In the past, we've disconnected the rear leaf-spring mounts and let the leafs swing down out of the way. This time, however, thanks in large part to the tranny jack, we were able to maneuver the rear out of the Camaro with the leaf springs in place.

The new mount sits about 1/2-inch closer to the axle tube than the stock one. This meant that our Camaro would ride about a 1/2-inch higher in the rear than it did with the 10-bolt. This wasn't a big deal since it already sat a bit too high, so we just slid in 1-inch lowering blocks rather than the 1/2-inch blocks we had planned on adding. For a cleaner look, we ditched the U-bolts in favor of Grade 8, 1/2-inch bolts and lock nuts.

Voila! Mark this one as done. Total install time was about two hours and, in the grand scheme of hot rodding, was pretty much painless. We should also note that the housings are new, made in the USA (along with all of their other parts), and feature 3-inch seamless tubing and billet flanges.

Well, we weren't really done. Swapping from a 10-bolt to a 9-inch rear meant that the original driveshaft was a bit too short. After a few measurements, we made a call over to Inland Empire Driveline and ordered up the right-sized steel shaft with the proper 1350 U-joint. The next day it was delivered and our Camaro was ready to hit the road and lay down some rubber, using both tires this time.

Using the same gyrations, we were able to get the new rear to slide through the leaf springs and into place, even with the large drum brakes attached. Before installing the rear, we added 3 quarts of lube. The 9 Inch Factory supplied the bottle of friction modifier. You can put it in afterward, but it's a little more difficult.

Lastly, we reattached the shocks to the lower plates and removed the tranny jack.