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Not many of these around - a 1971 442 documented to have left the factory with a W 27 rear. Didn’t know you could still order the aluminum carrier in 71.
Also despite the incorrect hood striping for 71 the dual snorkel air cleaner /four-speed is sweet.
In 1971, RPO W27 was the cover only, for $26.33. It was not the whole aluminum center section. And that cover came on a ten bolt corporate axle, not a Type O. Once again, Hemmings gets the facts wrong. This is why I dropped their Musclecars magazine.
The guy is a little optimistic. The W27 "cover" was available as an production line option or over the parts counter in '71. It's just an aluminum cover on the standard rear end. It's cool but nothing special. Yes I see it on the build sheet,so it definitely left the factory with the cover, but the edge of the sheet is missing. You can clearly see " W27 alum diff" but it's missing the word "cover". That is not a W27 rear in that car,the center section is iron. W27s came with the type "O" (12 bolt cover/10 bolt ring gear) rear end in 1970 only. That car has the 10 bolt rear that became standard in '71. Someone recently had a real W27 for sale for something like 10 grand......Ouch!!!!!
The ad says the car has a 3.31 rear gear ratio. I am not familiar with that ratio in the Olds lineup.
The standard axle in a 1971 442 with 4spd would have been a 3.42:1 ratio. The only other option was 3.23:1 (RPO G91) and I don't see that listed on the build sheet.
Yes Joe...sorry I wasnt clear. I was asking about my own car....1971 AT car with AC and no anti-spin option. I was wondering what my car's ratio most likely was from the factory.
