just milling over my choices here, if i was to take my 10 bolt, throw in a powertrax locker to replace the spider gears, get c-clip eliminators, a girdle, moser axles, and fully weld up the axle tubes, do you think the rear would have a chance with 500hp and 450flbs torque on sticky tires?

 

Not for very long. I'd go for it anyway though. You forgot a Solid Pinion spacer.

 

86 rear with 26 spline axles? not a chance if the car hooks or wheel hops.

C-clip eliminators would be a waste of money with stock axles. If you had aftermarket(28 spline minimum) axles, a solid pinion space, welded tubes, a diff support cover, a good posi(the powertrax set-ups break fairly easily)and carrier studs instead of bolts, then it would stand a chance, but by the time you get that much dough into it, you just as well have put a 9" or a 12-bolt in.

I'm running 11.7's on a 10-bolt with moser axles, detroit tru-trac, studs, welded and braced tubes, and a strange 3.73. 1.6X 60fts on 17's. It has lived so far, but I'm going to be running either a 4.10 or a 4.56 gear once she's back on the road which means I'm gonna put a solid pinion spacer in when I swap the gears and hope for the best.

If I hadn't gotten this diff for next-to-nothing, I'd already have a 9"....

 

how'd you brace the tubes?

 

If my dig will work I'll get a pic. - DTS cover, I built a bracket out of steal that bolt up along with the cover and two flat plates that cross the middle of the cover, thus allowing a rod end to be bolted on either side of the cover. I then have two tabs on either wheel end of the axle tube the also hold a rod end. - Piece of 5/8 threaded alluminum(bought from a stock car mail-order) pipe between the two rod ends, one on either side the housing. One end is threaded RH, the other threaded LH, rod ends to fit. The tighter I turn the brace pipe down, the harder it squashes the housing/tubes.

I believe you can buy a cover with the tabs cast into it. I know you can for 8.5 10-bolts, for 12-bolts, and dana 60's - not sure if you can for our 7.5's. - It's been done for years on the other diffs.

 

i've seen a lot 10 bolts living in mid-low 11sec cars with slicks and transbrake, built ones though... but not everybody has the same luck.