41 3/8" Narrowed 8 3/4 for 65 barracuda

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zoltan c

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I found an 8 3/4 rear end housing that came out of a 65 barracuda and it is 41 3/8" wide flange to flange with a perch to perch measurement of 31 1/2". This sounds very narrow to me but since it has the leaf spring perches I think it was in a leaf spring car and not a for link or ladder bar set-up. The perch to perch measurement could be off, because I got the numbers over the phone and I don't know if the guy measured them center to center. The shop selling the housing is not the owner of the car so all they know is that it came from an early barracuda.
The stock A body 8 3/4 housing was 51.4" flange to flange. This one is 41.375 which is 5" shorter on each side. I read here by on one of our members that if he was narrowing a rear for these cars he would make it 5" shorter per side, because of wheel choices. I of course can't find that post, it was under the wheel and tire section if I remember correctly. Anyway, if some of you could let me know what kind of measurements you have on your narrowed 8 3/4 it would help me a lot. Thanks.
 
Most of the time it's how ever the owner decides to do it because there are several different ways to do it. I don't have an older A-body or I could take measurements of the rear frame rails and know more. Measure your frame rails and see how far they are apart. If they 31.5 center to center then that means the guy relocated his springs to the middle of the rails instead of the outside of them. He could have also relocated the springs to inside of the frame rails. You'll just have to measure yours to see where the springs would be when their 31.5" center to center.
 
I just crawled under my car and got 42" between the flanges and that works on my -65 Valiant.
You will have to move your leaf springs in under your frame.
 
valiant65 said:
I just crawled under my car and got 42" between the flanges and that works on my -65 Valiant.
You will have to move your leaf springs in under your frame.
Click to expand...

Is your car mini tubbed? How much backspacing and off-set do you have on your rims?
I have the spring relocating kit already to move the springs under the frame rails.

I took some measurements yesterday:
wheel lip to wheel lip is 68"
outside of frame rail to outside of frame rail 38.5"
inside of wheel tub(stock) to inside of wheel tub 43.5"
With the housing narrowed to 41 3/8" the axle flange to axle flange measurement should be 46.6" (plan on using the wilwood rear brake kit and moser axles) this will only work if I mini tub the wheel wells.
Any thought?
 
fishy68 said:
Most of the time it's how ever the owner decides to do it because there are several different ways to do it. I don't have an older A-body or I could take measurements of the rear frame rails and know more. Measure your frame rails and see how far they are apart. If they 31.5 center to center then that means the guy relocated his springs to the middle of the rails instead of the outside of them. He could have also relocated the springs to inside of the frame rails. You'll just have to measure yours to see where the springs would be when their 31.5" center to center.
Click to expand...

The spring perches I can move, but I do suspect that the springs must have been moved to the inside of the frame rails because the frame rail center to center measurement is more like 36". I'm more concerned about being able to fit some wheels without having to mini tub the car. I just didn't want to do any more fabricating at this time. I want to get the car on the road.
Thanks for the reply.
 
zoltan c said:
Is your car mini tubbed? How much backspacing and off-set do you have on your rims?
I have the spring relocating kit already to move the springs under the frame rails.

I took some measurements yesterday:
wheel lip to wheel lip is 68"
outside of frame rail to outside of frame rail 38.5"
inside of wheel tub(stock) to inside of wheel tub 43.5"
With the housing narrowed to 41 3/8" the axle flange to axle flange measurement should be 46.6" (plan on using the wilwood rear brake kit and moser axles) this will only work if I mini tub the wheel wells.
Any thought?
Click to expand...

You will have to mini tub your car with a axle that short, I think I have little more than 3" backspace on my rims.
 
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