Hell they retube rearends all the time! Why is everyone so afraid of this one? Pontiac and Oldsmobile ain’t making them anymore! I’ve seen Mopar 8 3/4” and ford 9” retubed.
I would probably start with getting a wire wheel on my corded 4.5 angle grinder and wire wheeling all the scuzziness off the outside of that rear end to see what you actually have to work with. It looks pretty badly pitted But looks can be deceiving. Right now it looks like you got one pinhole and a lot of pits but once you wire wheel it it may look like the nighttime sky in the country with no moon when you look though it with a light on the outside. I do agree with the guys that have commented that it currently looks like a "yikes" But that being said I got questions like what is it going on, what kind of power is it making, What are you going to be using it on, What kind of suspension is going on it as these are all things that may make a difference. If it's going back under a stockish car I would probably weld the hole up and call it good (supposing that was the only hole, after using a wire wheel) and some real good quality rustoleum type black paint to hopefully prevent it from rusting anymore, It would probably be just fine. Now that being said Being that it is a m*** produced General Motors rear end from the 1950s I would imagine that if you look for it you will find it somewhat locally even if you are out in the sticks. It isn't exactly a rare car by any means even though it isn't common today there was probably way more then a million or more units made And I would imagine being That it is general motors the rear axle is probably used between a few of the makes and probably for a few years too. You just need to find out what years the rear end was used in and it'll help your search As you will have more vehicles to search for if you decide to replace it with the same unit. If it isn't going to be easily seen (I know this site is a traditional website but there is a lot of things on all of our cars that isn't exactly traditional we just pretend that it is lol ) something to think about Since there is a chance of replacing it don't forget to look at late model junk, for example a Ford 8.8 out of a 2000ish Ford ranger is 58 inches wide, usually has a limited slip and are as common as Teslas on a los Angeles roadway plus there is a ton of aftermarket support, The Ford explorer is 59½" I believe, it has disc brakes And it was probably the number one selling SUV for 15 years in a row. The only bad side is is both of those vehicles the third member is slightly offset to the p***enger side (right side). Also a mention there are mustangs (fox body cars), panther platform cars, F-150 work trucks and a handful of other vehicles That all used the 8.8 all with different lengths and widths some the third member are centered some not so much. Heck it's a little hard to find these days but find a 1993 ranger with a "4 point oh" And you will more then likely find the holy Grail of the stock 8.8's a 56-inch wide one with 3.54 gears and limited slip. The unfortunate part is you will probably have to drill it to get the proper lug pattern for your car which isn't a lot of money but it does add up between the cost of the rear end, going to the machine shop to have them drill the wheel studs plus the gaskets, oil etc etc... It should also be mentioned that if you're going to go through the headache of changing brackets and all that good stuff on the rear end anyways You could go with a later model GM rear end with the same bolt pattern It just involves some research. Plus side is at a pull the part yourself junkyard a rear axle is usually about 200ish bucks And there are a lot of vehicles to choose from.
They are a fabricated housing with tapered "tubes" (for want of a better word). Not as easy as it seems.
Those tubes are very thin, look at how pocked and wavy the surface is from rust eating away the metal. Just get another rear end and be done with it. Why go to all the work of installing it only to find it bends or leaks somewhere else in 6 months?
Hi all, Well found another one, 57 Pontiac 9.3 100 bucks with a 3.23 gear, and discovered why this on is so badly rusted. The rear axle has a clam shell that hold the bump stop, and the factory u-bolts tighten on it. When they rust water and dirt sit between the shell and tube hence the rust. May try and see what I can do with this housing or put it up for sale as would be good for narrowing, I am building a 36 Chevy Business coupe as a g***er type build, 401 Nailhead with a M20 4 speed so not a ton of hp, but lots of torque Thanks all for the ideas on what to do or not with this housing. Regards, Jim
The Jalopy Journal
