RE: the olds-pontiac rear
 

Can we discuss the famed/fabled olds-pontiac rear differential+axle?

(funny how both brands are gone.....anyways.....)

2) If this rear was so good (and i'm not saying it wasn't; i just don't know anything about it) then why was it discontinued relatively quickly and why did the chevy 10/12 bolts take over as the "corporate" rear axle?

Re: the olds-pontiac rear
 

They were the hot ticket OF THE DAY. They would stand a lot of abuse. I have a friend in Florida that has a altered with a early olds rear end under it. VERY old school piece and now full of aftermarket pieces for sure. But started life in this altered with typical narrowed axles and pretty much stock internals. Now days it's even hard to find aftermarket pieces for them.

Today you can make ANY rear near bulletproof,, just a matter of $'s. I know of a mid-8 second second gen camaro in Sweeden running a 10bolt (FULL of every trick MarkWilliams has to offer) But it is still a GM 10 bolt housing (with bracing, bigger tubes, bigger housing ends, billet spool, bla bla bla bla bla...) It's just money!

Re: the olds-pontiac rear
 

I have been told by several sources, including a GM dealer rep from the time, that the rear end was designed at GM and used up to the 1957 model year. At the time, it was one of the strongest units readily available.

Later that year, Ford scooped up several of the GM design engineers, and the in next year couple years, the design showed up (with modifications) as the Ford 9" and derivatives.