Well the original 10 bolt in my iroc just blew up today. I was thinking of puting in a 4th gen rear. What are the pros and cons of this swap? is it any stronger than the one i have in my car? I did a search but im still left wondering.

 

only real differance is the 4th gen rear is a few inches wider

 

and i dont think u can use the stock thirdgen rims, without some sort of spacers.

 

you can use the stock third gen rims, but the wheels will stick out of the fenders, because of the 4th gen rear being wider. the 4th gen rear is the same rear though, not any strength difference.

 

Really isn't worthwhile from your current setup. The wheels will stick out past the fenders, unless you run rims with 4th gen backspacing.

You'd be better of using a bolt in 9" or 12 bolt if you need extra beef.

 

My rear end is about to die soon to, so I'm going to rebuild it with some good parts. I'm going to use the components in the tech article's here on TGO. The parts will be about $500 or so, and should be under $1000 (total) to have it all installed. I'm talkin new posi (SLP Torzen-Zexel take out for $100), gears, and 28 spline axles.

You can do that and it will be the same as having a 4th gen rear, but the axles will be stronger and the 3rdgen size. You can also opt for larger axles if you want to spend about $400 for a heavy duty or aftermarket posi unit to accomodate those.

HTH,
Jesse

 

I rebuilt my rear after it broke, and if I had it to do all over again I would probably have just bought the 9". I used the following parts in my 10-bolt buildup:

Yukon Gear 3.73:1
stock open carrier (polished, relieved, & modified for 28 spline axels)
Lock Right
Moser 28 spline axels
Yukon Gear master overhaul kit (bearings, races, shims, seals, crush collar, pinion nut, marking compount, ect.)
Timken axel bearings & seals
TA Performance cast aluminum girdle & stud kit
new GM pinion yoke

It is now the ultimate 7.625" 10-bolt, but for another $500 I could have had a 9". I thought it was going to be a lot cheaper than it turned out to be, and I did all the labor myself. If I'd had to pay to have the rear built I'd have been even with a 9" or cheaper.

I'm not trying to tell you not to build the 10-bolt, but keep your goals and your budget realistic. If you really need ultimate strength a 10-bolt will never match a 9". If you just want to have fun with a mildly modified car the 10-bolt can be fortified up to the task.

 

Here is a pic of 3rd gen wheels on a 4th gen axle,