Well, before I put my new engine in (406 ), I want to put in a rear that can handle the power. I know for a fact that my current rear is on its way out (its whining, pinion seal has been leakin, etc...). I am looking for a good Ford 9" or a 12 Bolt to stick under there. There are so many options that places like Moser and Currie Engineering give you when choosing rear ends, and I would like to know what some of you other guys are running. The car will be my daily driver, so no spools, just a good posi. Also, I am unsure as to which size to get. I will be going with C4 ZR1 wheels (17x11s in the rear), and if I get a 3rd gen sized rear end, I will need spacers, but if I get the 4th gen sized rear, I wont need spacers in the rear (saves me 150 bucks). I know this is a lot to ask, but hopefully someone out there can help! Thanks!

 

Moser Ford 9", Posi, 31 spline axles, 3.89 gears. Works good so far but I don't have very many miles on it yet.

 

What brakes are you running? I really want to convert to rear disc, and I kinda dont want a stock setup. If I were to get the 4th gen style rear, could I run LS1 rear brakes, or maybe even corvette brakes? How much should I end up paying for a good rear (without the brakes)? I'm thinking 1500-2000 would be reasonable, or is taht too low?

 

I'm also running a Moser kit with 31 spline axles, 3.50 gears and Detroit Locker. I'm using the stock brakes from my old 9 bolt.

You might wanna consider using the new version of Wilwood's Pro Street kit with parking brake. It's a slick setup with the parking brake inside the rotor hat (kinda like a drum brake setup). The advantage to this is you can run a 15" wheel if you decided to use slicks. Their older Pro street kit used a smaller caliper for a parking brake mounted on the main back plate and would possibly interfere with 15" wheels.

Complete 9" kits that I've seen range anywhere from 1800-2000, depending on what you get with it. If you get aftermarket brakes like Wilwood, you're looking close to 2800. That's why I suggest getting brakes from a 9 bolt rear. They're good brakes and cheap to maintain....just go to any parts store to service them.

 

I'm running stock '89-'92 rear discs (aluminum single piston). In order to use them, the center hole in the backing plate had to be overbored, and the drum flange pattern on the 9" axle had to be drilled into them. I had to swap which side the backing plate was on to keep the factory bolt pattern from getting in the way.

(edit: forgot to mention, the backing plates are off a '92 10-bolt and are still available from GM new)

Here's some pics of the install:




The rear ran me almost $2000 exactly; the brakes I bought separately. The brakes work good and are quite capable of stalling the motor in 1st gear (that's how I tested whether or not my clutch was disengaging).

 

First of all, thanks for all your help guys. I've got another question now. Are these http://www.wilwood.com/products/kits/rpbkwipb/index.asp the brakes you are talking about? If so, which offset do I need to buy? I see 2.36" and 2.50" listed. Do they come with the standard chevy bolt pattern, or do I have to specify that, too? I'd call them myself, but I cant make phone calls while I'm at work. Thanks!

 

I'm not positively sure because I've never measured it, but I think the aftermarket rearend kits like Moser and Currie use the new style, big bearing ends, so that would be the 2.5" offset.

The rotor hats have multiple holes to accomodate different bolt patterns, including Chevy's.