rumblefish's Duster project
Being the Duster is a slant 6 engine, replaceing the engine and tranny with a more powerful V-8 may very well warrant a replacement of the weak 7-1/4 rear ring gear axle. While the best discription I heard about it was "Avoid it like the plague" some have said it did survive for awhile.
Well, I don't want to find out how it feels to be stuck again. Theres enuff trama in my life without breaking a rear end. In a local paper, the Bargin News, Special Intrest that serves the North East well, I found in my local back yard a 8-1/4 sure grip euqiped 8-1/4 w/3.21 gears. Ahhhhhh, now where talkin! The price was $200.
Discribed as backing plate to backing plate, it was perfect for me. Through donor cars for the Magnum, I aquired a few spare parts. Here, it suites well for the Cordobas gave up 11 inch drums for the Duster. You mostly just need the backing plates for this job. Everything else can be had new.
Heres a few shots of the rear when I got it home last late summer. Rusty and sitting in dirt. (Ouch!) I had a bit of rust and dirt to scrape off. Oil down all the bolts on this well to remove anything. Even if it hasn't been sitting in dirt.
Elbow grease needed here to get the rust off.
(P.S. moved to a new job location (Closer to home. 6 miles instead of 50!) and lost the use of the glass beeder. So a wire brush is used. Man, I missing that machine allready!)
Being the Duster is a slant 6 engine, replaceing the engine and tranny with a more powerful V-8 may very well warrant a replacement of the weak 7-1/4 rear ring gear axle. While the best discription I heard about it was "Avoid it like the plague" some have said it did survive for awhile.
Well, I don't want to find out how it feels to be stuck again. Theres enuff trama in my life without breaking a rear end. In a local paper, the Bargin News, Special Intrest that serves the North East well, I found in my local back yard a 8-1/4 sure grip euqiped 8-1/4 w/3.21 gears. Ahhhhhh, now where talkin! The price was $200.
Discribed as backing plate to backing plate, it was perfect for me. Through donor cars for the Magnum, I aquired a few spare parts. Here, it suites well for the Cordobas gave up 11 inch drums for the Duster. You mostly just need the backing plates for this job. Everything else can be had new.
Heres a few shots of the rear when I got it home last late summer. Rusty and sitting in dirt. (Ouch!) I had a bit of rust and dirt to scrape off. Oil down all the bolts on this well to remove anything. Even if it hasn't been sitting in dirt.
Elbow grease needed here to get the rust off.
(P.S. moved to a new job location (Closer to home. 6 miles instead of 50!) and lost the use of the glass beeder. So a wire brush is used. Man, I missing that machine allready!)
