"Mid 60s baracuda 8 1/4"

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Davidrad

Davidrad

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I have a 70 Dart Swinger with the usual 7 1/4. I have an opportunity to buy an 8 1/4 from a guy who's telling me it came out of a mid 60s fish. For it to bolt up in my Dart it has to be from a second gen (67-69) barracuda right? Just trying to seperate fact from fiction.
 
Davidrad said:
I have a 70 Dart Swinger with the usual 7 1/4. I have an opportunity to buy an 8 1/4 from a guy who's telling me it came out of a mid 60s fish. For it to bolt up in my Dart it has to be from a second gen (67-69) barracuda right? Just trying to seperate fact from fiction.
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The 8 1/4 didn't come out till the early '70s, so that was swapped into that Barracuda at some point. Gotta keep in mind these muscle era cars are 40-50+ years old and you never know what a previous owner has done in that time.

Just make sure it's 43" perch to perch and the overall width (with drums) should be around 57 1/4", otherwise it's not an A-body axle.
 
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^^^^^^^He's right about the widths etc., but i may add to it that the first year for the 8 1/4 rear end was in 1969 in a B-Body.
The A-Body 8 1/4 rear end started in the 1973 model year and all 8 1/4 rear ends were big bolt pattern.
It obviously was transplanted into the car sometime after it was built.
 
It may actually be an 8-3/4 which was available in first gen Barracudas. Very easy to ID because it does NOT have a bolt on cover. All the others do.
 
I also saw the FB add for the rear-end. Sounds like one of those to good be true posts good luck. Dustin
 
So I spoke with the owner and he claims that it measures 55" from backing plate to backing plate. Came out of a 64 that his now dead neighbor had built. It's missing the cover so it can't be an 8 3/4. Perches are 43" center. The length measurement is just wrong though. B body probably?
 
I did find a reference that had the first gen fish at 55" but didn't say if that was with or without brakes.
 
Going by the measurement of backing plate to backing plate don't tell you what you need to know because of different brake widths and offsets. Go by the total outside drum to drum width which should be approx 57-1/8
 
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