I wanted opinions on the 10 vs 12 bolt GM rear ends. It is for dirt circle track, I've seen the c clips bust on the 10 bolts and I can't get anthing close to a .600 ring and pinion in the 10 bolt.
Is the 12 bolt much of an improvement or is the 9 inch ford the way to go? I know ford is a dirty word but FMC has to have done something right over the years.

 

Nothing wrong with using a 9" if you're allowed to. Some classes won't let you swap parts from different brands.

The strength of a 9" and 12 bolt is close enough to same they're the same. They both have advantages and disadvantages from each other. It just depends what you need or want.

GM produced 3 different 10 bolts. The 8.5" is the most popular being almost as strong as a 12 bolt. The 8.2" was a short lived version. The current and weakest is the 7.5/7.625" found in third and fourth gens, S10's, Astro vans etc. It's not a performance diff and there is very little performance parts available. No matter how much you try to beef it up, it still has the tiny ring and pinion. I've run a beefed up 10 bolt into the low 11's on the 1/4 mile.

A complete direct bolt in 12 bolt or 9" is around $2500 for a third gen.

 

asking once and in the correct forum is the best way to go. it'll save someone the trouble of moving your post around to where they should be.

 

I noticed I posted on the wrong page and put it on the correct one. Am I being chastised? I didn't mean to inconvience you by asking a question on the wrong board.