Kennycorvette

Are all the differentials (Dana I believe) manufactured between 1980 and 1982 interchangeable? That is, will a 1980 Dana fit a1982 car?

Kid Vette

They are the same except 80 & 81 automatics used 1330 u-joints for the half shafts. All the rest use 1350 u-joints.

Kennycorvette

Guess I should ask if the unit came out of a standard or auto car? Found a complete unit on ebay and it looks like just what I need if it will bolt right up.

Kid Vette

You can always switch the stub axles but that would add to your cost.

Kennycorvette

So, the stub axles would be different for the different u-joints required for auto or standard trannys? The stub axles are not the same for all 80 to 82 Dana units? Thanks, I need this info.

terry82

the 82s should all be the bigger u joint.

Gale Banks 80'

An easy way to check is to remove one of the Bolts that hold the U-joints for the 1/2 shafts. They are either 1/4" OR 5/16". This will tell You if they are the same or not. Even if they are not the same, by switching the Yokes You can make them the same. The 80 had 3:08 Gear and most likely the 82 has a 2:72.

hugie82

If the rear goes on my 82, I'll be looking at 3:08 from an 80-81. I would think you can swap your yokes over from the 82 to the 81 rear

Kennycorvette

Here we go. From my research, all 80 to 82 diffs are interchangeable. Difference being gear ratio. Standard and automatic versions did have a large and small, so to speak, u joint for the half shafts. Check me out on this, All 80 to 82 Dana 44 Corvette diffs had the larger u joint at the stub axles at the diff. The difference in u joint size was at the wheel spindle side of the half shaft. What does everyone think about this assessment?

Kennycorvette

You are right about the gear ratios. Check my reply to terry82 and see if you agree.

terry82

I was told that inner joint was the same as the outer joint .so if you had a automatic on the 80-81 it was small .if it was a stick it was the big one 80-81 and big on all 82s.http://www.parts123.com/parts123/yb....5Z50000050G~~~

qwank

I have an '81 that was originally an automatic and all u joints are the same size

Kennycorvette

That is the deal with the 82's. Conflicting info. Bought the diff from ebay and will let you know if it bolts right up or not. Thanks for all the input.

Kennycorvette

Gale Banks 80'

Lets use the Spicer U-Joint Numbers since they are considered the best and the Industry standard. All the 1/2 shafts have the same U-Joint size on each end, it makes no difference which way the 1/2 shafts go. The 1/2 shaft u-joints are considered the weakest link in these rear ends, and are almost always the first thing to break. The 80 and 81 Automatic Cars use the smaller 1330 u-joint, wile the 4 speed Cars use the bigger 1350. By 1982 GM had pissed off Borg Warner so bad that they wouldn't sell them any more manual transmissions, so the 82 Vettes all used the new 700R4 Auto. So You would think that they would of been 1330's but no they were all 1350's. Maybe the lower 1st gear mandated it, maybe they had a lot of left over 1350's who knows. Any one of these Dana 44's can be switched from an 80-81 or 82 car, but if the U-Joints are not the same then You must swap the Yokes, the 1/2 shafts, the Axel Flanges and of coarse the u-joints and hardware. Since the inside surface of the Yoke is a high wear part one really should not be switching a used one from one rear to another. That being said its been done many times. Since measuring a U-Joint in the Car is not all that easy, the best way to determine what is in there is to remove a bolt from a u-joint strap and determine the tread size. If its 1/4" then its a 1330 Car and if its 5/16" then its a 1350 car. I was at a swap meet today in Portland Oregon and found what was listed as a 82 rear and I just looked at the 1/4" bolt size and determined that the rear was miss labeled, it was really an 80-1 Auto which make up the majority of what production was.

terry82

thanks gale banks,i wondered why there was no 4 speed cars in 82.and I thought that they must of had a lot of the bigger u joints to use up.