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Someone abandoned a 1981 Cutlass at my work. It is the smaller 4door model and has a v6 in it. I was thinking this may work as a descent rear end for my 2nd Luv, granted it does have a 4-link suspension but if it is around the correct width I would chop the stock suspension mounts and weld on new ones for leafs. Anyone know what the width difference is between this rear end and the stock LUV rear ends? Also I need to know the possible gear ratios and the lug pattern. I havent yet been able to get a look at it, so I know nothing about it. Please send me a Y! Instant Message @ actions_of_a_mindless_body Thanks everyone for your help.

way too wide, plus its not worth risking getting busted for GTA just for the weak rear end on that car. sure its abandoned but legally it belongs to the registered owner still.

Go to a salvage yard and get a Ford 9" rear end. Ford made them for years and they are everywhere. They are relatively inexpensive, and the shops that do them usually have done a lot of them because they are so popular. They are very hard to break, and very easy to change gear ratios, add spools and positraction to . In my area they charge $80.00 to narrow one, and they can take the stock Ford axles, cut a reweld them for not that much. If you want to go first class you can get the axles from Moser for $399.00. That's really not a lot to pay for a almost bullit proof rearend. Fact is you only need to worry when you start putting five or six hundred horses on the ground. Look for a 78-79 Lincoln Versailles, they are 9" with the disc brakes. The 9"s are also in a lot of trucks.
Also you might want to consider G.M. The older Olds, Pontiac and Cadillacs, amd trucks with the twelve bolt rearends. Dana 44's and 60's are out there too in Suburbans, and bigger older trucks. You might also check out the 81 Cutlass, it most likely has a 10 bolt, but it could have a posi. I've had it happen that I called people and told them the owner wanted the car moved and disposed of, and told them I would do it if they would sign over the title to me. they usually don't want to mess with it, cause it will only cost them more money, especially if there is some storage involved.

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a toyota 8" rear out of a 4wd truck will almost bolt in. main problem is that the luv is sprung under, and the toy rear is sprung over so you'd have to weld in new perches to keep it sprung under. these diffs are the same ones used in supras

Can you turn it over?

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if you want to go in reverse

perches are cake. just take a piece of box tube and cut a notch in it with a 3"(or other suitable size) hole saw, weld it to the axle, done.

I had it somewhere in the back of my mind that some body had done that, and as soon as I read your post I remember everybody cracking up because the guy had three speeds in reverse, and one gear forward.lol

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too late anyway. i went out yesterday to get the rear end, but the guys showed up early to take it to the scrap yard and didnt wait for me to get there. oh well. the problem with junk yards around here, is that they want way too much for the rearends they do have, and they dont have any that i could use. the other prob i have, is there is no one around here that will narrow a rear end. how hard is it to cut and reweld an axle??? I will post a pic as soon as i figure out how and get the most recent ones back.

You definitely don't want to shorten an axle by cutting a chunk out and welding the pieces back together. Needs to be cut down and re-splined, a weld wouldn't hold up for very long, and you'd have to try and balance it so it would spin true... I'd send them out.

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and if you're gonna beat on it, you need to get the resplined part heat treated, or better yet, call up moser or superior and have them make you a custom set

It's really not that difficult. In fact it's like welding anything else. All you have to do is find out how much you want to narrow it , measure and cut. That's the easy part. The cut on the housing has to be precise, so that when you reinstall the flange it will fit perfectly. It has to align to a perfect 90 degree with the housing both at the axle, and with respect to the housing face. You can do them without a jig, but you have to take your time, and be very careful. The pros set them up to be within very close tolerences. They also make jigs that the pro's use. You can only justify the expense if you start doing them for other people. With a straight edge,string lines, and the right measurements you can do one yourself. It's like a lot of other expenditures. Is it really going to be worth your while to do this? You can talk to the racers in your area and find someone already doing it. If not you can send the housing off to some one who does. You can also have your axles cut and resplined, unless they are tapered or built up at the end of the axle. It gets kind detailed. Ask diarmaghim

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