Grumpy fan

Hazcat

Member
Hi, I'm hot rodding again after a 40 year interlude - I was a go-fer in our neighborhood small-block Chevy gang, until everyone got shipped off to 'Nam, and I got into dirt bikes and VWs. Grumpy Jenkins and his Chevy II was my favorite Stocker during the 60's, and I fell in love with the '67 Nova body style. Fast forward through the river of time, my kids out of the house and it's time for me...
I found a 1967 Chevy II 2-dr sedan roller in the far north of the State a couple of years ago that has pretty solid bones, and am nearly done with the body work, and am starting on my suspension and powertrain.

I'll be replacing the stock suspension with a Church Boys R&P and 4-link, Narrowing a 10-bolt posi with 3.73s and using ford ends, and am about to pull the trigger on a CPT 200R4, hoping that Art Carr is still producing trannies that hold up the tradition.... I remember him from the Hot-Rod mags in the old days!

I have a 350 from a 97 Z71 pickup that I am about to start on, and got a pair of summit vortec heads that I am getting ready to clean up, which is how I stumbled onto this site - a great sticky on porting! I'm hoping to bounce plans off of y'all as I select my components - back in 1969, we kind of just tried stuff and kept the stuff that worked or looked really good, and I'm amazed at how these social networks and the amount of info at a fingertip has changed the hobby! Thanks for the great site!
James
1967 Chevy II sedan
 
Welcome to the forum from Yukon Oklahoma, where abouts do you live?

You might consider building your own 200-4R, it's just more fun when you do it
yourself. There has been two of us that have never built an automatic trans until
we did our first one on this forum. Both are performing really well and are being
used in one application up to 650 HP ....... forgive me Dorian if I got that wrong.

Check out these build threads:
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/tbucket-200-4r-transmission-project.7230/
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...ardening-the-awsome-thm200-4r-slideshow.2949/

BTW, we need pics of those projects. Just page down in the thread below to the
section about posting if you need help.
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/taking-and-posting-clear-photos.5595/

Start your build thread in the section below, that's where most of them seem to
be posted.
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?forums/engine-combos-and-dynometer-database.69/
 
Thanks! I'm in Santa Rosa, North of SF.
Thanks for those links, Rick! Doing my own tranny build would save a save a lot of money, and I've rebuild manuals, but never an automatic. But it can't be that bad! Especially following the lead from successful builders. I've had several people tell me I should just buy a crate motor, but they just don't get it, ya know? :D. I'll get some photos up, but I got to work on the wood pile right now... work and home duties sure get in the way of the important things in life..... horsepower ;-)
best, James
 
Welcome.
Grumpy & me both prefer the Dana 60 for serious dragstrip use & I also like prefer rhe 1957-64 Pontiac Olds 9.3 rear differential.
Both of us left lots of info on both rears.
10-bolt Chevy Nova II Stock rear diff is questionable to spend time to narrow, 4-link it drag race and then race it hard.
Both the Dana 60 & 9.3 Pontiac are period drag race correct and way stronger.
 
Welcome.
Grumpy & me both prefer the Dana 60 for serious dragstrip use & I also like prefer rhe 1957-64 Pontiac Olds 9.3 rear differential.
Both of us left lots of info on both rears.
10-bolt Chevy Nova II Stock rear diff is questionable to spend time to narrow, 4-link it drag race and then race it hard.
Both the Dana 60 & 9.3 Pontiac are period drag race correct and way stronger.

I remember raiding the yard for old Pontiacs! I'm not planning on using the old 8.3 10-bolt that came in the car, I have access to a '92 1500 pickup 8.5 and fresh gears out of a Tahoe front axle road queen for cheap. I have a good buddy with a wrecking yard, so have access to lots of GM trucks. I'm not reproducing a period drag racer, though that would be fun, and it may evolve into that one day. For now am planning on a quick, good handling resto-mod that I can massage into the 12s with some tuning. The sedan is really light, and I think the 8.5 will handle it. I've heard that it has less power loss than the 9". But I'm open to suggestions - I haven't pulled the trigger on any rear end stuff yet.
 
Grumpy will Disagree but the GM 10-bolt rear diff made 1971-2001 & more modern 8.6 GM is pretty tough.
Much better than the stock Chevy II 8.2" inch rear diff.
Much of the attractive factor for the 8.5 is it can be bought for $50 -500 with Posi.
 
Welcome aboard, is the 350 a four bolt main? It would be a few bucks more to stroke it to 383 ci displacement! End up 30-40 hp and tq than an equal 350. Just a suggestion, Grumpvette will probably suggest it also!
 
I don't have the pan off yet. all the blocks are 880 castings but there are no outside indicators re 4 or 2 bolt. I heard that some of the Z71s had 4 bolt, that is my hope. Though I understand the 2-bolt will handle up to 500 hp, I like the idea of the 4 bolt and powdered metal rods. I have my eye on a 3500 series truck at the wrecking yard that I know will have the 4-bolt, but it's high miles. But with a .030 over and a stroker, it would be just like new! Hee hee....
 
as to rear differential choices ,
a good deal of the choice should logically be made while considering what the intend use of the finished car, and the stress loads its likely to be subjected too, will be and honestly appraising the drive trains requirements.
if your never going to put decent racing slicks on the car and just build it , with a hot performance small block engine and a 200r4 transmission, as a fun weekend toy , and your engine puts out under 450 ft lbs of torque, youll probably get by with a well built 10 bolt differential for quite some time. (but I certainly would be rather amazed if you seriously raced the car with slicks and still had it operating in two years time)
If you intend to race the car, personally I would only consider the ford 9" the pontiac 9.3, or dana 60, simply because in my past experiences
(ADMITEDLY MOSTLY DERIVED FROM BUILDING , AND RACING,ENGINES FOR MY FRIENDS AND I ,
yes, THOSE WERE MOSTLY HIGH COMPRESSION , 440 dodge, 392 hemi, 454 or LARGER DISPLACEMENT CHEVY,BIG BLOCK ENGINES)
but Ive had those differentials fail behind 377-406 SBC, with manual transmissions also,
I shreaded several with little or nearly no effort so I have near zero faith in the chevy or pontiac 10 bolt rear differentials that came in camaros, novas, firebirds, etc.
theres plenty of pick-up trucks , vans , early mustangs, ford and dodge luxury cars and some SUV,s with disc brake rear differentials you might salvage, and choose from with stronger rear differentials if you have access to a salvage yard,
once youve had a differential turn to shrapnel when you hit second gear, or at 70 mph, shifting into third when you hit the giggle gass button, youll see things differently


http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/axles-differentials-and-related-info.1261/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/big-block-vs-10-bolt.4525/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/ok-youve-shreaded-your-10-bolt-rear.237/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/dana-60-all-the-same.12306/
 
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