rear end swap in 1961 tbar

[hop sing]

got a ? for u guys i have a 61 with the eaton rearend ? third member set up ,my ? is will a 63 thru 72 12 bolt,,, bolt in without modification of trailing arms mounts and the trac bar ? is it a direct fit thx for ur time Hop

[Joe Pass]

In my 62 I used a 65 rear end and dumped the Eaton. You will have to move the spring perches out ward 1"+ and modify the panhard bar. You can get from Speedway a relocation kit just for this. I cut off my panhard bar bracket and welded it to the 65 rear housing and transferred the perches from the original rear housing (the hard way) The kit is better for the time it takes. The drive line bolts up with no issues. A later 12 bolt gives you more options like self adjusting brakes and any gear ratio. One thing to remember that a 12 bolts are the same width until about 67-68 then they are wider by about 1/2" per side than original. good luck...Joe

[Joe Pass]

I'm having problems uploading pictures of my swap, so if you PM me an email address I will send about 10 pictures that show what I did and should make it clearer. Joe

[61K10]

Joe still have the eaton? I grew up is cazadero and my mom and dad lived in windsor mobile home park by the old water slide. pm me if you have the old eaton.

kimble

[61K10]

Joe still have the eaton? I grew up is cazadero and my mom and dad lived in windsor mobile home park by the old water slide. pm me if you have the old eaton.

kimble

[hop sing]

Thx guys for info ,, looks like I,ll look for a 67-68 and get the kit from speed way is there apart # for kit ? Oh also just throwing out there any one got a eaton posi unit ?i know there rare , but I thought I,d try thx for your time Hop

[Joe Pass]

Hop Sing , I will send some pictures ASAP to your emal
61K10 I don't have the eaton anymore, sorry about that....Joe

[Joe Pass]

Hop Sing
Item # 91006072 in the speedway online catalog is the kit 169.99

[hop sing]

Originally Posted by Joe Pass

Hop Sing
Item # 91006072 in the speedway online catalog is the kit 169.99

Thx Joe appreciate it thx for pics , my friend found me a 12 bolt 4.11 gear posi 6 lug not sure what year it is guess I measure mine and compare , is there a way to read the numbers on the. 12 bolt to determine year it came out of thx hop

[Joe Pass]

On the axle tube between the center section and the spring perch will be numbers (can't remember which side) towards the top facing forward. Clean it off and you will have the numbers for its application. You will have to search on this site or another member might be able to break down the code number because I don't have access to a listing. I'm sure if you post the number on here someone will chime in...If its 2 wheel drive they used 6 lug to 1970 then five after that. 4 wheel drive carried the 6 lug way past on the twelve bolts. The 2 wheel drive will have the perches at an angle like mine. 4 wheel uses leaf springs and the perches will be on the axle strait in stead of angled and also the perches are on the bottom of the axle for height...Joe

[hop sing]

Originally Posted by Joe Pass

On the axle tube between the center section and the spring perch will be numbers (can't remember which side) towards the top facing forward. Clean it off and you will have the numbers for its application. You will have to search on this site or another member might be able to break down the code number because I don't have access to a listing. I'm sure if you post the number on here someone will chime in...If its 2 wheel drive they used 6 lug to 1970 then five after that. 4 wheel drive carried the 6 lug way past on the twelve bolts. The 2 wheel drive will have the perches at an angle like mine. 4 wheel uses leaf springs and the perches will be on the axle strait in stead of angled and also the perches are on the bottom of the axle for height...Joe

perfect mahalo Joe i saw the 12 bolt rear end a while back ago and i remember the perches being at a angle and it is a six lug too,,,,,,,i just remembered i have a 10 bolt posi out of a 69 camaro i had totally spaced on it has 3.73 in it too exactly what i wanted ,has anybody used a passenger car rearend into our trucks ?i know the axle bolt pattern is a lot smaller 5x4 3/4,,, but I can get new axles with six lug pattern i think ? figure money i save using what i got i can afford another set of new axles ,

[Joe Pass]

A lot of car rearends are used in trucks, for example my 56 truck I run a 12 bolt Camaro rearend and a Mustang 2 front cross member with 11' rotors 4 3/4 wheel pattern. It depends on what you want for the truck, on my 62 I kept the 6 lug rear axles with a disc conversion (6 lug). The 12 bolt is stronger than a 10 bolt Camaro rearend just by physical size. It cost almost the same to buy car axles/bearings as it does truck ones and you still have to move the perches. I like 6 lug application for my truck, but if the wheels you want aren't in a 6 pattern then a 5 lug car may be more desirable. It boils down to cost and personal choice.
Don't let a 40 year old Posi in a 10 bolt sway you, you can always install one later when its more affordable and upgrade to a more modern version at the same time.
If it were me I would do truck for truck swap keeping things in perspective and drive the truck. Up grade things as it becomes affordable.
I have a history with GM rearends and the real reason people use Posi's is for off road/racing apllications, so unless you want to run your truck at the track, don't bother with it now... my 2 cents...Joe

[Captainfab]

The truck 12 bolts are the same width from '63 to early '70, at 62". Then in late '70 the width increased 1.5" to 63.5". The '60-'62 Eaton HO32's are 62".

[hop sing]

Thx Joe and Capt , here u on 10 bolt Joe and thx cap ended up pickin up the 12 bolt from my buddy , it's a 12 bolt posi out of either 67 or 68 1/2 ton camper special , and has split rims ,very low miles truck only had 70 k miles on it cracked the cover and surprise gear oil still greenish not burnt no smell gears looked great ,,,looks like 4.11 ,will know tomorrow ,hardest part of this swap will be getting the old drums off there fricking frozen on , thx for all the help aloha hop

[Joe Pass]

Great, keep us posted...
Have you checked out "www.JalopyJournal.com". Its a similar forum that has social groups and the "HAMB" message board section is like the 67-72chevytruck.com. My user name is the same one here "Joe Pass". Check me out there if you want and see my other albums and posts. If you do, you can see the social groups I'm in that apply to our trucks.
This site is based on "tradition" builds and history so Its different avenue for information...Joe