I will take a guess on weight of at least 90pds. I know a posi unit with gears is about 110pds. I will try & get a quote by Monday or Tuesday. And no, I don't have a posi for a '61-'62. I don't have any '65-'66/400's left. I do have a few '64's. One I just took out of a '64 Riv. recently. I did a shift kit in it & I know it's good. Tom T.
Just FYI, you can run a '63-'65 posi unit in the earlier cars, you just have to have the axles resplined.
Re: '59 buick rear end question (applies to 56) I found this thread and rather than start a new one I thought I would just continue the discussion. I'm looking for some clarification regarding 63 to 65 axle length compared to 56 and later. I understand the splines are different (30 vs 33), what about the axle bearing size? http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=578566 As some of you will know I was planning on changing my rear end to a Ford 9 inch and Chev truck trailing arms to accomodate the SP400 conversion. I had read somewhere that a Buick centre from 61 and 62 fullsize cars could only be fitted to 57 and later housings so I didn't even consider that as an option. I now understand that my 56 housing will also accept a later style centre, and that way I could use my 12 inch rear drums and keep it all Buick. :grin: So, my options appear to be: Find a 61, 62 centre and use my 56 axles. I would really like a posi, like many of us here, but know they are rare these days. Use a 63-65 Riviera posi centre (any issues with these centres regarding new parts ie gears / posi parts? breakages or are they pretty tough as well?) If using a 63-65 Centre, will the 63-65 axles bolt straight into a 56 - 62 housing? or do I need to get custom axles made or have mine resplined. Im guessing that resplining reduces the outside diameter so unless they needed to be shortened that wouldn't work? Below link states 63 axles are smaller diameter so that may work. Are the 63-65 axles strong enough for some strip use without any concern? http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?70504-66-Gran-Sport-posi-into-a-63-Riviera What can I expect to pay for a good 63-65 posi and axles (with a 3.07-3.23 ratio) anyone have a spare they want to sell? Im hoping someone can share some more knowledge regarding this. Thanks, Ross
Re: '59 buick rear end question (applies to 56) Good luck finding a '61-'62 posi unit. I've only come across one, and it had 2.78 gears. The '63-'65 units are A LOT more common for whatever reason. The early bearings are different than the later bearings. And as such, the later axles will not bolt in to an earlier housing. I tried to put a later posi unit in my '62, and just gave up because it wasn't worth it. You can get custom axles made to make the later posi work in an earlier housing. But, that is a spendy solution. Also, I know I said earlier that you could just get the axles re-splined. I was misinformed. An old V8 member told me he did this to run a later posi in an early housing. But when I called around to actually have it done, I was heavily cautioned against it, since cutting off that much material would likely cut through the factory hardening on the shafts. So in reality, your options are either to find an early posi unit and use the big axle shafts (although a posi will be hard to come by), find a later posi unit and get custom axle shafts ($500 for a posi, $350 for axle shafts), or build a custom rear end. Personally, I would build a custom axle (Ford 9in) like you were planning to do. There is MUCH more aftermarket support, and you'll never have to worry about getting parts if you break something. In terms of prices, I just sold a 3.07 posi unit from a '63 Wildcat for $500. I've seen them go higher, and I've seen them go lower. I've also got a spare set of '63-'65 axle shafts with bearings and retaining plates if your interested. I'll sell them for what I've got into them.
Thanks Andy for the great information. Buick rear ends virtually don't exist down here so everything would have to be shipped. I have just found a couple of 63-65 posi centres ranging from $295 for a rebuilder to $600 for one in "great condition", but no guarantee, so anything second hand is a gamble. If the later Buick rear ends are tough and reliable I would consider doing the job once, possibly have one rebuilt, and hope it lasts forever. A new set of axles and a centre section would possibly be less expensive than buying a complete new Ford rear, but I like the idea of parts availability. It looks like I need to reconsider my options again. Ross ---------- Post added at 05:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:39 PM ---------- Searched a bit more and found some great information here Post #3 http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.p...-early-Buick-rear-do-parts-interchange-Monzaz Thanks to Sean (Buford 27)
Thanks Andy for the " good luck " finding a posi. It worked.:TU: They are obviously still out there. I found a 61-62 33 spline 3.23 posi at http://www.rearsgears.com/ John had it sitting on a shelf, it was a bit dirty but he ran a pattern on the gears and he said it was right where it should be. Hopefully no major surprises when I eventually get it on the road. Now I just have to get a driveshaft, and some truck arms and, and , and............ but making progress :laugh:
WOW, Look how dumb I was years ago. I think I have come a long way from what I knew....lol . Things have sure changed in 4 years. I have parted out a lot of rears since then. Jim
