10 bolt 12 bolt

[68400BIRD]

I need some advice.

I have a 1968 Firebird with a 400 motor. I'm not looking to have more than 500hp. This will be a streed driven car with no strip time at all. Just a fun cruiser that can hit the turns and handle pretty good.

The car came with a 2nd gen rearend in it and it was all cobbled together. I sold it as soon as I found out it did not fit right.

Over the next couple of months I bought a 12 bolt rearend with the correct width but it needs wheel bearings and seals at a minimum. It is a 3:08 open rearend.

I then thought that I hit the jackpot with a craigslist find. It was suppose to be a 10 bolt with 3:73 posi. It ended up being a 1972 or 73 8.5 10 bolt with 2:73 open rear. He ended up giving it to me.

I just found a (JY G264 1W) which looks to be a 1973 8.5 posi with 3:42 gears. Price is around $400-$500.

Money is real tight and I cannot afford to make the 12 bolt the way I want it right now. I can fix the bearings and seals and add a posi and new gears down the road. Install new perches and bolt it in.

or

I can sell both rear ends and put the money towards the recently found 10 bolt. The 12 bolt would have the cool factor but it is probably not needed for my motor combo. I would also like to put a overdrive tranny in down the road. I'm not sure if the gears would be a good combo with a over drive. Any ideas or comments are welcome.Thanks

[big gear head]

What is the 12 bolt out of? Is the '73 rear end a Camaro or Nova rear end? What about the other rer end with the 2.73 in it? What is it out of?

[68400BIRD]

I'm not sure what the 12 bolt is out of. I'm going to check numbers tonight or ask for your help on that. It's around 60" from axle to axle so I assume it's out of a Nova or 1st gen Camaro.

The 73 rear end has a code of JY G264 1W and it was taken out of a 1st gen camaro but not sure if it is original. The rearend with the 2:73 is out of a 73 Nova with mono leaf perches. Thats the rearend you and I have talked about a few times.

[68400BIRD]

The 12 bolt has a code of BL 0926 G1

Which looks to be 68-69 sept 26th 3:07 open carrier

[speedster]

A 8.5" 10 bolt can easily handle 500hp.

[68400BIRD]

A 8.5" 10 bolt can easily handle 500hp.

It's kind of hard to explain. LOL I know the 10 bolt is fine for my application. I know 12 bolts are getting harder to find and the combo of 400-400-12 bolt has a better sound to it. I just don't want to regret getting rid of the 12 for a 10 bolt. I will need to spend around 1,000-1,200 to get the 12 bolt to where the 10 bolt is with the posi and decent gears. Theres no right or wrong answer. I think I just have to many options.

[big gear head]

BL is '68 and '69 Camaro with 3.07 gears and standard differential.

[TGVettes]

I must say I like the 10 Bolt 8.5" rears. I have road raced them with fairly decent amount of HP so properly put together they will hold up for your engine combo. So my personal choice would be to take the 73 3.42 posi rear end and bolt it in. I also think that you should be able to pick it up for $350-400 at $500 it should be all rebuilt. Now you say you like the sound of having a 12 bolt better so in that situation I would fix the 12 bolt run it with the open 3.08 until you can afford a posi and gears.