my rear in my 67 camaro from a 8.2 to a 8.5. A buddy of mine has a 77 trans am and he said he didnt know if it was a 10 or 12 bolt, but I could come look at it and if I wanted it I could have it. My question is will it work in my 67 camaro? Is it wider and if so is it ok to still use it and what other problems do u know of? He also said he had a ford 9inch out of a early model bronco (1970?) I could have. Does anybody know the width of one of these rears? thanks

Trans AM 10-bolt rear has spring perches 1 1/2 inches wider than a '67. Thus, wheel width will be wider also.

However, since '67 came with mono-leaf springs, it will bolt up but you will need spacers, read 1/2 inch thick steel plates, I think, to make up the perch depth to properly clamp in place. Springs will have twist to them when clamping, but equal force from clamping will place the rear axle in center of body. I did it years ago when this design was only available for my procurement at the time. It can be done, but I would leave it as a last resort.

Backing plates will transfer as all brake hardware will if disassembly of axle removal is not chosen.

If you're going to spend money of adding spring perches, etc you might want to take some measurements off your old rear end and see if the early Bronco rear is the right width. It should be a 9" and is much stronger than the Bird 10 bolt. If it's the old style small Bronco alot of them even had the right yoke to bolt right up to your Camaro driveshaft. You'll have to have the axles & brake drums redrilled to Chevy bolt patern or swap your rear wheels though.

Thanks for the input. I just found this site and wanted to share it. http://www.carnut.com/specs/rear.html

From info I have gotten from BGH (Freddie) the camaro and nova dimensions on that page are wrong. Measure what you have and the Bronco axle may fit.
Nova Rears :
http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii152/tjs69_photos/rears%20and%20gears/NovaRears62-79.jpg
68-74 Nova rears are a bolt in swap for 1st Gen. Camaros
2nd gen Camaro rears :
http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii152/tjs69_photos/rears%20and%20gears/2ndGenCamaroRears.jpg
2nd gen. Camaro's are the same as Firebirds/Trans Ams

It would be far easier and less expensive to find a 72-75 nova 8.5 rear end. That's a quicker replacement and stronger.

It would be far easier and less expensive to find a 72-75 nova 8.5 rear end. That's a quicker replacement and stronger. Agreed that the Nova rear is much quicker & easier than adapting the Ford 9". Stronger ? Not hardly. A 9" Ford is what they run in Nascar. There is a reason for that. As far as cost a Nova rear with positraction and decent gear ratio is going to run $500-$750. Bronco rear is free, may already be a posi & if not 9" posi center sections are a dime a dozen in any salvage yard and alot of Ford trucks come with 3.55 & 4.10 gears already. Buying a set of spring perches and welding them on & redrilling axles for Chevy bolt pattern I'm thinking you can still be into the Bronco rear for a couple hundred ready to bolt in and go.

I gonna get the bronco 9 inch rear and measure it up myself. Acorrding to what I have read the bronco is 58 inches and my camaro rear is 60 inches, is one inch in on each side gonna make much of a differance?

Gee! A no-brainer by me!

A free 9", go for it and then spend the money you saved to install correct centered mounts on it! And make sure the drive shaft fits correctly!

Talk about a real winner here! And I will either go a 9" or a Dana 60 when I lose my 3.31 posi- 12-bolt!

pdq67

The Bronco rear will have a 5 x 5.5" bolt circle, so you'll need new wheels or axles that have a Chevy 5 x 4 3/4" bolt pattern.

As stated above, the X-body (Nova, Apollo, Omega, Ventura) 8.5 inch 10-bolt is a cheap, common swap, almost as strong as a 12-bolt. The 2nd gen F-body 8.5 is slightly wider overall, and the perches need moved too.

If you search "Bronco" here on the forums, the use of this 9 inch has been discussed many times. It really depends on what your goals for the car are, but this is definitely a case where a free rear axle is going to cost a bunch to make it work, and unless you really need a 9 inch, the money would probably be better spent on an X-body 8.5 inch 10-bolt.

I never said it was stronger than a 9 inch ford. I was answering his question that he wanted to up grade from a 8.2 to an 8.5 differential. He didn't give enough information to justify getting into doing a ford 9 inch and doing the changes that are necessary to match the width and spring perches and brakes. IMO I like keeping GM equipment on Camaros unless the objective is custom and so on. And yes I agree a ford 9 inch is stronger than an 8.5

8.5" Nova rears easy to find.... not around here.... then they think its worth 600+ for the housing :rolleyes:

Give 'em time Doug. It WILL be that way everywhere soon. It is that way with 12-bolts, 8.5's are next. You can get a NEW 12-bolt moser cheaper than a real 12 bolt.

I've got a '78 Z-28 rearend in my '69. Overall width wasn't a big deal; easily still fits the tires inside the wheelwell. Had the existing spring perches cut off and new ones welded in for~$125. Got to keep existing rims. Many factory options for rear disc brakes from a wrecking yard also. Good luck.

I have a 12 bolt now that I got from a friend... now I rebuilt it with 35 spline axles,spool,4.10's,and c-clip eliminators. Still needs installed in the Camaro :D

The Trams Am rear is 1" wider than the 67 Camaro rear.Every Trans Am I have seen was posi.Remove the Trans. Am perches and install a set of monoleaf perches and its a bolt in.An 8.5 is all you will need in a street car.I have a set of perches and a jig to locate them. If you want to do that send me a PM.