Corvette Solid Axle Info

Mr.L-88 · 04-14-2009, 08:40 AM

Hello,

I am newb here so I have tried to restrain asking this question without a complete search of old treads; but have not found what I am looking for.

I am looking for some photos or information on swaping a solid 12 bolt in place of my current IRS. If anyone can help me with this it would be much appreciated. Also is there a "legal" width for the rear in a C3?

The project that I am working on is a "street" car, so I would be more than happy with info on combos that have been made illegal such as Bogan's old set up. I just want to keep the mods close to the stocker rules enough that it could be converted in the event that I decide to sell at some point. Any info that could be shared would be much appreciated!

XSTOCKER · 04-14-2009, 09:19 AM

Check your Private Messages

Chad Rhodes · 04-14-2009, 05:18 PM

just put a Tom's in it

Mr.L-88 · 04-14-2009, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chad Rhodes

just put a Tom's in it

What is the advantage to running a Tom's/Pepe IRS vs a solid axle?

How does the mega IRS compare to the solid swap when it comes to cost, regular maint., safety, and performance?

Chad Rhodes · 04-14-2009, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr.L-88

What is the advantage to running a Tom's/Pepe IRS vs a solid axle?

How does the mega IRS compare to the solid swap when it comes to cost, regular maint., safety, and performance?

well obviously it all bolts in, no serious fabrication required. If you are mechanically competent, but would have to pay someone to do fabrication work for you, the costs would equal out. We have had ours in the car for 9 years, running AA/SA, A/SA, and B/SA. we have broken one ring gear, and replaced one set of u joints. thats across hundreds of passes. I don't think safety is an issue with it, as I haven't heard of anyone breaking a half shaft or inner or outer axle. Performance wise, the car has spun the tires twice in 9 years. Once at Atlanta where everyone was having issues, it spun .03 worth in 60'. The second time we just tried to get too many passes out of an old set of tires

Ben Kallies · 04-15-2009, 03:44 AM

I actually did break an inner axle with a Tom's -style IRS setup. When it broke on the starting line, the car made a hard right and pointed me directly at the tree. Granted, I also run a 4-speed, which is harder on parts. I've seen automatic-equipped cars run a good deal of horsepower through a Tom's setup without any trouble. I have to say however, that the IRS would hook anywhere, and I had it working pretty well - yanking the front tires a good three feet or higher. The biggest advantage to a solid axle in my opinion is less maintenence and parts availability. With a 12-bolt IRS the special ring gears are a little more difficult to come by, and are more expensive than a standard 12-bolt gear. I wanted to run a 4.30 gear at one time, and I couldn't find anyone who had one in stock. One final note: My solid axle setup is about 115 lb lighter than my IRS. Just my 2 cents. Good luck

04-14-2009, 08:40 AM	#1
Mr.L-88 Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Missouri Posts: 11 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Corvette Solid Axle Info Hello, I am newb here so I have tried to restrain asking this question without a complete search of old treads; but have not found what I am looking for. I am looking for some photos or information on swaping a solid 12 bolt in place of my current IRS. If anyone can help me with this it would be much appreciated. Also is there a "legal" width for the rear in a C3? The project that I am working on is a "street" car, so I would be more than happy with info on combos that have been made illegal such as Bogan's old set up. I just want to keep the mods close to the stocker rules enough that it could be converted in the event that I decide to sell at some point. Any info that could be shared would be much appreciated!

04-14-2009, 09:19 AM	#2
XSTOCKER Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 147 Likes: 19 Liked 8 Times in 3 Posts	Re: Corvette Solid Axle Info Check your Private Messages

04-14-2009, 05:18 PM	#3
Chad Rhodes VIP Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Where the Green Grass Grows, AL Posts: 2,375 Likes: 0 Liked 3 Times in 3 Posts	Re: Corvette Solid Axle Info just put a Tom's in it __________________ Chad Rhodes 2113 I/SA

04-15-2009, 03:44 AM	#6
Ben Kallies Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Milwaukee, WI Posts: 107 Likes: 2 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Corvette Solid Axle Info I actually did break an inner axle with a Tom's -style IRS setup. When it broke on the starting line, the car made a hard right and pointed me directly at the tree. Granted, I also run a 4-speed, which is harder on parts. I've seen automatic-equipped cars run a good deal of horsepower through a Tom's setup without any trouble. I have to say however, that the IRS would hook anywhere, and I had it working pretty well - yanking the front tires a good three feet or higher. The biggest advantage to a solid axle in my opinion is less maintenence and parts availability. With a 12-bolt IRS the special ring gears are a little more difficult to come by, and are more expensive than a standard 12-bolt gear. I wanted to run a 4.30 gear at one time, and I couldn't find anyone who had one in stock. One final note: My solid axle setup is about 115 lb lighter than my IRS. Just my 2 cents. Good luck