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What rear end will fit my 76 ?

3K views 5 replies 3 participants last post by  Big Dave 
#1 ·
I have a 1976 Impala Landau with a 350 2 barrel that ive owned for about 4 months . Last week i started to hear a grinding noise and took it to a mechanic who told me that it was my rear end diffefential . I asked what exactly it was and he said the bearings just by listening to it . I want to buy a whole used rear end prefferably a posi but being that the car is so wide i dont know what will fit . Could any one help me out as far as what cars in the junk yard will have a rear end wide enough to fit? Or can i have the bearings replaced?
 
#2 ·
Getting the bearings replaced would be the cheapest way. Replacing the entire rear end would lead you into replacing broken brake lines, hoses, shoes, cables, and shocks plus the aggravation of stubborn bolts. And the rear you buy may be in worse shape than the one you have.
 
#3 ·
You will need a set of wheel bearings and two new axels most likely. You need to find out if you need 28 spline or 30 spline axels (the ten bolt has the smaller 28 spiline axels). If the bearings inside the differential are worn out then it will need a full rebuild which requires a skilled mechanic and a few specialized tools.

As to replacements any 1971-'76 rear axel will be a direct bolt in replacement and it can come out from under any full size GM car. If you are buying used look for a 12 as it is the stronger of the two rear ends and was used under all high horsepower applications or were there was a lot of weight involved.

Big Dave
 
#6 ·
Wheel bearings are fairly easy to replace, not the bearings inside the case that support the differential, and the pinion gear. The GM C-clip rear end design uses the axel as the inner bearing race (instead of a hardened steel machined bearing race) so once the bearings wears through the thin hardened exterior of the axel it quickly saws the end off the axel leaving you stranded, and with a lot of sheet metal damage when the rear wheel leaves the car to go on a walk about.

You have no choice but to buy replacement axels. I do not recommend used axels as you are paying for a commodity that is mostly consumed by the time you get it. The axels are induction hardened only a few thousandths of an inch and most of that is worn away over time (I will resist stating that I am one of only a few people in the world that knows how to design and build a radio frequency transformer used to harden those axels).

Yukon makes the cheapest replacement if I am not mistaken. But at this point your Chevrolet service counter might still have a set a in the back room that they might want to move. Personally if you ever intend a future modification of your power, now is the time to upgrade to a 12 bolt rear end, or if not a 12 bolt from Spicer (or my favorite from Moser) then a Dana 60 from Currie or Moser or some other rear end specialty house set up to be a direct bolt in. The 10 bolt won't hold much above 400 horsepower without breaking under abuse (also known as spinning the tires).

Big Dave
 
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