1969 Corvette Stocker

[Chad Rhodes]

Originally Posted by X-TECH MAN

I had the "TOMS" complete swing axle also known as Henerys stuff. I got all of mine from Leon Maranian when he went to S/S and a dana rear. It is really strong but your not supposed to run a spool...Just a posi unit with a swing arm assembly (NHRA rules) though some do run a spool. Several have ended up in the wall because of using a spool instead of a posi (Muni Haddad for one???) when a half shaft or U joint breaks look out.. Your on borrowed time with a high HP big block. Its up to you. If i was going with the small block I would stay with the swing axle. I ran mine for 3 years with a small block and a 4 speed (7 inch tire days) with out a failure but as soon as we went to the S/S rules of 1972 (larger rear tires) I ran into breakage. One tip....align the rear with 1/8th degree Positive camber with the swing axle and use a heavy rated (pound) transverse spring.

Well dad's been racing IRS vettes since 1970, and we have had zero failures since we went to the Tom's stuff. I also know Leon pretty well. If you really study the forces and physics behind these rear ends its not a big issue. The Tom's 1480 stuff is damn near bulletproof if you follow a few rules. Hint: the car shouldn't "squat".

Oh and about the spool issue. ANY car would do that if it broke an axle with a spool. The big issue is the outer axle and the Henry's/Tom's/Peppy's/etc solved that. Regular maintenance, and some good knowledge of geometry and physics goes a long way on these cars.