Projects 68 Camaro 10 bolt in 41 ford??

Hey guys, it's me again. Found a 68 Camaro 10 bolt that's not too far away for a couple hundred bucks, from what I see it appears to be 60" outside drum to drum. My question is will this be too wide for the fordor? I would like to have some meaty rear tires. Anyone use this setup? 3.08 gears so should be decent cruising I think.

 

It depends on your wheel offset. I put a 56.5" WMS to WMS in my 41 PU (completely different animal than yours) and built chrome reverse wheels for it (7" wide with the minimum 2" backspacing) the fit is spot on with 720 tires. So my 7" wheels, from outside rim to outside rim measures 66.5" (56.5" + 7" + 7" - 4" for the offsets) If I had used that Camaro axle I would have had 74" outside rim to outside rim and would have required 3.25" of negative offset to achieve the same fit. And that means no reverse wheels which I desired.

If I am correct your factory axle is 62.5" WMS to WMS. So your Camaro rear end would save an inch and a quarter per side. Leaving room for more tire and wheel.

Will it fit? Yep, with the right offset and tire width.

 

The first gen camaro rears are a good replacement for tri 5 chevies. Lots of folks in your shoes used to look for 1st gen Bronco rear ends. They were about 58". Then you have the early (pre 68),Chevy 2 rears coming in at much the same except they aren't as strong. I ran onebehind a 300 hp 350 for years and the new owner still has it under there. There are options.

 

Yes, this is a good rear end for your 41. Ch***is Engineering has a good kit that will allow you to do a complete bolt in rear suspension, should not even need to modify axel pads. I have this rear in my 41 pickup, the 3.08 seems to be a good all around ratio for medium performance engine (less than 300HP). And good parts availability, both brakes and seals/bearings. Good luck.

 

Verify the gear ratio. I have come across several 69 Camaro 10 bolts that were advertised as having 3.08 and they were actually 2.56

 

The 1st Gen Camaro 10 bolts are not nearly as strong as the 2nd Gen 8.5" 10 bolts. If your '40 has much power, and wide tires it could result in a broken rear axle. I'd try to find a 1970's 10 bolt myself.
Or better yet I'd get a late 80's to early 90's 8.8"Ford axle. Crazy strong, Ford small bolt pattern, and readily available at wrecking yards for under $250 with open or posi 3rd member. And they're 58.5" with a drum brake setup. 59.5" for later disc brakes.

 

Wow lots to think about here, thanks guys.

 

I think 1st gen Camaro is Wm to Wm. 2nd gen is 61”.

 

I’ve got a first gen bronco in my 46 it’s it’s about as narrow as possible with out cutting the inner fenders for clearance. I can fit a 16x10 wheel no trouble. The camaro should be perfect

 

The ford 8.8 from a ranger or exploder? I was worried about the offset pinion on the explorer rear, and also the different length axles on them. I would like to not have to shorten a tube or anything, bolt and go is more my speed. Thanks!

 

I used a '70 Ford Torino 9"-2:75 under our '41. Was a perfect fit. Found some rims in a junkyard with 3.5" offset a bingo.

 

I used a '74 Camaro 10 bolt under my '38 Ford pickup. Width was perfect using '70s 15" full size Chevy wheels.