rear end question

[chev-obsession]

i am converting my truck to 5 lug disc in the front and i want 5 lug in the back too... and i have a chance to buy a rear end that came off of a 72 chevy and all i need is the axles to put into my rear end. but i also know another guy that said he has a rear end that came out of a mid 70's pickup and he would most likey give it to me. would the axles out of the mid 70's one fit into my rear end that i have now?

also the rear end out of the mid 70's one came off of a "heavy half" so would there be anything different, like brakes or anything? any input is greatly apperciated!

[my67chevytruck]

If you can get the '72 rearend its a simple swap. you will need to make a mount for the brake line but it should bolt back together. I noticed on the 67 that the brake junction mounts differntly than the 72. I doubt the mid 70's would fit in your original rearend as the earlier rears are narrower than the '71 / '72. You can either have your original axles redrilled for the 5 x 5 or buy replacement axles that already have the 5 lug bolt pattern. they are around 250.00 or so.

[69gumby]

I understand you can only use 69-70 axles. So I had mine drilled.

[chev-obsession]

so if i were to get my axles drilled... how much would that cost and where do i get that done at? a machine shop?? and all i want to do is take the inside axles out of the 72 rear end and put them in my 69 rear end...

[LONGHAIR]

Originally Posted by chev-obsession

all i want to do is take the inside axles out of the 72 rear end and put them in my 69 rear end...

It is not that simple, that is what the others were trying to say. You can swap the entire housing from the '72 (it will make you tires stick out a bit more). The axles themselves will not just swap from one housing to the other.

[chev-obsession]

so what should i do in order to get the 5 lug axles? get them drilled?

[70rs/ss]

Buy new, the oe axles are almost 40 years old and metalurgy has come a long way since the 60's. Buy a new set of axles for your rear (67-70 or early 71's are 1.5" narrower than the late 71's and 72's that is why it won't work). So again get new axles for the 69 rear you have but with the 5 on 5 bolt pattern, $225 and peice of mind that an axle will not snap and send you into a death spin at 70mph on the freeway!

[nds1968]

I am going to drill mine and also lath down the center from 3.5" to 3" so that factory steel wheels will work. I could be wrong on my measurements its been awhile since I looked at them. Any machine shop should be able to do this.

[chev-obsession]

all righty, yeah i think that i will just get them drilled in that case. thanks

[lts70]

This link might help if you end up drilling them.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=163480

I am switch my 70 over to 5lug as well. I looked at both options but have decided to buy new from summit for just over $200 out the door it seemed the smartest route to me for the same reasons 70rs/ss stated above. I had a hard time finding a machinest that would charge much less than the cost of new stronger axles. Here are the ones Iam getting

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

Yours would be a different part number as they are shorter but I was told they were avaliable.

[chev-obsession]

thanks for the advice again. this is staring to get out of my budget range ... i didnt know, is there any other option? like to take the whole rear end out of a 71 or 72