Which rear end ?

[KPoole9008]

I am building a one off rod. It should weigh around 2500 lbs. It will have a Chevy 350 with a 270 cam, tunnel ram with two Edelbrock 500 carbs. a vacuum distributor, a Turbo 350 tranny with a shift kit. I want to have good take off, midrange performance and as good as possible fuel milage. I know this is asking a lot from the setup, but I want the best I can get. I am going to the junkyard this weekend and need to know what car I need to look for. Thanks

 

[RPM]

2 fours on a tunnel ram won't get good fuel mileage. For really good take off and the best fuel mileage possible. I would not use a 350 trans but a 700r4 or the 200. They have a much lower first gear in them and they have overdrive.

 

[mikesplumbing]

The guys here on the forum talked me into an S-10 2wd rear end, and it has a width of 54 3/8 drum to drum. I would check craigs list first because it might be cheaper. When I looked for mine I had a choice of over a dozen in one week, I guess it depends on where you live but you can get them all day long for about $50.00 where I live (Milwaukee area).

Just a note on tunnel rams, they look awesome but keep in mind they like to operate in the mid to upper rpm range. Some buddies of mine that race tell me that carb tuning on tunnel rams is very crucial for an effective set-up. Just my two cents

Mike

 

[ChestersAlive]

I am building a one off rod. It should weigh around 2500 lbs. It will have a Chevy 350 with a 270 cam, tunnel ram with two Edelbrock 500 carbs. a vacuum distributor, a Turbo 350 tranny with a shift kit. I want to have good take off, midrange performance and as good as possible fuel milage. I know this is asking a lot from the setup, but I want the best I can get. I am going to the junkyard this weekend and need to know what car I need to look for. Thanks

I ran a ranger for several years with a 1970 Corvette 375 HP/350 on NOS and the rear end held up fine. It had a best time of 93 MPH in an 1/8 mile, with a close ratio muncie 4-speed. It would lift the left front tire clear when it launched. The ranger rear accepted the chevy u-joint perfectly. (I used it for street racing and made good money) The ranger rear is narrow, making it ideal for a rod and I think the Ford aerostar has the same rear. If you can find an Eddie Bauer Special they came with posi-traction. Look on the drivers door above the door latch and it will tell you the gear ratio and whether its a posi or not. If you find one in a junkyard DON'T mention its a posi, they might not know. The axles on the ranger were of a bigger diameter than the chevy 10 or 12 bolt. With that setup you'd better at least have a 2500 stall converter. Chester

 

[putz]

My personal opinion I would be really careful with a posi in a bucket. Light car big tires posi and rain are a combination for disaster.JMO

 

[Youngster]

My personal opinion I would be really careful with a posi in a bucket. Light car big tires posi and rain are a combination for disaster.JMO

i strongly agree with putz on this.

Ron

 

[EX JUNK]

i strongly agree with putz on this.

Ron

I have an Eaton posi in the S 10 rear in my car and have driven it in quite a few rain storms and have not experienced any problems what so ever.

Jim

 

[butch27]

Hey: I even have trouble with a posi in my VAN.

 

[benT]

I have an Eaton posi in the S 10 rear in my car and have driven it in quite a few rain storms and have not experienced any problems what so ever.

Jim

Same for me... I've heard that I could be an issue, but never experienced it. I have a similar set up to Jim's

 

[EX JUNK]

Hey: I even have trouble with a posi in my VAN.

Over the years, I have had MANY vehicles with a posi. I spent over 60 years in northeast Ohio with all kinds of foul weather and NEVER experienced ANY bad handling with any posi unit that I had. Now that I live in Florida, with the daily afternoon thunder showers from May to October, I still have not had any problems.

Jim

 

[fordsbyjay]

I wouldn't even think of not having a posi. You would be spinning all the time with a peg leg. You just need to be a little more cautious if the road is wet or slippery but I have posi's in every car I own except my 56 and they are all fine. I find these cars are so light they tend to just up and take off with minimal tire spin anyways. BTW, my little 382 windsor makes 515 hspr and I have skinny little bias ply white walls.

 

[Wild Mango]

i strongly agree with putz on this.

Ron

Perhaps we are confusing a posi (limited slip) and a locker. Lockers are by nature all or nothing and can be dreadful pushers. Posis are generally a bit gentler and of course depending on the configuration some posis will not or only partially clutch up on a trailing throttle, another area where a locker can have the wrong sort of surprise. IMHO a light car like a bucket with big tars doesn't really need a posi or locker, open diff does just fine.