I have a 67 Dart. I need to narrow my stock A body width 8 3/4 a little. I am trying to decide if I should just go ahead and get a Dana 60 and do the work to it instead. At my current power level I am fine, 411hp-410tq, but I am thinking into the future, cause I am sure it will get a little meaner. At what point does the 8 3/4 start to fail? This is just a street car.
At what point to go Dana 60 ??????
- Thread starter duster360
- Start date
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451Cuda
Well-Known Member
1) Don't cut an oem A-body housing and 2) go ahead with the Dana 60. If you're narrowing a rear, now is the time.
Whenever you have the funds,the need and the want.
It’s not an original A body rear. It started life as a C body rear that I turned into an A body rear. I did this 5 or 6 years ago. With the 2 1/2” breaks I had to roll the fender lips just to keep the 245 60 tires from rubbing. Now I am getting ready for a redo and trying to figure out which direction to go. I have a couple spare 8 3/4’s so I probably won’t cut the stock width one in the car if I go that route.
451Cuda
Well-Known Member
Gotcha...you can still sell that off and recoup some of your $ to build the d60. On top of being stronger, the dana will be more efficient and about the same weight or lighter than an equivalent 8.75.
Moser Engineering Rear Ends?
Faster than 10 seconds flat at the track in a race car.
Heavier cars add .5
More than 475 ft. lbs. with a trans break/4 spd high rpm lurch dump launch.
8-3/4 have been know to survive this. But also have been known to fail around this area. It is more about load. Stress. Weight. Street cars should be able to handle more than a track car since there under a bit more intense conditions.
If I had the funds I’d go DANA.
Heavier cars add .5
More than 475 ft. lbs. with a trans break/4 spd high rpm lurch dump launch.
8-3/4 have been know to survive this. But also have been known to fail around this area. It is more about load. Stress. Weight. Street cars should be able to handle more than a track car since there under a bit more intense conditions.
If I had the funds I’d go DANA.
dodgedifferent2
Well-Known Member
I am in the boat.
I narrowed an 8 3/4 bought Moser axles and rebuilt the rear.
I blew a suregrip up and had to replace. (Didnt think it was the rear and thought it was the trans)
I bought a passon hemi overdrive to fix the trans issue.
Buttoned everything up and then found the broken nitro suregrip.
I used my spare chunk with 4.30s and put that in till I get another suregrip.
However this is when my brain goes "duh"
I picked up a dana 60 and I narrowed it.
It has 4.10 gears but needs a suregrip. (Currently open)
If the 8 3/4 ever gives me anymore issues it is coming out and the 60 is going in
I do like being able to change gears in an hour.
I push about 450-500 ft-lbs with 325 50 15 drag radials and all street miles with heavy clutch tests
I narrowed an 8 3/4 bought Moser axles and rebuilt the rear.
I blew a suregrip up and had to replace. (Didnt think it was the rear and thought it was the trans)
I bought a passon hemi overdrive to fix the trans issue.
Buttoned everything up and then found the broken nitro suregrip.
I used my spare chunk with 4.30s and put that in till I get another suregrip.
However this is when my brain goes "duh"
I picked up a dana 60 and I narrowed it.
It has 4.10 gears but needs a suregrip. (Currently open)
If the 8 3/4 ever gives me anymore issues it is coming out and the 60 is going in
I do like being able to change gears in an hour.
I push about 450-500 ft-lbs with 325 50 15 drag radials and all street miles with heavy clutch tests
dana 60 is a little easier to narrow and every 3\4 and 1 ton truck has a housing .
I will be shooting for more torque on the next build.
Very true
Walker434
Well-Known Member
Just swapped my 8 3/4 for a 60. 8 3/4 had a pinion seal leak and bearing going out. Rather than throwing more money at it I grabbed a 60 out of a junk yard. Also I'm getting ready to throw boost at this thing so I figured it was time. If I had it to do all over again I would have gone Dana 60 to begin with. If you are like me you will always want to go faster.
I do get the need for more power sometimes.
Marcohotrod
Well-Known Member
depends on transmission and rear tires. a 245 street tires and an automatic and an 8.75 will last forever. manual trans and slicks wants a dana 60 with 35 spline axles. some 1 ton dana 60 truck rears have 3.5" axle tubes
famous bob
mopar misfit
it doesn`t !
451Cuda
Well-Known Member
Marcohotrod
Well-Known Member
a factory dana is 50 pounds heavier than a factory 8.75
famous bob
mopar misfit
------------------THIS 1
451Cuda
Well-Known Member
Prove it?
This guy actually weighed his axles and showed us. Not stock but built comparable:
Moser Engineering Rear Ends?
This guy actually weighed his axles and showed us. Not stock but built comparable:
Moser Engineering Rear Ends?
Duane
Well-Known Member
True, but if you put 35 spline axles in an 8 3/4,(same as most factory Dana) that weight difference Is cut in half. The 25 pounds difference is in all the right places to make the Dana superior strength wise.
That weight difference has not been proven to hurt vehicle performance with some people reporting faster et,s with the heavier Dana. The Dana also has a superior pinion gear efficiency height that uses less horsepower to turn.
I run an 8-3/4 that has held up so far to the punishment I give it. Car is SB auto that runs mid 10's and high 1.4X 60'. But with this being right in that zone where it may last and it may not, a deal came along on a Dana 60 and I'm swapping it out. At least now I can put some more power to the car in the future if I want to and not worry about the rear blowing apart. This Dana I bought has been low 8's in the previous car so I think I'll have plenty of room for improvement there lol.
famous bob
mopar misfit
Good to see u back on here Clint. We went to a dana 60 (back in the day) when we blew three 8 3/4`s in a row. A dana was a given for my 505 fastback, when u blow a rear end , u need to pull the torqueflite and check it . 'IF UR RUNNING ONE."
Yep I don’t get back here very often unfortunately. Gotta find a new pic storage site and I can start updating my threads again. With the trans I had built, I’d hate to blow the 8-3/4 and then have the risk of breaking something in there too. The Dana will help assure that the rear won’t be the death of the trans at least.
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