C3 General General C3 Corvette Discussion not covered in Tech
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

1979 -80 differential difference ?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Oct 4, 2017 | 02:21 PM
  #1  
acorvetkid's Avatar
acorvetkid
Thread Starter
Intermediate
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 38
Likes: 0
Default 1979 -80 differential difference ?

Anyone know the difference and will they interchange ?
Reply
Old Oct 4, 2017 | 03:13 PM
  #2  
The13Bats's Avatar
The13Bats
Race Director
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 11,608
Likes: 780
From: Eustis ( Area 51 Bat Cave ) Fl
Default

I thought the bat wing style came out in 80 then i was told late 80 then i was told 81, both my 81s had it,

But i believe the cut off is 79, and the 80? up ( with bat wing ) isnt plug and play with eariler vettes that run the same rear dating back to 63,
Reply
Old Oct 4, 2017 | 03:29 PM
  #3  
gbvette62's Avatar
gbvette62
Race Director
25 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 12,652
Likes: 3,110
From: Shamong, NJ
Default

The 79 rear used a cast iron case, and a separate crossmember. The posi unit in the 65-79 rear is made by Eaton.

The 80-82 rear has an aluminum case, and the case and crossmember are cast in one piece. The 80-82 rear uses a Dana posi unit.
Reply
Old Oct 4, 2017 | 03:43 PM
  #4  
The13Bats's Avatar
The13Bats
Race Director
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 11,608
Likes: 780
From: Eustis ( Area 51 Bat Cave ) Fl
Default

Originally Posted by gbvette62
The 79 rear used a cast iron case, and a separate crossmember. The posi unit in the 65-79 rear is made by Eaton.

The 80-82 rear has an aluminum case, and the case and crossmember are cast in one piece. The 80-82 rear uses a Dana posi unit.
I thought it started in 80, but i had a guy pitch a tantrum his 80 had the old iron style
Reply
Old Oct 4, 2017 | 04:19 PM
  #5  
Easy Mike's Avatar
Easy Mike
Team Owner
Supporting Lifetime
20 Year Member
 
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 38,923
Likes: 1,481
From: Southbound
Cruise-In II Veteran
Default

Originally Posted by The13Bats
I thought it started in 80, but i had a guy pitch a tantrum his 80 had the old iron style
Could be true. His car may have had iron, but it came from St. Louis with aluminum.
Reply
Old Oct 4, 2017 | 05:07 PM
  #6  
The13Bats's Avatar
The13Bats
Race Director
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 11,608
Likes: 780
From: Eustis ( Area 51 Bat Cave ) Fl
Default

Originally Posted by Easy Mike
Could be true. His car may have had iron, but it came from St. Louis with aluminum.
Hope, he insisted his came factory that way,

You know being into vettes as you are there are people who believe their own opinions as indisputable facts and nothing will ever prove them wrong or mistaken.
Reply
Old Oct 4, 2017 | 11:44 PM
  #7  
Antz81's Avatar
Antz81
Pro
 
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 567
Likes: 82
From: Auckland
Default

Originally Posted by acorvetkid
Anyone know the difference and will they interchange ?
It is possible to swap the older iron diffs into the 80-82 cars. There are quite a few other parts that need to be changed as well. (half shafts spindle flanges, strut rods, strut rod bracket, drive shaft, Not sure if I've missed anything)
Reply
Old Dec 6, 2017 | 09:57 PM
  #8  
C3Highway's Avatar
C3Highway
Racer
Supporting Lifetime
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Top Answer: 1
 
Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 319
Likes: 125
From: Midwest
Default

Originally Posted by Easy Mike
Could be true. His car may have had iron, but it came from St. Louis with aluminum.


Although there were quite a number of parts designed for the 1980 Corvette that found their way into the last several thousand '79 cars, I've never read any suggestion that the aluminum Dana differential was one of those items.
Reply

Get notified of new replies

To 1979 -80 differential difference ?

Corvette Stories

The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts

story-0

Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

 Joe Kucinski
story-1

150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

 Joe Kucinski
story-2

8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

 Verdad Gallardo
story-3

Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)

 Joe Kucinski
story-4

Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!

 Verdad Gallardo
story-5

Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!

 Brett Foote
story-6

Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-7

10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know

 Joe Kucinski
story-8

5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2

 Michael S. Palmer
story-9

2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor

 Joe Kucinski




All times are GMT -4. The time now is 02:12 PM.

story-0
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

Slideshow: The 10 most explosive Corvettes ever built based on power-to-weight ratio.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-20 07:23:03


VIEW MORE
story-1
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

Slideshow: From C1 to C8 we compare every Corvette generation by the numbers.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-12 16:54:12


VIEW MORE
story-2
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

Slideshow: Some Corvette pace cars became collectible legends, while others perfectly captured the look and attitude of their era.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-11 09:50:51


VIEW MORE
story-3
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)

Slideshow: Ranking the top 10 Corvette engines by torque output.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-05 11:58:09


VIEW MORE
story-4
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!

Slideshow: A Corvette pace car nearly matching IndyCar speeds sounds exaggerated, until you look at the numbers.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-04 20:03:36


VIEW MORE
story-5
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!

Among a rather large group of them.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-04 13:56:44


VIEW MORE
story-6
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!

Slideshow: the top 10 things Corvette owners want in the C9 Corvette

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-30 12:41:15


VIEW MORE
story-7
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know

Slideshow: 10 Important Corvette 'firsts' that every fan should know.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-29 17:02:16


VIEW MORE
story-8
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2

Slideshow: Should you buy a 2020-2026 Corvette or wait for 2027?

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-22 10:08:58


VIEW MORE
story-9
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor

Slideshow: 2027 Corvette lineup vs the world.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-24 16:12:42


VIEW MORE