so i was flippin through car craft this last month and i seen an article on the old 8.5 inch 10 bolt rear end. i was curious if it would be possible to weld/affix one of these to an 89 camaro, i know it wouldnt be as sturdy as the 12 bolt, however im just starting college and dont have the 2 grand needed for a 12 bolt, the 200 for a 8.5 just sounds more reasonable, if anyone has any advice on this i would greatly appreciate it. thanks.

 

How much power are you making? If you are not above 300 rwhp and torque your stocker is fine. To answer your question yes it is possible to put one in your 89, in fact it is pretty much a bolt in.

 

89 Camaro's had four link rear ends. Unless that 8.5 is from a four link car it is not a bolt in you will have to have the proper braketts welded on, which is hard to do right. If the brakettes are even slightly misalighned you will fight that rear end in that car.

 

i will be making about 376-380 rwhp and around 500 rw lb ft torque. so the current one will not do. if anyone knows of somewhere that i can find anything more on how to weld one in it would be a great help, i know eventually i will have to go to a 12 bolt because i dont plan on stopping engine mods anytime soon. but for now i dont have the money, but from what i seen about the 8.5 in it should do perfectly fine until i can find a resonable 12 bolt. thanks again.

 

A 9 inch early ford truck big bearing rear end would be a better choice, given your power specs, it will handle the power you have better than a 12bolt and it's not a c clip axle so if you snap an axle shaft you wont loose the wheel. Outfit it with a detroit locker and you can limp it home if a axle snaps. It'll have to be cut down to fit and a bit of fabrication is involved but it's worth it in the end.

 

What are you planning on doing with this car, mostly street? There is nothing wrong with a 7.5 rearend, put a good set of axles and bearings in it and it will hold up, as long as the person putting it together knows what they are doing. What kind of motor are you building, to be making 500 ft lbs torque?

 

i have a 383 stroker i will be putting in, gm hot cam kit, gapless rings, vortech heads, edelbrock vortec rpm performance manifold, 800 cfm edelbrock thunder carb, hooker long tube headers, and a few other items cant think of the names off the top of my head, its going to be built for more torque than horsepower, cant go anywhere if you cant get it started right, and there isnt anything wrong with the 7.5 in a normal street application but with as much torque as i will be making it would explode the first time i tried usin sticky rubber, and thats some repairs i dont prefer to go through. and i looked at the 9 inch ford idea, the problem is the money issue, to cut it down and fabricate it properly would cost a lot more than buyin a gen 3 specific 12 bolt, and i also looked at the 10 bolt 8.5 and its the same thing, i appreciate all the help, and any other tips are welcome, still new to the car building scene. thanks.

 

How much can you spend on a rear end?, and, how soon do you need to have it ready to go? If you don't have the cash then theres no point in worrying about it, you're stuck with the 7.5 10 bolt. If you have alittle cash then you can beef up that 10 bolt w/ a detroit locker and stonger axleshafts. But the best way to go is the big bearing 9 inch, you, won't break that.

 

well for now i plan on starting with beefing up the 7.5, i have a guy that i can go to and can get it done cheap. i do plan on puttin a couple grand in the rear end when i have the money, however that wont be needed until i get sticky rubber on, and ill just keep my foot from pushin too far into the gas. if anyone knows of anywhere taht i may be able to find a cheap 12 bolt though(will handle the power im putting down and wont have to be cut up) then i would like to hear about it.

 

Since you're looking to spend a few grand, look into Currie Enterprises, Dynatrac, and I think Strange or Superior axle and Gear all fabricate rear ends. Dynatrac could build you one he!! of a Dana 60 or 70. But I still like the big ford 9inch solution better, and Currie could do that for ya.