Is an 8 1/4", 2.45:1 diff housing exclusive?
It would be nice to know if you could build a 3.55 SG 8 1/4 from relatively cheap junk yard parts.
I would guess that yes, it could be relatively cheap.
One scenario I could see is someone picks up a cheap A-Body 8.25 with a bad wheel bearing and really tall gears. Since the bearing rides on the axle, probably best to buy a new axle, so why not replace both and upgrade to 29 splines at the same time? If so, grab an axle from a '96+ Dakota, toss the housing and swap the gears and carrier into the A-Body housing and add the new axles. Still might cost $5-600, but could be less if you are frugal.
Just not sure of the strength comparison with an 8.75" axle. It's probably close, but maybe not as strong. So where do you draw the line?
And to be clear, I am running an F-Body 8.25" in my Duster because I tripped over one in the junk yard with 3.21 gears and didn't want to spend the money to buy a B-Body 8.75" to run later model 17" wheels.
I might add, that I did go looking for 29 spline axles on Dr. Diff's site and could find any. So, no idea where to buy them, nor how much they would cost. Best guess would be $300 for a pair??
