rear end swap

[63longfleet]

Will the rear end out of a 72 c10 swap into my 63 lwb? i Know the 73-87 rears are wider but dont think i have ever read about the 67-72 widths

[NevEno]

I used one out of a 71 c10. It was 1.5" wider than my 64 rearend. I think 63 and 64 are the same. The panhard bar will have to be changed.

[frankslagoon]

mid way thru 70 they changed the width . maybe 71? pretty sure it was 70

[Captainfab]

A '71 12 bolt will be 1.5" wider than a '63 to early '70 12 bolt. The '63 and '64 use the longer panhard bar with the mount on the passenger side axle tube. You can use the shorter '65-'72 panhard bar, but you will have to put a slight bend in it at the end that mounts to the frame bracket. Or you could also change the frame bracket to one from a '65-'72

[chevyrestoguy]

When they went to the 5x5 bolt pattern in 1971, the width increased 1.5". Not sure why they decided to increase the width, but I always assumed that it was in preparation for the redesign in '73 and it was a cost-saving measure.

[chevy_mike]

Originally Posted by chevyrestoguy

When they went to the 5x5 bolt pattern in 1971, the width increased 1.5". Not sure why they decided to increase the width, but I always assumed that it was in preparation for the redesign in '73 and it was a cost-saving measure.

IIRC it was due to the change to disc brakes up front. This brought the wheels out .75" per side, so they needed to do the same with the rear end, hence it being 1.5" wider.