Recommendations for a posi rear end?
Best size, best ratios, where to buy? Refurbished?

Are you asking for the gm 8.2 BOP rear that came in firebirds which is limited in available gear ratios these days ?
Other than that there are a whole plethora of choices like the GM 8.5 which has a vast choice of parts and gear ratios that is modestly priced.
Or you can spend a couple thousand on ford 9 inch, dana 60...etc.
Gear ratio will depend on rear tire size and if you want to cruise on the highway at 3500 RPM or more.

Big Chief
Great to hear from you!!!
I am just getting going on research, the 69 I have now is the stock factory rear end, car was a 350 2 Barrel with a 4 speed, so i assume it is definitely not a great rear end. Hoping to get under the car this weekend
to verify gearing, i used to know it but have forgotten over the years that it has been waiting for me to get going on her.

I am not sure what I am looking for, i do not need any numbers matching or period correct, just a good posi rear end at a reasonable price with decent axles and 3.55 rear gears

I know if I look at some of the new ones by the time you add brakes and powder coating it hits about the $5K mark, money i would like to spend on a 5 speed if anything as the engine appears it is going to be costly on its own.

I can also wait to add disc brakes at a later time.
One of the reasons I am looking is my existing unit is leaking from just bout every seal

Find a good rear end man and rebuild what you have with an aftermarket posi unit. Probably about $1500. The BOP 8.2’s are good solid units unless you plan to race with lots of horsepower and slicks

Thanks Bob!!
I will have to look into that! I had more within my budget, and I am not planning on heavy duty racing.
Would that price include new axles and bearings or is there a kit?

Thx!

The key will be finding a rear end guy. Not many of them around any more. My cost guess includes aftermarket posi unit, bearings, seals, labor. That’s about what I paid to have that done for my bird. If you need gears or axles it will be more. Aftermarket posi units are only available for 3.36 and numerically higher gears

Bob,
I agree, finding somebody has been quite an experience. I have talked to several places and one of the most reasonable ones with an outfit in Ohio JD race . But by the time I added some other items in and then there was the freight it was not that different than buying a complete unit closer to home. I did find a guy here who could build mine but by the time I rebuilt it, it was gonna cost me Closer to 2500 and could run more depending on what they might find and did no include new axles.. There’s another Firebird guy John, who has helped me out tremendously., I took his advice and called Currie and decided to go all out for me anyway and get it with the disc brakes while I was at it and so I spent more than I had planned but it’s basically a completely new unit with a new set of Wildwood briakes!l I also bought one of their brake line kits as well and their gear oil

Did mine recently, found a place that sells the whole kit for $500. I went with 3:36. Bob is correct about the after market ratios. I could not find much taller, but since my orig was 3:55 and a bit too low 3:36 was about right for me, also a 4spd. The kit included an Auburn carrier (others were also available), seals, gaskets, posi additive etc. used my orig 8.2 BOP housing and axels with new bearings. Total was about $1000 with labor.

Thanks for the info,
The Posi unit alone was going to be 637.00 plus the rest of the parts for me. so with labor on the rear end over $2K , I also had eventual planned to upgrade the brakes which I bit the bullet and decided to do at the same time.

I no longer have the capability to rebuild the rear end on my own or to remove it on my own. Buy the way, the $2K did not count labor to remove

Do you happen to have a link or name of the place you bought the kit from? I'd like to install a 3:36 in mine too.

The place I mentioned for the posi kit is Rons Machining service. They sent me the whole kit with an Auburn carrier, bearings, gaskets, seals and even the gear oil additive recommended by Auburn. They also offer Eaton or Power grip and Timken bearings.
I recommend you replace your axel bearings/gaskets at the same time. The kit was $500 with free shipping. I also did the Dana rear in one of my Jeeps with a kit from Ron’s. No problem with either one of them and have beat on them both pretty hard.