I got mine for $300....and yes I'm bragging! :lol: The guy was parting an '85 442 and knew it was an 8.5" but didn't think it was posi because he couldn't find the rpo code. He could have also looked at the big honkin posi tag on the cover too! I just nonchalantly spun a tire, observed and kept my mouth shut. It pays (literally) to know what you have. It's nice to catch a break once in awhile.
Gbody 8.5 Question
- Thread starter cutloosecutlass81
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I'd like to steer this thread. HOW did you find your 8.5? Some have posted the details. I had been looking casually for about three years. When I got serious, I stated bidding on EBay but let a few good deals go because the shipping would have doubled the cost. In the end I found one from a Forum member who was willing to put it on a pallet and get it shipped at a way cool price. Not often you find good deals like that. This is the kind of detail that would help the new members shopping for the G-body goodies.
ssn696 said:
Two words....due diligence. I was checking local classifieds, Craigslist in several cities, ebay, junkyards, several racing websites, word of mouth ,etc. Back before the Internet, a little footwork and looking in yards would usually yield decent results. Now you have to expand your horizons and be creative when searching. I didn't just look for an 8.5", I was looking for people parting out 442's, GN's, and t-types. I'd also use keywords like posi, 10 bolt, 12 bolt, turbo buick, hurst, etc. I even look for words people commonly misspell....like Rivera or Tornado for instance. You have to have an angle to get ahead in the game. The good deals are far and few unless you find people that don't know what they have or just don't give a sh*t. I casually looked for about a year because I refused to pay upwards of $800 for one.
I found my 8.5 ( 3.73 open rear) locally here in NJ a few years back, Came from an 84 H/O IIRC that was t- boned and the Kid bought it thinking it was repairable. He did not know what he had being he cut the shifter cable for the lightning rods. I got my rear end with the e brake cables and drive shaft for $250. It took a while of searching and looknig and i happen to be the first one to call about the rear. However, the individual I dealt with (chris cutlass aka Chris Palkowski) was banned from this site for poor business practices twice and was known on f-body forums to receive payment and not ship parts. Took me 2 weeks to get my jack stands back from him, his father was a nice individual who ended up rectifying his son's issues on numerous occasions. Had i known all of this i would have not bothered with the translation, but i could no pass up a 40k mile original 8.5 for that price.
Yeah they go for the same amount here that's why I started doubting if it was a posi or not. The guy I bought off of said "back in my day they were going for $600-$800 I don't know what they're worth now" I told him rebuilt ones or good ones go for about $1,000-$1400 from what I found so far
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