Rear End on my 65 Skylark

[65SkyConv]

Hey, when searching on the web for answers I found this web site. Great I'm not the only one out here. Here's the deal. I got a 1965 Skylark Conv. To give you an Idea of where I'm at with it I can tell you I just got the frame powder coated. Hopefully, you now realize that this car is not assembled. I've had this car since 1980 and it wasn't in great condition then. When I went to rebuild the 300 engine in it I found it was cracked. So in 1981 I went out to a junkyard, bought a 400 small block, and had it balance and rebuilt. I was graduating from High School back then and when I got out I joined the army. So the engine never went in. That engine has been sitting on a rack in a garage every since 1981. My family seems to think I'll never finish it. I'm long since out of the army I've graduated from college and now I'm working in my career with a family. THIS CAR WILL GET DONE! Instead of adding to this novel I will just tell you where I'm at right now-REAR END. I got an 8.2 BOP Ten Bolt. I wanted to rebuild it myself but everyone says I don't have the right presses or other tools I need to do the job. I went to a local Hi Pro shop and they quoted me around $1700 to do the job. My trusted local mechanic quoted $400. on both those quotes I would put on my own brakes. Quite a difference. Now I know I can have a ford 9 inch built for around $3500 with disk brakes. But this car might tow a trailer, might drive to a beach but most of all will carry my family around for a good time on the weekends. OK, I might take it to Formosa drag strip just to see what it can do. Just once or twice when I'm done, but it is mainly being built to look good and be reliable. Now the engine. To advise me you probably want to know what kind of horse power will go into it. If I drop in the 400 small block I will guess that it is about 375 horseys. give or take 10. If I don't put that in then probably a LS-2 at about 400 horses. An automatic overdrive on either choice. So should I replace or rebuild the rear end. I have some money set aside to do this. I have had a few years to save. But I still want to finish this car with excellent body and paint. That will be were most the money goes. If it don't look good I might as well stop. That will take a lot of green.
Now from my research it seems that the 8.2 BOP 10 bolt was the same rear end that they put into the GS SKYLARK that carried the nail head 400 with around 300 horseys. So would assume it is probably stronger than the GM 8.2 with C-Clamps made during that era. Any suggesions.

[izanurse]

I have abused an 8.2 BOP rearend behind my 455 for many years with no problems. Please do not put a cheby or Generic GM motor in that fine car. It is crying for a buick engine. You could do anything from a mild 455 to a 350 or grab a turbo V6 and slip in there. A turbo 200R4 overdrive would handle any of those engines. Most important, build the car to drive like a rental and have a good time with it. Good luck, Allen:TU:

[65SkyConv]

Thanks for the advice.
The more I hear about the older BOP rear end the better I feel about rebuilding the original. I'm still in the air about what engine to put in it but I must say you have got me thinking about staying with Buick drive train. V-6 is out of the question, I'm definitely a V-8 guy but I'll start researching to see if it is a reasonable price to drop a 455 in it. The 400 small block I have is still going to require tearing it down and replacing all gaskets and seals. It's just been sitting to long. It's only a 2 bolt main. It was a dirty running engine in the first place. They were known for that. Additionally, the heads were know for overheating because of poor water circulation. When i was young I thought the 400 small block was good horses for the size but they wouldn't be making 383s if the 400 was a good motor.

The LS-2 that GM makes has still got my attention mainly because of the fuel efficiency. I'm 3 hours away from the beach and I like to go there with the family and a tent trailer.

I agree with building it like a rental car. I want it to look good but I want it to be reliable. No sense in building something you can't drive.

[silverfacechamp]

A 350 properly tuned and not driven like a drag car will get good mileage. My '72 Lark with a 350, 4brl, and auto trans averaged 22mpg all the way from eastern Ohio to North Dakota back in September.

[Ol' Yeller]

I know you are new here but this is posted in a forum for pre 64 Buicks. You might get a better response if you posted this question in the "Bench" section. As for your questions, the original 300 V8 with the high compression pistons and a 4 barrel Carter AFB is also a good performer. If you want to build a race car, that is a different story but a dependable driver that has some grunt can be had with the original motor. As for the rear end, a stock posi rear end with gears around 355:1 are a good combo with the 300. That is what I have in my '65. Unless you have the tools and the knowledge to use them, I'd leave building the rear end to someone who does. Mine cost about $1,000 to be completely rebuilt with a new gearset and 1 new bearing. The problem with buying used that have been sitting is that 1/2 of the gearset has been sitting out of the oil getting rusty inside the pumpkin. That is why I had mine replaced. Good luck with your project!

[65SkyConv]

Yea, I caught that after I posted. I'll go over to "bench" forum and see what I can find. Although I seem to be getting a lot of good advice here. Thanks.

I still have some time to decide on the engine but I am definitely sticking with the 8.2 BOP original rear end. I've already bought some Edelbrock trailing arms that should help tighten up the suspension a bit and if necessary I can drop a torsion bar after it's running. This week I'm going into my mechanic to get the process started. Next task after this is the front suspension.