{"id":103526,"date":"2025-11-20T14:16:33","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T22:16:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/?p=103526"},"modified":"2025-11-20T14:16:33","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T22:16:33","slug":"van-steel-shares-their-63-to-79-corvette-rear-end-build-secrets-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/van-steel-shares-their-63-to-79-corvette-rear-end-build-secrets-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Van Steel Shares Their \u201863 to \u201979 Corvette Rear End Build Secrets: Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-carousel-extra='{\"blog_id\":1,\"permalink\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/van-steel-shares-their-63-to-79-corvette-rear-end-build-secrets-part-1\\\/\"}' id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-103526 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/van-steel-shares-their-63-to-79-corvette-rear-end-build-secrets-part-1\/lead-150\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Lead-scaled-e1763676889615-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"Van Steel Shares Their \u201863 to \u201979 Corvette Rear End Build Secrets: Part 1\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-103538\" data-attachment-id=\"103538\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/van-steel-shares-their-63-to-79-corvette-rear-end-build-secrets-part-1\/lead-150\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Lead-scaled-e1763676889615.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"640,381\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 12&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1752503154&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;1.55&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;320&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0083333333333333&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Van Steel Shares Their \u201863 to \u201979 Corvette Rear End Build Secrets: Part 1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;click__begin&quot;&gt;Click Here to Begin Slideshow&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n&lt;p&gt;It should come as no shock to anyone who\u2019s into vintage Vettes to hear that the C2 and C3 IRS rear end isn\u2019t exactly a stout piece. It\u2019s simply a ten bolt that had few upgrades over the years. Perhaps the only thing that saved most from ultimate carnage was the fact the cars really never had much tire on the ground. Case-in-point: A 1963 Stingray was fitted with 6.70X15 tires. The tread measured a whopping 4-1\/2 inches of tread on the ground (per tire). Meanwhile, the most aggressive tire ever fit to a C3 was a P255-60R15 with a tread measurement of approximately 8.5 inches. None of these tires can be (or were) considered sticky by any stretch of the imagination.Interestingly, the late, great John Greenwood (Corvette road racer extraordinaire) once mentioned that his biggest issue with the rear end was when the car(s) would cross asphalt repair strips on race tracks, churn the tires, and re-hook. It sometimes meant the rear end would say \u201cenough\u201d. And the day was done.So what\u2019s the fix? Enter Van Steel (Van Steel, Inc., 12285 West Street, Clearwater, Florida 33762 USA; Phone: 800-418-5397; Website: www.vansteel.com). They offer several different rear end build options. One is a stock rebuild, but the other two offer considerable improvements:The first option for \u201963-79 rear ends is a Heavy Duty Rebuild &amp;#8211; 30 spline stub axles for 450+ HP applications. Here, Van Steel rebuilds your rear end assembly with all new bearings, races, seals and gasket. It includes 30-spline axles and differential gears. They re-use your ring and pinion and pinion yoke. Lube and posi additive are included. All components are US manufactured.The second option is similar, but it includes a new ring and pinion (your choice of 3.08, 3.36, 3.55, or 3.70 gears) and a 1350 series yoke (pinion flange). In this case, the driveshaft must be upgraded as well (to accept the bigger 1350 series universal joint). By the way, the rebuilt center sections are painted and detailed prior to shipment back to you.With the following articles, I won\u2019t get into a blow-by-blow build sequence of a Van Steel rear end. There are plenty of sources out there for information on how to assemble a third member. Instead, we\u2019ll focus on what you need to get it to Van Steel, and more importantly, what the big secret is to longevity. Check it out:In the writer\u2019s case, I opted for the big boy rebuild with 3.70 gears and a 1350 yoke. But first things first: I had to get my third member from north of Montana to Florida. UPS was the logical choice. I had a pretty slick wooden crate built (see the pix). The only other thing I had to do was to drain the rear end. There are a couple of reasons for draining the rear end: One, is it\u2019s just another mess for Van Steel to deal with. But Two is probably more important: The shipping company (whoever you chose) won\u2019t be too excited if the shipping crate (or box) becomes polluted with slippery, greasy, and very stinky rear end lube.As it turns out, my rear end shipping crate was destroyed in transit, but the center section survived. At that point, the folks from Van Steel started the disassembly and cleanup.There are a couple of ways to go about the disassembly, but the main caps have to come out and you have to remove the c-clips that retain the stub axles. Once the stub axles are removed, the complete carrier (ring gear and positraction assembly) can be pried out. Typically a pry bar or big screw driver are used to persuade it out. At this point, the pinion can be removed. Basically, that\u2019s the \u201cCliffs Notes\u201d for the dismantling process.That\u2019s a wrap for this issue. In the next segment, we\u2019ll look at the final cleanup and then dig right into the critical modifications necessary in order to mate 30 spline stub axles to the vintage Corvette positraction assembly. Watch for it.&lt;\/p&gt;\n&lt;p&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;click__begin&quot;&gt;Click Here to Begin Slideshow&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Lead-scaled-e1763676889615-300x179.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Lead-1024x768.jpg\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-103538'>\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"click__begin\">Click Here to Begin Slideshow<\/a>\n\nIt should come as no shock to anyone who\u2019s into vintage Vettes to hear that the C2 and C3 IRS rear end isn\u2019t exactly a stout piece. It\u2019s simply a ten bolt that had few upgrades over the years. Perhaps the only thing that saved most from ultimate carnage was the fact the cars really never had much tire on the ground. Case-in-point: A 1963 Stingray was fitted with 6.70X15 tires. The tread measured a whopping 4-1\/2 inches of tread on the ground (per tire). Meanwhile, the most aggressive tire ever fit to a C3 was a P255-60R15 with a tread measurement of approximately 8.5 inches. None of these tires can be (or were) considered sticky by any stretch of the imagination.Interestingly, the late, great John Greenwood (Corvette road racer extraordinaire) once mentioned that his biggest issue with the rear end was when the car(s) would cross asphalt repair strips on race tracks, churn the tires, and re-hook. It sometimes meant the rear end would say \u201cenough\u201d. And the day was done.So what\u2019s the fix? Enter Van Steel (Van Steel, Inc., 12285 West Street, Clearwater, Florida 33762 USA; Phone: 800-418-5397; Website: www.vansteel.com). They offer several different rear end build options. One is a stock rebuild, but the other two offer considerable improvements:The first option for \u201963-79 rear ends is a Heavy Duty Rebuild &#8211; 30 spline stub axles for 450+ HP applications. Here, Van Steel rebuilds your rear end assembly with all new bearings, races, seals and gasket. It includes 30-spline axles and differential gears. They re-use your ring and pinion and pinion yoke. Lube and posi additive are included. All components are US manufactured.The second option is similar, but it includes a new ring and pinion (your choice of 3.08, 3.36, 3.55, or 3.70 gears) and a 1350 series yoke (pinion flange). In this case, the driveshaft must be upgraded as well (to accept the bigger 1350 series universal joint). By the way, the rebuilt center sections are painted and detailed prior to shipment back to you.With the following articles, I won\u2019t get into a blow-by-blow build sequence of a Van Steel rear end. There are plenty of sources out there for information on how to assemble a third member. Instead, we\u2019ll focus on what you need to get it to Van Steel, and more importantly, what the big secret is to longevity. Check it out:In the writer\u2019s case, I opted for the big boy rebuild with 3.70 gears and a 1350 yoke. But first things first: I had to get my third member from north of Montana to Florida. UPS was the logical choice. I had a pretty slick wooden crate built (see the pix). The only other thing I had to do was to drain the rear end. There are a couple of reasons for draining the rear end: One, is it\u2019s just another mess for Van Steel to deal with. But Two is probably more important: The shipping company (whoever you chose) won\u2019t be too excited if the shipping crate (or box) becomes polluted with slippery, greasy, and very stinky rear end lube.As it turns out, my rear end shipping crate was destroyed in transit, but the center section survived. At that point, the folks from Van Steel started the disassembly and cleanup.There are a couple of ways to go about the disassembly, but the main caps have to come out and you have to remove the c-clips that retain the stub axles. Once the stub axles are removed, the complete carrier (ring gear and positraction assembly) can be pried out. Typically a pry bar or big screw driver are used to persuade it out. At this point, the pinion can be removed. Basically, that\u2019s the \u201cCliffs Notes\u201d for the dismantling process.That\u2019s a wrap for this issue. In the next segment, we\u2019ll look at the final cleanup and then dig right into the critical modifications necessary in order to mate 30 spline stub axles to the vintage Corvette positraction assembly. Watch for it.\n\n<a class=\"click__begin\">Click Here to Begin Slideshow<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/van-steel-shares-their-63-to-79-corvette-rear-end-build-secrets-part-1\/1-168\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"Van Steel Shares Their \u201863 to \u201979 Corvette Rear End Build Secrets: Part 1\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-103533\" data-attachment-id=\"103533\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/van-steel-shares-their-63-to-79-corvette-rear-end-build-secrets-part-1\/1-168\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.6&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 12&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1742830486&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;4.2&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;80&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.016666666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Van Steel Shares Their \u201863 to \u201979 Corvette Rear End Build Secrets: Part 1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt; Once you have the rear end center section out of the car, drain it. As pointed out in the text, Van Steel requires them to be drained. The last thing you need is for it to start leaking in transit.  The freight carrier won\u2019t be happy.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1-300x225.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1-1024x768.jpg\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-103533'>\n\t\t\t\t Once you have the rear end center section out of the car, drain it. As pointed out in the text, Van Steel requires them to be drained. The last thing you need is for it to start leaking in transit.  The freight carrier won\u2019t be happy.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/van-steel-shares-their-63-to-79-corvette-rear-end-build-secrets-part-1\/2-152\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"Van Steel Shares Their \u201863 to \u201979 Corvette Rear End Build Secrets: Part 1\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-103534\" data-attachment-id=\"103534\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/van-steel-shares-their-63-to-79-corvette-rear-end-build-secrets-part-1\/2-152\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.6&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 12&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1742916885&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;4.2&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;80&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.016666666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Van Steel Shares Their \u201863 to \u201979 Corvette Rear End Build Secrets: Part 1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;I decided to peek inside. As you can see, it\u2019s a disgusting, 50-plus year-old mess. There was nothing visibly wrong.  Turns out after Van Steel\u2019s inspection, my hunch was right. &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2-300x225.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2-1024x768.jpg\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-103534'>\n\t\t\t\tI decided to peek inside. As you can see, it\u2019s a disgusting, 50-plus year-old mess. There was nothing visibly wrong.  Turns out after Van Steel\u2019s inspection, my hunch was right. \n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/van-steel-shares-their-63-to-79-corvette-rear-end-build-secrets-part-1\/3-142\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/3-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"Van Steel Shares Their \u201863 to \u201979 Corvette Rear End Build Secrets: Part 1\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-103535\" data-attachment-id=\"103535\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/van-steel-shares-their-63-to-79-corvette-rear-end-build-secrets-part-1\/3-142\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/3-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.6&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 12&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1743435398&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;4.2&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;125&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0083333333333333&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Van Steel Shares Their \u201863 to \u201979 Corvette Rear End Build Secrets: Part 1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;This is the shipping crate I had made. The crate actually didn\u2019t survive the trip on the big brown truck, but the rear end did.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/3-300x225.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/3-1024x768.jpg\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-103535'>\n\t\t\t\tThis is the shipping crate I had made. The crate actually didn\u2019t survive the trip on the big brown truck, but the rear end did.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/van-steel-shares-their-63-to-79-corvette-rear-end-build-secrets-part-1\/4-127\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/4-150x150.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"Van Steel Shares Their \u201863 to \u201979 Corvette Rear End Build Secrets: Part 1\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-103536\" data-attachment-id=\"103536\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/van-steel-shares-their-63-to-79-corvette-rear-end-build-secrets-part-1\/4-127\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/4-scaled.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 15 Pro&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1746692613&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;9&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;640&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.025&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"4\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Van Steel starts the process by removing the caps. &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/4-300x225.jpeg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/4-1024x768.jpeg\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-103536'>\n\t\t\t\tVan Steel starts the process by removing the caps. \n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/van-steel-shares-their-63-to-79-corvette-rear-end-build-secrets-part-1\/5-103\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/5-150x150.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"Van Steel Shares Their \u201863 to \u201979 Corvette Rear End Build Secrets: Part 1\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-103537\" data-attachment-id=\"103537\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/van-steel-shares-their-63-to-79-corvette-rear-end-build-secrets-part-1\/5-103\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/5-scaled.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 15 Pro&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1746692632&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;9&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.025&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Van Steel Shares Their \u201863 to \u201979 Corvette Rear End Build Secrets: Part 1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Next the Van Steel techs begin the axle removal process. You can see the c-clip pliers in use.  &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/5-300x225.jpeg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/5-1024x768.jpeg\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-103537'>\n\t\t\t\tNext the Van Steel techs begin the axle removal process. You can see the c-clip pliers in use.  \n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/van-steel-shares-their-63-to-79-corvette-rear-end-build-secrets-part-1\/6-82\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/6-150x150.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"Van Steel Shares Their \u201863 to \u201979 Corvette Rear End Build Secrets: Part 1\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-103527\" data-attachment-id=\"103527\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/van-steel-shares-their-63-to-79-corvette-rear-end-build-secrets-part-1\/6-82\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/6-scaled.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.78&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 15 Pro&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1746692669&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;6.7649998656528&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;250&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.016666666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Van Steel Shares Their \u201863 to \u201979 Corvette Rear End Build Secrets: Part 1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Moving along, you can see one of the axle c-clips stashed on the rear end cover. &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/6-300x225.jpeg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/6-1024x768.jpeg\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-103527'>\n\t\t\t\tMoving along, you can see one of the axle c-clips stashed on the rear end cover. \n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/van-steel-shares-their-63-to-79-corvette-rear-end-build-secrets-part-1\/7-71\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/7-150x150.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"Van Steel Shares Their \u201863 to \u201979 Corvette Rear End Build Secrets: Part 1\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-103528\" data-attachment-id=\"103528\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/van-steel-shares-their-63-to-79-corvette-rear-end-build-secrets-part-1\/7-71\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/7-scaled.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.78&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 15 Pro&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1746692728&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;6.7649998656528&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.016666666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Van Steel Shares Their \u201863 to \u201979 Corvette Rear End Build Secrets: Part 1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;With both c-clips removed the stock axles can be removed. They won\u2019t be re-used.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/7-300x225.jpeg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/7-1024x768.jpeg\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-103528'>\n\t\t\t\tWith both c-clips removed the stock axles can be removed. They won\u2019t be re-used.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/van-steel-shares-their-63-to-79-corvette-rear-end-build-secrets-part-1\/8-61\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/8-150x150.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"Van Steel Shares Their \u201863 to \u201979 Corvette Rear End Build Secrets: Part 1\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-103529\" data-attachment-id=\"103529\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/van-steel-shares-their-63-to-79-corvette-rear-end-build-secrets-part-1\/8-61\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/8-scaled.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 15 Pro&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1746692758&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;9&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.025&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Van Steel Shares Their \u201863 to \u201979 Corvette Rear End Build Secrets: Part 1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;At this point the entire differential case (posi and ring gear assembly) can be removed. Typically, a big screw driver or pry bar is used to wiggle it out of the center section casting.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/8-300x225.jpeg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/8-1024x768.jpeg\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-103529'>\n\t\t\t\tAt this point the entire differential case (posi and ring gear assembly) can be removed. Typically, a big screw driver or pry bar is used to wiggle it out of the center section casting.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/van-steel-shares-their-63-to-79-corvette-rear-end-build-secrets-part-1\/9-47\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/9-150x150.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"Van Steel Shares Their \u201863 to \u201979 Corvette Rear End Build Secrets: Part 1\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-103530\" data-attachment-id=\"103530\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/van-steel-shares-their-63-to-79-corvette-rear-end-build-secrets-part-1\/9-47\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/9-scaled.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 15 Pro&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1746692792&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;9&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;1600&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.033333333333333&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Van Steel Shares Their \u201863 to \u201979 Corvette Rear End Build Secrets: Part 1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Next up, the pinion, all bearings and races are removed.  Ditto with the side bearing cups and seals.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/9-300x225.jpeg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/9-1024x768.jpeg\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-103530'>\n\t\t\t\tNext up, the pinion, all bearings and races are removed.  Ditto with the side bearing cups and seals.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/van-steel-shares-their-63-to-79-corvette-rear-end-build-secrets-part-1\/10-47\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/10-150x150.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"Van Steel Shares Their \u201863 to \u201979 Corvette Rear End Build Secrets: Part 1\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-103531\" data-attachment-id=\"103531\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/van-steel-shares-their-63-to-79-corvette-rear-end-build-secrets-part-1\/10-47\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/10-scaled.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 15 Pro&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1746692796&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;9&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;640&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.016666666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Van Steel Shares Their \u201863 to \u201979 Corvette Rear End Build Secrets: Part 1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Next up, the pinion, all bearings and races are removed.  Ditto with the side bearing cups and seals.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/10-300x225.jpeg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/10-1024x768.jpeg\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-103531'>\n\t\t\t\tNext up, the pinion, all bearings and races are removed.  Ditto with the side bearing cups and seals.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/van-steel-shares-their-63-to-79-corvette-rear-end-build-secrets-part-1\/11-39\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/11-150x150.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"Van Steel Shares Their \u201863 to \u201979 Corvette Rear End Build Secrets: Part 1\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-103532\" data-attachment-id=\"103532\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/van-steel-shares-their-63-to-79-corvette-rear-end-build-secrets-part-1\/11-39\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/11-scaled.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.78&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 15 Pro&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1746692819&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;6.7649998656528&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;100&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.016666666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Van Steel Shares Their \u201863 to \u201979 Corvette Rear End Build Secrets: Part 1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Van Steel saves the side bearing spacers (provided they are in good condition). The shims however, will need to be replaced. &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/11-300x225.jpeg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/11-1024x768.jpeg\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-103532'>\n\t\t\t\tVan Steel saves the side bearing spacers (provided they are in good condition). The shims however, will need to be replaced. \n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>It should come as no shock to anyone who\u2019s into vintage Vettes to hear that the C2 and C3 IRS rear end isn\u2019t exactly a stout piece. It\u2019s simply a ten bolt that had few upgrades over the years.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":103538,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5011,3697,11,3470,4879],"tags":[12766,12762,12755,12756,12763,12772,12770,12769,12768,12767,12759,12773,12765,12757,12776,12758,12775,12764,12771,12774,12760,12761],"class_list":["post-103526","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chassis-suspension","category-galleries","category-how-tos","category-news","category-slideshow","tag-30-spline-stub-axles-corvette","tag-63-79-corvette-differential","tag-c2-corvette-rear-end","tag-c3-corvette-rear-end","tag-corvette-10-bolt-rear-end","tag-corvette-1350-yoke-upgrade","tag-corvette-3-08-gears","tag-corvette-3-36-gears","tag-corvette-3-55-gears","tag-corvette-3-70-gears","tag-corvette-achilles-heel","tag-corvette-driveshaft-upgrade","tag-corvette-heavy-duty-rear-end","tag-corvette-irs-rebuild","tag-corvette-posi-rebuild","tag-corvette-rear-end-failure","tag-corvette-rear-end-shipping-tips","tag-corvette-rear-end-upgrade","tag-corvette-ring-and-pinion-swap","tag-stingray-rear-end-rebuild","tag-van-steel-corvette-parts","tag-van-steel-rear-end-rebuild"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Lead-scaled-e1763676889615.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p42YSK-qVM","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103526","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103526"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103526\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":103539,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103526\/revisions\/103539"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/103538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103526"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103526"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103526"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}