What to do now? It's not an a-body rear end.

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Kent mosby

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So I bought an 8 3/4 rear end 2 months ago from a guy on craigslist who said it was from a dart. I measured the perches at that time and sure enough they were 43 inches. Today, I removed the drum brakes and axles that were leaking. I removed the seals and was cleaning things up when I measured to double check before ordering new seals and axles from Doctor Diff. I have a 741 sure grip.

It measures 56.5 inches. That makes it an E-Body rear that has A-body perch setup.

Has anyone ever used them and just got larger backspacing since the perches are correct? Should I get the axle shortened to ideal size? If so how much will that be to shorten, get new ends welded on to size? Parts would be(100 at dr diff for ends and seals, bolts, nuts).
 
Id cut it and weld. The price for that is less than custom weird looking reverse bucket rims that have the lug nuts past the tire bulge. Then you got a rear A rear end. Maybe cut it a little shorter for a narrowed. cut and resplining is not that bad. Welding the ends on is not difficult with a perfect "pipe cutter' cut.
 
Thanks @pishta. What is the narrowest that you could go without the need for tubbing or changing the leaf spring mounting location? What type of shop handles that. My motor is at performance shop getting honed. Would they do that or a specific rear end shop?
 
rear end shop would have the fixture to do the end caps, but thats really not imperative if you have the axles. depending on what tire and rim your going to run (make that decision first) I think 1.5 off each side would still clear everything and give you 3" more tire. but measure twice, cut once.
 
@pishta I found a narrowed 8 3/4 that is 49 1/4 inches for $60 without perches. For that price I hope that it works well without issues. I just need to get it shipped across state 300 miles. Welding the perches should
 
Have the e body axle narrowed. I did it a couple years ago, cost $200 for them to narrow it, and check the diff over and remove the thrust button. I bought new Dr Diff axles with sealed bearings and didn't need the thrust button.
 
You also need to verify that you have E body brake assemblies. They have a little more offset then A body drums. Your axles need to match the brake assemblies and that will ultimately determine overall axle width.
 
1994redram said:
You also need to verify that you have E body brake assemblies. They have a little more offset then A body drums. Your axles need to match the brake assemblies and that will ultimately determine overall axle width.
Click to expand...
I believe all 8 3/4 A body rear ends have the small 4" BC.
the B and E body 8 3/4 rears I've work on axles extend further from the tube end, but they also had wider brake drums.
they also have the larger 4 1/2" BC.
I installed a B body, narrowed 8 3/4 rear end in my 65. Updated the front end to 74 A body discs to get the larger 4 1/2 BC.
 
cuda dan said:
I believe all 8 3/4 A body rear ends have the small 4" BC.
the B and E body 8 3/4 rears I've work on axles extend further from the tube end, but they also had wider brake drums.
they also have the larger 4 1/2" BC.
I installed a B body, narrowed 8 3/4 rear end in my 65. Updated the front end to 74 A body discs to get the larger 4 1/2 BC.
Click to expand...

Your correct. The B and E brakes use different backing plates to match the axle offset and wider drums. But it's best to verify. These parts have been around along time and could have redrilled or mismatched parts.
 
what part of Idaho are you in?

And did you verify the new one is in fact 49 1/2" ? It would suck to have a repeat of the last purchase .
 
How can you tell the difference between backing plates?
 
mbaird said:
what part of Idaho are you in?

And did you verify the new one is in fact 49 1/2" ? It would suck to have a repeat of the last purchase .
Click to expand...
I am in post falls, Id. Not verified but the guys knows mopars and the rear has been run before. I can put the perches on.
 
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