How much power will a 8.5" 10 bolt handle?
02-10-2009, 08:08 AM
#21
8.5" 10 bolts are plenty strong - on street tires you wont hurt it! now if you add slicks and nitrous then i'd worry - i have built at least 50 8.5's and the only people who have broke them were with slicks ,BB and N2o. you can upgrade with cap studs, reinforced cover -30 spline axles if you want - id also suggest having the axle tubes welded to pumkin and with all those upgrades you'll still be cheaper than the cost of a stock 12 bolt
02-10-2009, 05:24 PM
#22
Staging Lane
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Springhill, LA
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8.5" 10 bolts are plenty strong - on street tires you wont hurt it! now if you add slicks and nitrous then i'd worry - i have built at least 50 8.5's and the only people who have broke them were with slicks ,BB and N2o. you can upgrade with cap studs, reinforced cover -30 spline axles if you want - id also suggest having the axle tubes welded to pumkin and with all those upgrades you'll still be cheaper than the cost of a stock 12 bolt
02-16-2009, 01:12 AM
#23
My 406 was a 8.5" killer but that was 564ft/lb at the wheels. Put some money into it and it will hold up though. Be sure to buy GOOD gears or get used to cleaning metal powder out of the housing. Also i learnt the hard way replace the pin going through the unit when its apart....i broke one in the unit and was a major main in the *** to get out.
02-17-2009, 03:18 PM
#24
On The Tree
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Location: Billings Montana
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8.5" 10 bolts are plenty strong - on street tires you wont hurt it! now if you add slicks and nitrous then i'd worry - i have built at least 50 8.5's and the only people who have broke them were with slicks ,BB and N2o. you can upgrade with cap studs, reinforced cover -30 spline axles if you want - id also suggest having the axle tubes welded to pumkin and with all those upgrades you'll still be cheaper than the cost of a stock 12 bolt
02-25-2009, 10:32 PM
#25
Teching In
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I'm putting an 8.5 in my 97 just this week and its turning out great. Got it out of a 2001 ZR2 Blazer for $200. It's got 31 spline axles, accepts the reluctor rings for the 4 channel ABS, and all we had to do was fab up the connections for the stock supension, the hardest being custom fabbing a box with the properly reinforced holes to mount the torque arm on the side of the housing. We're lucky, this was low milage and came with 3.73s and should be good with my modified LT1 with a lot juice. The stock 10 bolt lasted one summer and the pinion started to whine like a wheenie. We've found this is the only GM rearend that damn near bolts into a camaro with the exception moving the suspension hookups...
