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Car 12 bolt in truck

M

MT wheeler

1/2 ton status
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Nov 14, 2005
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Location
Billings, MT
Newbie here and was looking for information on 12 bolts. I tried searching and didn't come up with what I wanted. Maybe I searched wrong, I don't know. What I am after is, has anyone installed a car 12 bolt in their truck? :confused: I am looking to put in a car 12 bolt because of the gear selection available and it also has a larger pinion diameter for more strength. Which cars had the same or close wms-wms as the full size trucks? :dunno: Any info is greatly appreciated.
 
Cars are too narrow if I remember.

There shouldn't really be much difference in parts availablility.
 
They are harder to find , if original , would fetch pretty penny on E-bay . Use the money from sale to buy gears and such for a truck axle .


What you could do , if you had money to burn , and wanted to be different , is an aftermarket 12 bolt , Moser makes new car housings , added to truck width tubes :D
 
pauly383k10 said:
They are harder to find , if original , would fetch pretty penny on E-bay . Use the money from sale to buy gears and such for a truck axle .


What you could do , if you had money to burn , and wanted to be different , is an aftermarket 12 bolt , Moser makes new car housings , added to truck width tubes :D
Click to expand...

This is kinda what I was thinking. Correct me if I am wrong but truck gear ratios are only available to 4.56 and car ratio has a much better selectio. I am trying to stick with the 12 bolt for the ground clearence, weight, and wheel issues. I was under the impression that 12 bolt axles are 12 bolt axles so I was thinking I could slide my truck axles into a car housing if I found the correct one (impala maybe?).
 
The truck are avaliable to at least 5.38:1. The FF14B is the one that only goes to 5.13:1. If you are going to spend the money on a custom housing i'd use a D60. Just my two cents.
 
Welcome to CK5 and hello from Billings!

I too would suggest looking for a 14 bolt instead... stronger, cheaper & more available (especially around here) I have a buddy in Laurel who had one w/ 4:10s for sale for pretty cheap... if you want I can find out if he's still got it.

Mike
 
Leaf spring 12 bolts were only available in high performance Camaro/Nova They are very narrow. By the time you modify it, you will spend more money than using something else. A custom built race style 12 bolt will run $2500-$3000. If you want to spend this much, a race style D60 will cost the same for a bulletproof unit.

Option 1:
Install the car gears in your existing 12 bolt. A conversion bearing is available to do this.

Option 2:
If you dislike the 14bolt, get a used D60 as mentioned above. Thay are much stronger than a 12 bolt & relatively easy to find for a decent price.
 
1965 to 1970-72 impala 12 bolt rear end (8.875 ring gear dia.)

58 1/4" over all of tube wideth

31 15/32" axle shaft length both

bolt circle is 5 on 4 3/4"

Pinion bearing dia. 1.625" I think that truck 12 bolt rear ends are bigger in the pinion bearing and will not interchange with car???

30 axle spline

thank you
stano
87 K5
 
The Impala rears are all coil spring so you have to modify this. You will also need axles & brakes to make it work unless you want to run car wheels & puny brakes.

The pinion diameter of the trucks are smaller at 1.438" making it weaker than the car.

Add a set of gears, locker, spring perch modifications & it get expensive very fast.
 
1965 67 chevelle

54 1/4" over all tube lenght
29 9/16" axle
30 spline

68-72 chevelle

55 1/4" over all tube length
30 1/8" axle
30 spline

camaro and nova smaller

thank you
stano
87 K5
 
Blasphemy...

As a side note--we sold a Ford station wagon 9" rear end to a guy with a 75 Chevy 1/2 ton 2wd pickup at the junkyard--it had leaf springs,and the pads lined up so close to the chevy ones it bolted in,(just had to pry the springs out a tad)-and it even turned out to be a posi,with 3.40 gears if I remember right..I think the wagon was a mid 70's LTD,or Mercury "Colony Park" full size wagon (it was a "woody",with the fake woodgrain wallpaper on it :haha: )--it even had 5 on 5" bolt pattern.which matched the chevy's original 2wd lug pattern.. :crazy:

The driveshaft didnt fit anymore though..the guy took the wagon's drivshaft,and he had a machine shop chop it,and mate it to his original one..I think he could have found one that would have fit had he looked around the yard some more..I think the wagon used the same "outside clip" U-joint as the chevy truck did--it was the chuck on the ford rear axle was longer than the GM axle was that caused the driveshaft dilema.. :crazy:

I bet some guy is out there somewhere, who bought that truck,wondering WTF his Chevy pickup is doing having FORD brake shoes in the rear ..or why he can't "pull the diff cover" like the book says,to change the lube or replace wheel bearings! :what: :dunno: :screwy: :rotfl:
 
stano said:
1965 to 1970-72 impala 12 bolt rear end (8.875 ring gear dia.)

58 1/4" over all of tube wideth

31 15/32" axle shaft length both

bolt circle is 5 on 4 3/4"

Pinion bearing dia. 1.625" I think that truck 12 bolt rear ends are bigger in the pinion bearing and will not interchange with car???

30 axle spline

thank you
stano
87 K5
Click to expand...


I thought that too. I did some checking on the internet and found the truck pinion was acutally smaller :confused: I would have figured it to be bigger being in a truck and all. Maybe I was misled--then again if it is on the net it must be true right? Ha Ha :haha:

Maybe I will just go with the 14 bolt. I was unaware that 5.38 gears were available. I thought it only went to 5.13. That makes a difference in my book. I already have the gears for the front so that would work for me.

Oops I though I read 5.38 for a 14bolt. Guess my eyes are bigger than my stomach. :doah:
 
MT wheeler said:
...the truck pinion was acutally smaller :confused: I would have figured it to be bigger being in a truck and all.
Click to expand...

True. The truck 12B pinion shaft diameter is around 1.3 - 1.4". The car 12B pinion shaft diameter is 1.7-something. IIRC, the truck 10B has a bigger pinion shaft diameter than the truck 12B....
 
[knock on wood] I know they are smaller , but how come I ain't chucked one yet , my tranny shifts hard :wink1: [knocks on wood ]
 
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