Jim at JD race recently posted here on this site with parts for 8.2 rearends for sale. https://firstgenfirebird.org/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=279541#Post279541 You can probably contact him and he will give you the whole story behind the different rearends. I was going to originally go for a 8.5 out of a nova also. But, he informed me that they weren’t a direct fit. If I recall correctly, Jim stated that they are slightly wider, a half inch on each side if I recall correctly. I have bad memory now, so don’t take that for gospel You should contact Jim, and he can give you all the ins and outs of the different rearends, he is a pro at it.
I must admit, I messed up and had a bad brain fart on what I said in the above quote, as I went back and read some of the emails from Jim. I for some reason kept thinking Nova rearend but it was a Camaro rearend that we were discussing… sorry about that! Both 67-69 Firebird and Camaro and nova 68-79 have the same exact perch mounting center line of 42 7/16 inch mono or multi leaf. The Firebirds rearends were one inch wider (then 1st gen Camaro) for the better handling and wide track. So if you opt for a 1st gen Camaro rearend, you will have ½ inch difference on each side, which is doable and have known a few folks to use them and I couldn’t tell any difference by looking at the back of the car. You can also use a 70-80 Firebird/Camaro 8.5, but you will have to have the spring perches moved, which is actually what I have and Jim did all the work. Very good info at Jim’s site on the 8.5 and 8.2 BOP rearends http://www.jdrace.com/diff_id/10b85.htm
