Yukon Gear Chrome Cover For 8.2in Buick / Oldsmobile / and Pontiac GM

Restoring a 1964-1972 GTO, Cutlass, 442, Skylark or LeMans and the rear cover is pitted, dented or simply ugly under a freshly painted chassis? The Yukon Gear and Axle YP C1-GM8.2BOP is a chrome-plated copy of the factory cover for the 8.2 inch ten-bolt rear that Buick, Oldsmobile and Pontiac built for their A-body, B-body and early F-body cars. It keeps the stock shape and bolt pattern, so it looks right on a show car and bolts on where the original came off.

What the cover does on a BOP 8.2

The BOP 8.2 is serviced from the back of the housing, so the rear cover is the lid over the ring gear, carrier and pinion. It holds the gear oil in the sump the ring gear sweeps through and keeps road water out of the bearings. One detail sets this axle apart from the Chevrolet ten-bolts of the same era: the BOP axle shafts are held in by retainers at the wheel bearing end rather than by C-clips inside the carrier, and the factory positraction is a cone-type unit. That means the cover comes off mainly for gear inspection, posi service, ring and pinion work or a fluid change, not every time a shaft needs to come out. A cover that leaks at a rusty flange still starves the gears, though, and on a car that may sit for months between drives a slow weep can leave the pinion bearing nearly dry.

Signs it is time for a new cover

• Oil seeping from the lower bolt holes or the seam, with dried residue on the housing and exhaust.
• Rust pitting through the original paint along the sealing flange, so the gasket never seats the same way twice.
• A dent from a jack placed on the cover, a common mistake on old cars that bends the flange.
• Low or no oil at the fill hole on a car that has been stored, followed by a gear whine on the first drive.
• Restoration or detailing work where a bare original cover would be the one tired part under the car.

How to confirm the cover is the problem

Wipe the housing clean and look again after a short drive. Oil starting at the cover seam or a bolt hole points to the cover or its gasket. Oil at the front of the housing is the pinion seal, and oil on the brake backing plates is an axle seal or bearing, which on this axle is serviced at the outer bearing retainer. A worn rear that howls on the highway will not be fixed by a cover; read our guide on whine on acceleration versus deceleration before you decide, and if it needs bearings the USA Standard BOP 8.2 master overhaul kit or the Yukon BOP 8.2 overhaul kit covers the bearings and seals.

Fitment

Yukon lists this cover for the GM 8.2 inch Buick, Oldsmobile and Pontiac rear in the 1964-1972 Pontiac GTO, Catalina, Bonneville and Grand Prix, 1965-1972 LeMans, 1964-1970 Tempest, 1967-1972 Firebird, 1964-1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass, 1964-1971 Olds 442, 1964-1972 Buick Skylark and 1965-1972 Electra. Rear axles were swapped often on these cars, so confirm what is actually under yours. The Chevrolet-built 8.2 and 8.5 ten-bolts look similar but take a different cover, and Firebirds moved to the Chevrolet 8.5 around 1970-71. If yours turns out to be a Chevrolet ten-bolt, order the chrome cover for the GM 8.2, 8.5 and 8.6 instead. When in doubt, send us the year, model and the axle code stamped on the housing and we will check it. Browse more axle parts in our hard parts section.

Install notes

Put a drain pan under the axle, loosen the cover bolts and let the oil run out from one lower corner. Scrape every trace of old gasket and sealant from the housing face and clean it dry with brake cleaner, then look at the oil and the gear teeth while the cover is off; metal flakes or chipped teeth mean bearing or gear work comes first. Fit a new gasket or a thin bead of gear-oil-rated RTV, snug the bolts in a crisscross pattern and tighten them evenly so the chrome flange is not bowed. Refill through the fill plug to the bottom of the hole with 75W-90 gear oil, adding limited-slip additive if the car has a posi unit such as the Yukon Dura Grip for the BOP 8.2. Recheck the seam for seepage after the first drive.

Will this fit a Chevelle or Camaro 10-bolt?

No. This cover is made for the Buick, Oldsmobile and Pontiac 8.2 inch rear. Chevrolet 8.2, 8.5 and 8.6 ten-bolts take Yukon YP C1-GM8.5-R.

How do I know my Pontiac or Olds has the BOP 8.2?

Most 1964-1972 BOP A-body and B-body cars and 1967-1969 Firebirds left the factory with it, but axles were swapped often. Check the axle code on the housing, or send us the year, model and code and we will confirm.

Does it come with a gasket or bolts?

Plan on reusing your cover bolts and buying a gasket or using gear-oil-rated RTV. The listing is for the chrome cover itself.

What gear oil goes in a BOP 8.2?

75W-90 gear oil, filled to the bottom of the fill hole. Add limited-slip additive if the car has a positraction unit.

Will a chrome cover cure a whining rear end?

Only if the whine came from running low on oil and the gears and bearings survived. A whine that stays after a correct fill needs bearing or gear work.