8.25" rear rebuild....thoughts???

I think there are other considerations here..He may have sounded slightly off kilter, but his heart was in the right place. (BTW, it takes roughly 1 hour to swap chucks on a floor jack, jack stands, and hand tools..Longest time is spent trying to get the oil out and the gasket surface clean)
The 8.25 rear was offered behind V8s, and will live with a certain amount of abuse. Here's that catch..You dont have any of the decent parts..You need a Sure Grip unit, bearings, and a ring and pinion for starters..Personally, I would bother with it, when a complete bolt in used 8 3/4 rear with brakes is for sale on this site for $400-$500, the 500 one with 3.55s. But, from an engineering veiw, it will last..Dont know how long, that depends on how you drive...If I had a 360 in an A body, I'd break the rear..Maybe after a week, maybe after a year, but I hate doing things twice (especially paying). I'm not sure what is offered for aftermarket axles either, now that I'm thining about it, and the axles will most likely be the weakest part. If the rear you had was a Sure Grip, with the wrong gears, then maybe I'd use it, but thats really the only way. I've had very good luck with used 8 3/4s because they are so hard to break anyway. Just my $.02