Chevy 10 Bolt or Ford 9"

[64Rustin]

My '64 Chevy currently has a 10 bolt rearend under it. I've blown up and replaced the punkin at least 4 times. I have heard that the Ford 9" is a lot stronger rearend. I know that shit happens, but after the current rebuild I really don't want anything blowing up. So, should I make the switch? Another reason I ask is a buddy of mine is willing to give me a Ford 9" for free if I want it.

[Fat Hack]

Easy on the neutral drops and reverse slams, man!! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I've only seen ONE 10-bolt blown up in 20 some odd years...and that guy is a full blown maniac who does things like putting nitrous oxide on his daily driver...hitting the bottle in REVERSE with his foot to the floor...then slamming it into 'drive' without letting up!!

But yes...the Ford 9" IS a stronger rearend...although the jackass I mentioned above has scattered Dana 60 pumpkins with his trademark techniques...so it will still come down to how ya drive it!!!

[RileyRacing]

Is it the "original" style 10 bolt, or a later one? If it is the original, and you are HARD on the car, then replace it. If it is a later style 10 bolt, and you are hard on the car, then maybe you should evaluate how you drive. With a souped up engine and a heavy ass car like that, a 10 bolt may be a little too small. If ya wanna beat on your car all the time (and who doesn't http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif) then upgrade. BTW, my old 64 had that old style 10 bolt, and it was sorta rough finding parts. Thank God for NAPA!

Jay

[OutLaw]

I used to destroy rear ends every friday night, Until... I steped up to a 9 in. since then I haven't had any problems.
31 spline axles and the best but I've been running 28 and have not had any problems even when I had a spool in it. Also the 9 in is so much easier to switch out gear ratios. ( night at the drags or driving cross country )

[porknbeaner]

I prefer the 9" to the 10 bolt for a lot of reasons.
First off they are a stronger rearend.
Like the 10 bolt they will wear out but you don't have to lay under the car to rebuild/set one up. The drop out chuck is a big plus.
Like someone has mentioned, gear changes are a snap. You can have several set up on the bench. With a little practice a 30 minute gear change is a piece of cake.
Even if the 9" your buddy has is rough you can't beat the price.

[Rocket88]

I broke my share of those in my 56 Chev. I got to be pretty damn speedy at changing a pumpkin.
A 9" is definately stronger then a 10 bolt, but what year 10 bolt are you talking about? I would try to stay with a Chev rear end, 10 or 12 bolt, just to keep the wheel bolt pattern the same.

[fab32]

Anyone who isn't breaking 10 bolt rearends is just not puttng any real horsepower through them or is using skinny street tires and running on shitty pavement. A 10 bolt just isn't up to the program when its stressed. I would go to a 9" if you have a serious breakage problem. One thing to keep in mind is that you not only have to find or make a 9" that is the right width but you have to duplicate the mounting hardware on the housing to mount it in your car. All in all a lot of work but when your done the rearend breaking problems will be a thing of the past.

[38Chevy454]

Several items I see here.
1) A 10-bolt should hold up to street rires and up to a healthy small block in terms of power.
2) Your 10-bolt should be the 8.2-inch variety, the later (70's) 8.5 inch is stronger.
3) A 9-inch is much stronger than any 10-bolt. It also will have the wrong bolt pattern to match your Chevy, you need 5 on 4.75. The rearend is probably 5 on 4.5 or 5 (car) or 5 on 5.5 (truck)
4) The 9-inch is not even close to any type bolt-in, you will have to weld new mounts on it to make it work.

The easiest solution to your problem is to find a 12-bolt Chevy rearend from a 66-67 Malibu or El Camino. But those are pretty high demand and they will cost you. Those will bolt in. A later 68-72 rearend is about 1 inch per side wider, but still a bolt-in. 12-bolts form these are more popular and easier to purchase.

If you are going to put a 9-inch in your car, the best is to find a 67-69(??) Cougar (or Mustang). The Cougars have 9-inch and it's narrow enough to fit your car. Still have to weld the mounts and change the bolt pattern, or just get wheels with different bolt pattern and hope you don't get a flat.

[Hot Rod To Hell]

What exacltly are you breaking??? I had a 7.5" 10 bolt in my 78 malibu (13 second car) and I went through 2 factory gear sets, 3 factory type posi units, and 3 axles. My 75 Nova (12 second car) has an 8.5" 10 bolt, and I set it up with richmond gears and an "EZ Locker", and that thing's held up really well so far. I have a 9" in my chevy II (10 second car) and that is bulletproof, HOWEVER, there are NO factory parts in mine (Aftermarket housing, Strange center and spool, Richmond gear, moser axles). One thing to consider is that while a 9" is definitely stronger, it also takes more power to turn than a 10 or 12 bolt. (recently people have devised a way to put 12 bolt gears into a 9" case, supposed to be the best of both)

[64Rustin]

These are the responses I was hoping for. They give me some facts to think about. The 10 bolt is the old style. The two times I remember it breaking, the pinion shot out of the front of the punkin. This required a replacement punkin each time. One time it broke on New Year's Eve and I remember laying on ice and snow on New Year's day replacing the punkin... fun fun fun. I was very hard on the car then. I most likely won't be as hard on it now as I was then. Currently it has a 3.73 posi in it that whines, so if I keep the 10 bolt, it will need setup. If I opt for the 9", this same buddy is going to cut the brackets off the current rearend and then weld them to the 9" (also for free). Then I will get axles made with the Chevy bolt pattern. I like what I'm hearing about the gear changes in the 9" being a snap. I don't know how often I would actually change the gears, but it's a nice option. I'm not completely sure, but I believe the 9" is from a Mustang.

[SimonSez]

My 2 cents worth ...

Assuming that you have two pumpkins with different gears set up and ready to go, changing the pumpkins is the same for the 9" and 55-64 Chev 10 bolt. But, there is a much better selection of gears available for the 9".

There are no other rears that are a bolt-in. The Chevelles use a triangulated 4-link and the 64 Chev is a 3-link with panhard bar.

If you are going to be welding brackets onto a new rear, you may as well do it to a 9".

While you are doing it, add the brackets for a second upper control arm. They are not hard to fabricate. See this web site for details, http://www.bruneauperformance.ca/409chevyracingposirearendparts.html