American Motors: Which rear end in 77 Gremlin?, torx bolts, rear ends

Question
Kevin,

My friend recently purchased a '77 Gremlin, 232 six, automatic trans.  We were trying to figure out what rear end it has.  There are 10 torx bolts holding the cover on.  A guy at an axle shop said the car should have a 12-bolt cover, so someone replaced the axle, but I am skeptical.

Thanks for your help.

Jeff

Answer
Jeff,
There are only 2 rear ends that came in a Gremlin. AMC identifies their rear ends by the ring gear diameter. Gremlins with a 4 or 6 cylinder had a 7 9/16" rear end, The V-8 Gremlins had an 8 7/8" rear end.
All 7 9/16" axles will have the axle ratio stamped on the right axle tube housing boss adjacent to the dowel hole.
You can identify the 8 7/8" axle by its round cover. The smaller rear end cover is not round in shape.
AMC rear ends are not identifed by the number of bolts holding the cover on. GM does that.
Your rear end is the 7 9/16".
Kevin