8 3/4 for a Early A Body

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stop the beast

stop the beast

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I have a '66 Dart and I've been looking for an early a-body 8 3/4 axle w/ a clutch type suregrip - very hard to find so far!

My question is can I modify other chassis axles to fit my application? Like a b-body or a pickup? I can find these readily and they are a lot more affordable. Any suggestions would be great - I definetly need a rear end upgrade.

Thanks.
 
You can use a B-body axle, but the perches will need to be cut off and put in the A-body location. Even then the B-body will still be pretty wide, and you'll have to run a narrow tire or lots of backspace. The best bet would be get a B-body axle, narrow it to A-body width, and put the spring perches in the right spot. http://www.bigblockdart.com/techpages/diffchart.shtml
 
wish4hemi said:
You can use a B-body axle, but the perches will need to be cut off and put in the A-body location. Even then the B-body will still be pretty wide, and you'll have to run a narrow tire or lots of backspace. The best bet would be get a B-body axle, narrow it to A-body width, and put the spring perches in the right spot. http://www.bigblockdart.com/techpages/diffchart.shtml
Click to expand...

Great reference document.

So If I end up with a B body housing would most drivetrain shops be able to narrow it and relocate the perches? I'm assuming that involves moving the end flanges, getting custom length axles and obviously cutting and welding the perches... that sound about right?
 
You won't have to get custom axles if you narrow it to A-body size, because then you'll be able to get A-body axles. Yes, most drivetrain or machine shops should be able to narrow it and relocate perches. Hard to say what the price will be though. Could be anywhere from $100 to $300. Or you could do what I'm doing and build a narrowing jig so you can do it at home.
 
wish4hemi said:
You won't have to get custom axles if you narrow it to A-body size, because then you'll be able to get A-body axles. Yes, most drivetrain or machine shops should be able to narrow it and relocate perches. Hard to say what the price will be though. Could be anywhere from $100 to $300. Or you could do what I'm doing and build a narrowing jig so you can do it at home.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm thinking of getting in touch with an old metal working friend of mine. This sounds right up his alley.

Thanks for all the info!
 
You can use a 65-70 b-body rear end. You will have to cut the spring perches off and reposition them to match the leaf spring position on the a-body. Make sure you get the u-bolts off the b-body, the axle tubes are larger diameter. You will also need a driveshaft for a 727and 8-3/4 abody, or get yours shortened. Other than that it's a bolt-in. Very easy swap. I did it on my 71 duster years ago with no problems. As a bonus, you will also end up with the large bolt pattern. Only possible issue is wheel well clearance if you want to run wide tires, but you can get wheels with more backspacing, stock wheels and tires will work fine as-is. Check out this article http://www.moparmusclemagazine.com/..._0404_8_3_4_rear_axle_housing_swap/index.html
 
moparman9 said:
You can use a 65-70 b-body rear end. You will have to cut the spring perches off and reposition them to match the leaf spring position on the a-body. Make sure you get the u-bolts off the b-body, the axle tubes are larger diameter. You will also need a driveshaft for a 727and 8-3/4 abody, or get yours shortened. Other than that it's a bolt-in. Very easy swap. I did it on my 71 duster years ago with no problems. As a bonus, you will also end up with the large bolt pattern. Only possible issue is wheel well clearance if you want to run wide tires, but you can get wheels with more backspacing, stock wheels and tires will work fine as-is. Check out this article http://www.moparmusclemagazine.com/..._0404_8_3_4_rear_axle_housing_swap/index.html
Click to expand...

Good article, thanks.

I'm still deciding the easiest option for me... Since I would like to keep my 14" sbp cragars I think I'm stuck with paying for a sbp a-body setup else I need to deal with the various extra work involved in making another axle work.

Then again it may be cheaper to get some bbp cragars w the right offset and pay less for a b-body axle...
 
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