1970 Chevy Chevelle 9 Inch Rearend & Limited Slip - Mail-Order 9

For our '70 Chevelle, we decided to go with a 31-spline axle configuration because of its popularity and cost-cutting advantages. The 9-inch does not need C-clip notches cut into the axles because the axles are positively retained in the housing.

Up next, the third member: Our 3.50:1 gears were assembled with a limited slip, and once they were torqued down, they were miked for accuracy.

Backlash is crucial when setting up the gears, and Currie will do this for you whether you have the company build the rearend or not. Our backlash came in at 0.0010 inch;...

...this wear example illustrates the perfect pattern the gears should create with the proper lash. Any incorrect parameters can cause problems with the gears. Too tight will generally burn your gears up, and too loose will generally create slop and an annoying howling sound.

With the hard stuff out of the way, it was time to assemble our 9-inch rearend. Here, Gonsalo Sepulveda double-checks the rearend housing measurement prior to piecing together the components. The driver-side housing tube came to 18.917 inches while the passenger-side tube measured 18.789 inches.

To prepare for the completed third member with limited slip, Sepulveda applied Permatex Silicone before and after he laid down the gasket for a perfect seal, which will prevent any leaks in the future.

The completed 3.50:1 third member is then cradled into place. We tightened the supplied 3/8-inch-24 nyloc nuts down in a crisscross pattern starting with the top center, bottom center, right side, and then the left side. Sepulveda then torqued the entire assembly to 40 ft-lb.

Next, the four T-bolts were installed for the disc brake backing plate.

Currie's disc brake backing plate features an integrated parking brake system as well. After the T-bolts were lined up with the gold retaining ring, the backing plate was tightened down by torquing it to 40 ft-lb.

We had these axles drilled and threaded to accept two different lug patterns. Sepulveda installed the studs into each axle and impacted them on.

Sepulveda then installed the axle bearing/seal assembly, Explorer brake spacer ring, and gold retainer ring onto each axle. From there he pressed the whole assembly together.

After the axles were guided into their new homes, a liberal amount of lube was applied onto the axle splines to help them slide into place. Once the splines were lined up, all it took was a quick push to seat them properly.

With the axles firmly in place, it was time to install Currie's 11-inch Explorer disc brakes and calipers.

The last step was to install the rubber brake lines to each backing plate. While we went with the rubber units, Currie offers braided ones as well.

There you have it. Our Currie crate rearend is ready to swap into our '70 A-body Chevelle. Stay tuned-we can't wait to get this unit into the car and make some runs with it!