442 W-30 Newbie

So, I picked up this 69 442 W-30 parts car in rough shape, motor, trans and most of the goodies from under the hood are gone. But it was a manual trans.

Is there an easy way from looking to tell if the 12 bolt is a posi unit or not?

I don't know if they only teamed one type of rearend with the manual trans for this year ('69) or not. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

droldsmorland

The easiest way to tell is to look for the tin tag hanging off one of the cover bolts. Not a guarantee though. Second, jack one rear wheel off the ground and try to aggressively rotate it. If its met with much resistance than its a limited-slip. Third, remove the cover and look. If its original to the car and its a US (Lansing built) not Canadian built car its a 10 bolt "O" type rear end. 10 bolts holding the ring gear to the carrier as well as 12 bolts holding the cover on.
You will find a two letter code stamped on the passenger side axle tube, on the top and upside down. If ledgeable it could be one of these...SF=323, TM=342, TO=391 and TY=433 all limited slip.
If its an original rear end in a Canadian car then its most likely a Chevy "C" type rear end. And it may be a 442 but its not a W30. Again all the above applies except the two letter codes. I dont have the book in front of me and only have the O rears in my memory banks. Others will pipe up Im sure regarding the Chevy rear if by chance thats what you have.

1969w3155

3:23's were not available on the W30/W31 until 1970. They used a different carrier. As it is a manual car, it will most likely be 4:33's or 3:91's. 3:42's tended to show up on auto cars, but even then the 3:91's would have been std. and the others optional. 4:33's were also dealer installed along with 4:66's.

1969w3155

A correction, 3:23's were available on auto equipped W30's in 1970, but not on W31's.

442 W-30 Newbie

Okay, well I guess it gives me an idea where and what to look for. But it is a 12 bolt, so the 10 bolt info doesn't mean much to me right now. I don't know if I could get a wheel to turn or not, drums could be seized, it's been setting for years. Thanks for the help. -Jeff

1969w3155

It should have twelve bolts holding on the cover, ten bolts on the ring gear. Remember, it has to be a Lansing built car to be a 'W' car.

442 W-30 Newbie

Okay, thanks! That's what it appears to be, Just so happens I'm about 65 miles from Lansing, and that's where I ran across this sitting behind an old barn. Still has the strato buckets, column, complete dash etc. Taillights are good, but the rest of the body is dented and rusty.
I just didn't want to start parting it out if it's a good find. Thanks for the info! -Jeff

1969w3155

If it is a W30, and the rear is original, then you can bet it's a posi.

507OLDS

Yes,it "should" be a posi,but believe it or not,I have seen some W30's come without them,and had paperwork to prove it. maybe Sam will chime in about is one legged W30.
With it being a 4-spd,it should have a 3:42 or numerically higher gear,which greatly increases the chance that it is a posi.Michigan people were also smart enough to order a posi.

72xw30

Brian is correct, my 71W30 is a one legger, it is an automatic with A/C. It has 323 gears with the "SR" code on the axle tube. The car is documented with the window sticker, etc....

Cheers,

Sam