The Cheap Route: Putting a 7.625 in a 7.5 housing

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jetsetw31

G-Body Guru
Sep 9, 2010
678
67
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Petersburg, VA
Hello all, To start off, my DD Cutlass' rear has been showing all the signs of looming failure for months now. Especially after I strapped my motor mounts down. New axles, bearings, seals, and pinion seal. I had most of the parts purchased last year and was going to just install using my carrier but, the car would have been down too long.
Enter a salvage yard '83 Grand Prix in March. I bought the housing only no axles, no carrier, for 45 bucks. Last year I found a carrier, gears, and pinion with little wear on a 2000 Astro van in a another salvage yard. So I had them remove the parts for me. That gave me 3.42s and a open carrier for a total of 80 bucks. The parts I purchased last year were a set of Moser 28 spline C Clip Gbody 442 axles for a total of 240. (They were bought separately from their ebay store for 120 a piece! Good thing too, the prices went up.)
I have a full US Standard Gear 7.5 / 7.625 rebuild kit I got for 80 bucks off ebay last summer. the final part came a week ago, a mini locker from Auburn.
I figured I'd share the build of this rear for the next few weeks.
This is the 7.5 coming home from the salvage yard.
T
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jetsetw31

G-Body Guru
Sep 9, 2010
678
67
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Petersburg, VA
Wising I had a house with a garage. A good wind blows the covers all to pieces.
 

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jetsetw31

G-Body Guru
Sep 9, 2010
678
67
28
Petersburg, VA
Initially, I wanted to go rear disc. (I even grabbed up some calipers and backing plates from a 98 Camaro. I decided to put a hold on that for a future rear.) Yet I did decide to get rid of the weak stock brakes in favor of some slightly better stock drum brakes from a 94 Astro van. I still had to cut the flange and add the 4 holes. (The good thing is If I go Fbody disc, it'll be a bolt on.)
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jetsetw31

G-Body Guru
Sep 9, 2010
678
67
28
Petersburg, VA
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View attachment 90632 The other good thing about using the Astro drums is that I don't have to buy new drums or brake shoes. (My shoes were replaced in December.)
What makes the Astro backing plates better is the 7/8 bore bolt on wheel cylinders vs the Gbody stock clip on 3/4 bore. All brake parts are the same otherwise.
T
 
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Oct 14, 2008
8,806
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Melville,Saskatchewan
I too used 3.42 gears from an Astro van. I wouldn't use a mini spool on the street. My No Slip stopped unlocking all together. Parrel parking was an unreal experience, very violent.
 
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Turbolq4

Royal Smart Person
Sep 25, 2017
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Nampa Idaho
Interested in this. My wagon will probably end up being a stock 4.8/4l60e and I'm leaving the wheezy little 7.5 in it. I have an extra one laying around so if I blow up the original I'll do something like this to the extra one and throw it in.
 
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jetsetw31

G-Body Guru
Sep 9, 2010
678
67
28
Petersburg, VA
Interested in this. My wagon will probably end up being a stock 4.8/4l60e and I'm leaving the wheezy little 7.5 in it. I have an extra one laying around so if I blow up the original I'll do something like this to the extra one and throw it in.
That was my thinking also. Who knows when I'm installing it Lol
 

81msw79

Master Mechanic
May 5, 2013
391
124
43
roselle park , nj
You could have gotten the 7/8 bore cylinders for an s10 pickup to use with your stock backing plates. They also sell a bolt on brace for the s10/ g body cylinders.
 
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jetsetw31

G-Body Guru
Sep 9, 2010
678
67
28
Petersburg, VA
You could have gotten the 7/8 bore cylinders for an s10 pickup to use with your stock backing plates. They also sell a bolt on brace for the s10/ g body cylinders.
Yeah I've seen that brace. The other difference in the 2 backing plates is that the van plate is way stronger as a whole. Those 2 Gbody plates in the picture weigh about the same together as one van plate. Plus both backing plates cost me only 20 bucks.
 

81msw79

Master Mechanic
May 5, 2013
391
124
43
roselle park , nj
The g bodies are thinner/ lighter cause the extra tall flange that adds alot of extra strength . Both are plenty strong in there own respective design.
 
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