rear end for big block swap???

[468_91_chevy]

I have a 91 camaro rs that came with the 3.1 v6 and 700r4, I am swapping in a fully built 454 +.30 pushing around 530hp all motor and a fully built th400. My question is the rear end, I want to use a ford 9in. with factory disc brakes because it is strong and durable, I will upgrade the discs though. Although, I don't know if it will bolt in or if I will need to custom fab the brackets and other things. It will be a built rear end with either a posi or locker. Or I could use a gm 12 bolt with discs, but will that need some custom fab work too or not??? Opinions, thoughts, comments or experience is welcomed, thank you.

[N20LT4Bird]

I am currently in the same boat and considering a 12 bolt install. I will be building it custom, instead of paying for a moser or strange already built.

I think any way you go, its going to require quite a bit of fab work. There isnt a rear that "bolts in" besides the stock 10 bolt or an aftermarket custom built for the car. Contact moser engineering if that's what suits you.

The 9" is probably a bit stronger out of the box, but the 12 bolt will probably be the easier of the two to modify and still plenty stout with the right parts: custom axles, nice posi, quality gears, c clip eliminators, stronger yoke, etc.

[Injuneer]

If you are into plug-and-play, go to Currie or Moser for a 9-inch ready made for a 3rd Gen F-Body. For a 12-bolt go to Moser or Strange. All of these come with all the correct brackets and brake mounting.

There are a lot of issues to address on a "salvage" 9-inch, including width, condition, does it have a posi, does it have the gears you want, is it "heavy duty" with regard to spline count, input yoke, etc? And the killer with any rear axle assembly not specifically made for a toqrue arm suspension 3rd or 4th Gen F-Body is the torque arm mounting bracket. On the 9-inch it becomes doublly complex, because if it isn't designed right it will inhibit the "quick change" advantage of the 9-inch.

As far as what you need, a 12-bolt should be more than adequate. The big block will produce a lot of torque, but I run a
Strange 12-bolt behind a 381ci stroker with a 300-shot of nitrous, through a TH400. About 800ft-lb and 800HP. A good friend of mine took his 3,900# 97 SS convertible into the 9's with the Strange behind a 950HP Vortech S/C'd 383. He only switched to a 9-inch when he went over 1,000HP.