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WWYD? 12 bolt gm- vs- 9" ford....

7K views 24 replies 8 participants last post by  mmhotrod 
#1 · (Edited)
so the deal on the dana 60 fell through. surprise........NOT!
this particular 'friend' is now on the sh*t list, as this is one time
too many that he's screwed me over. he now owes me a paintjob
in return for a SBC i built for him bare block up
from 6 years ago AND a dana 60 rear axle that he took my 68 camaro
rear end for in trade (claims the dana "got stolen" out of his garage
after he put my rear end on his car. how CONVIEEEEEEEEENIANT.......)
...... but i digress.............

i do have a 57 t-bird 9", but its stock--28 spline, and 3.10 gear. yuck.
i figure for what its going to run for gears and axle and a posi, maybe
i should just buy another buddies 69 camaro 12 bolt with 3.73 and posi
for $600 ( he owes me $1200, so we wipe out his debt PLUS i pay $600
out of pocket...even though we are going on 4 years with the $1200
owed to me. but oh well...)

i know everyones all coo-coo for cocopuffs over the 9" ford, and i
already have it...but i think a 8.75 mopar is stronger than a 9" stock
and a built 12 bolt is 'almost' as good as a 9" ford minus the 3rd
pinion bearing. i mean, if we are looking at bulletproof, then we are
back to a dana 60--which is off the table for now.

or a corporate 14.....no! way WAY to big & heavy !!!

so, my question--big block, 4spd, maybe 3500lbs.. i dont EVER floormat the gas
till it valve floats and step off the clutch, i prefer to let it 'grab' a bit then let go.
street 275/60 tires, ladders and leafs. any ideas on which way to go?

9" pros & cons--
strong. 3rd bearing pinion support.
already in the garage.
TONS of aftermarket parts/support.
pretty dang short at 56" drum to drum.
already have correct pattern rear rims.
easy/quick gear changes if needed.
no "C"clips. yay!
BUT....
3.10 gear.
28 spline axles.
unknown if positraction/ltd slip.
gear changes=another 'pumpkin'=$$$.
'57 t-bird housing has 'small web' center, street rod guys love em.
really? its a FORD part....hah hah.

12 bolt pros & cons--
strong too.
almost as much parts/support from aftermarket.
3.73 and posi. yay!
30 spline axles.
its off a 69 camaro so also short enough to work for me.
aftermarket girdle cover helps with strength issues.
BUT....
aint got it, need $600.
"C" clips. yuck!
no 3rd bearing support for pinion...

maybe i should reassemble the 9" and see if i can sell it
to cover the cost of the 12 bolt. or should i just run the 9"
myself? these are the things that keep me awake at night.

thoughts, opinions, ridicule and name calling all welcome....
 
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#2 ·
Start by punching a few Friends out you dont need them....sorry had to.........lol..........or shop around more since your in the collecting parts stage....you know the good deals pop up right after you buy something.....the thing I like about the ford is the drop out pumpkin...easy to swap gears on a moments notice so to speak...I do see then on craigslist pretty regular...not cheap...
 
#4 ·
no joke, man. and 20 years ago i would have gone to his house, knocked
on his door and put him in a headlock till he fessed up and told me who he
sold it too--i know dang well it didnt get stolen. but i aint going to jail for
anything now unless its worth it--and a rear end aint worth it.

and yes "rear end" was a pun............;)
 
#3 ·
I would suggest looking at an 8.8" Ford Explorer rear end. They're reasonably cheap and with the cost savings you could have a machine shop re-drill the axles for your Chevy wheels and have a few $$ left.
 
#6 ·
If you go with the Chevy 12 bolt you can always install the C clip eliminator kit. The only thing you need to remember is that it's wise to get the correct carrier for the gears you're going to run. I used a spacer in my 12 bolt when I put 4:56 gears in it because I didn't have the money for a 4 series posi carrier. I sheared all the ring gear bolts street racing a dude on Colorado Blvd. one Saturday night in Pasadena.
 
#8 ·
A 12 bolt Chevy rear from a camaro is not only hard to come by (especially on an island) its worth about 1500 bucks in as is condition. If you buy it don't cut it up for c clip eliminators. Value goes down. I love 12 bolts and have one in my 35 with all the trimmings but a ford 9" is strong and you could always upgrade the axles after the build. You said it yourself that you don't dump the clutch anyway. I'd go 9 inch and keep the 12 bolt for that guy who needs original date code 12 bolt. Maybe put the proceeds toward the build.
 
#12 ·
thats an idea too--buy collin's 1st gen F-body 12 bolt and try to sell it.
but ive never been a 'flipper', and i have REALLY bad luck with getting
stuck with something and not being able to sell it. (case in point--my
78 vette. 2 years ago i redid EVERYTHING mechanical from the radiator
to the rear wheel bearings. its got a home brewed 540hp 461" with a .590" lift
108LC cam. everything has less than 4K miles. the LOW book is $16K, i have
had it for sale over a year and cant even get $9K...........)

i guess im at the '6 in one hand half dozen in the other' point yet again.
either way ill figure something out.

as far as people "not needing to hear about hating fords"...
dude--seriously.
its a joke, not a d*ck. dont take it so hard.

( see? that was ALSO a joke.....)
 
#10 ·
I came across a complete Ford 9" for a hundred bucks and I'm trying to build this car as inexpensively as possible. I don't need to hear about hating Fords this is a toy for me. I don’t know how mechanically inclined you are, but you could always narrow it yourself and 9 inch parts are much more common. The 9 inch does take more power than any other rear to actually turn, but it is strong (known fact) and has lots of parts available.
 
#13 ·
First off. There are other ways to deal with morons. May not get your money back, but cost them more than they owe you. MUCH MORE!!
The other, is there any early '60's Olds, Pont. rear ends available on the island? '57 Pont., Olds housing is bolt in to a Camerobird. Strongest rear ends on earth. Ran til the early '80's even in TF. Almost bullet proof. Just look for those old hulks in the bone yards. Don't know if you have the same availability we have here. Or if somebody is snatching them all up.
 
#14 ·
yep, i would LOVE to find one of those 56-62 olds/pontiac 9.3 rear ends
but im more likely to find the hidden treasure of cor du mere here in hawaii,

there isnt anything before 1990 in the junkyards anymore and we lost our
only 'pick-a-part' place a few years ago, some j*rkoff slipped and fell while
climbing over cars and sued them.
as usual, ONE idiot screwed it up for everyone else.

i remember my uncle having one of those big heavy b@st@rds in a 55 chevy
way back when, i *THINK* it had something crazy like a 4:88 gear, he was
super stoked when he found it....
 
#20 ·
broke 3 of them behind a 460 in an 88 stang back in the day...
i'll pass on the 8.8, as i already own the 9" and for what it would
cost to freshen up any rear i could buy the 12 bolt gm already
done (i overhauled it 6 years ago for collin and he never used it...)
 
#21 ·
If you broke an 8.8" in your Mustang, you'd certainly have broken a 12 bolt GM too. They are the same axle! In fact all the internal parts will interchange. Only difference is the 8.8" Ford's 3.25" tubes and 31 splines, vs. 12 bolt's 30 spline.
The 468 BBC and Super T10 haven't been able to blow mine yet. Even when running my big wrinkle wall slicks at the drag strip, and launching wheels up. I have a spare in the shed waiting for it to break, but it still sits there waiting patiently.
 
#22 ·
... I have a spare in the shed waiting for it to break, but it still sits there waiting patiently.


now thats a true hotrodder--the 'just in case' parts stash.
yep, ive broken just about everything you can break and a
few things that made people say 'how the heck didja break
one of THOSE'?!?!?!!

i guess i just happen to be one of those people who can break
rocks in a sandbox........

:p
 
#23 ·
pretty sure im going to just end up using the ford 9" rear axle, because--

1) i already own it.
2) no "C" clips.
3) junkyard treasure hunt may net me another 3rd member with
better gears/posi for minimal $$$ outlay.
4) by the time i buy the 12 bolt and eliminate the "C" clips
i can buy steel axles for the 9" and still be ahead.
5) i already have the correct pattern rear rims.
6) the axle is complete, drum to drum.

alrighty, now that i have made that decision its on to the
next billion quandrys, hah hah.... fun, fun. FUN !!!
 
#24 ·
wow, talk about your complete 180's from the last post--
the 3.73 posi 12 bolt is sitting on my trailer in the garage
as well as a set of 15x8 superior rims (slotted mags!) in
chevy pattern, so....

couldnt pass it up, it was all a trade. (trailer this motor
to the shop and back for me, and in exchange you can
have the rear and rims free...)
 
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