7 1/2 axle swap help.

I found an 8.25" A-body rear at my local salvage yard and got two lucky breaks: first, the donor car had the same wheelbase as mine so I can use the donor car's driveshaft without cutting; and second, it turned out to be a sure-grip. I got the shock plates and the U-bolts too. The U-bolt threads were stripped, but those are cheap to replace. The whole lot came to $350.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is the 7.25" axles are the only ones with small bolt pattern. If you change axles, you'll change your bolt pattern.