Personally, I would not spend any money/time upgrading the 10 bolt; step up to a 12 bolt or 9 inch especially if you plan on running a lot of power through it and ever plan on running slicks. The 10 bolt is sort of a "dead end" in my opinion.
That being said, the BEST way to do the c-clip eliminator conversion (regardless of 10 or 12 bolt) is not to use the bolt on eliminators, but to have the factory ends chopped off the axle tubes and have Ford style press-on bearing ends welded onto the factory axle tubes. Much stronger and no leaks. It may be hard to find a shop that can do this properly, as they will need a jig to keep everything nice and square when they weld it. If you find a shop that hasn't done it before but "think they can" I would turn tail and run. Find an experienced shop to do this job! If they don't get the ends on nice and square you are looking at rapid bearing/axle wear plus driveability issues as the tires won't be pointed properly (toe and camber issues.)
Aftermarket 12-bolt housings are available with Ford style ends already welded on for you; Moser and KTRE come to mind.
My personal favorite is a 9" housing with a 12-bolt carrier; you get press on axles, an easily removeable carrier, and the decreased frictional losses of the 12-bolt gearset. Basically a Ford 9" housing with 12-bolt gears/carrier in it. A little odd sounding, but a very good setup!
Troy
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1969 Chevelle
Old setup: Procharged/intercooled/EFI 353 SBC, TKO, ATS/SPC/Global West suspension, C6 brakes & hydroboost.
In progress: LS2, 3.0 Whipple, T56 Magnum, torque arm & watts link, Wilwood Aero6/4 brakes, Mk60 ABS, Vaporworx, floater 9" rear, etc.
Last edited by Blown353; 12-27-2004 at 08:35 PM.
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