8.25 or 8.75 rear

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bluenotefan

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I've been doing some research and so far, everything I've read says that I'm lucky my factory 7.25" rear-end isn't grenaded in my '65 B'Cuda. As it sits right now, the B'Cuda has the factory 273, but I plan on going either 340 or 360, depending on which I can find a better deal on.

End game, is I eventually want rear disc brakes, and a rear-end that can handle between 350-450HP.

Application is mostly summer driver, with a visit to the strip a couple times over the summer...and if I can find a place locally, likely some autox.

Which rear-end do you guys think is the better investment?

- Dan
 
the best thing bout the 8 1/4 is that is alot easier to find and cheaper to run than 8 3/4 my 2 cents.
 
Have you looked into a ford 8.8 explorer rear, there is a sticky about them. You can find them in junk yards with disc brakes on them for cheap as well as limited slip and ratios from 3.08 to 4.10. I have a 3.73 limited slip 8.8 with drum brakes and like it a lot. Mine was about $300 or a little under to put in my car.
 
8 1/4 would in most cases be cheaper to find. it will be large bolt pattern too. should hold up fine for what you want. may be harder and more expensive to find one with a sure grip and decent non highway gears.

i prefer the 8 3/4 myself. easy gear swaps and plenty strong . they are small bolt and will cost ya to convert to large bolt pattern. gears and sure grips are easier to find . gonna pay though for them though..
 
Honestly, I'd go with the 8-3/4" if I was you.

I spent about $1,000 on my rear end. I bought an 8-1/4" rear, had richmond 3.55 gears installed with an Auburn Gear cone-style limited slip differential. It will definitely hold up to 450-500 HP if I don't lunch it with slicks, but I think new axles are in my near future. Unless I convert to an 8-3/4" rear...

I also started working on the rear disc brake conversion based on the Jeep parts. It was close to fitting for cheap, but I couldn't fit the parts under my 14" wheels. I think I have the caliper mounting brackets if you want them. All cleaned up and painted. They will fit both the 8-1/4" and 8-3/4" rear. I will have to check the shop.

-Mike
 
Sorry for the late response guys. The last week and a half has been a killer. Thanks to everyone's input I think I've narrowed it down to the 8 1/4 or the 8.8. The 8 3/4 sounds great, but if I can find the 8 1/4 or 8.8 for cheaper, I think one of those will be stout enough for my needs. Thanks!

-Dan
 
I've ran a 8 1/4 in my car for the last 15 or so years. It has held up to modded 360s just fine. I am now running the same rear diff. with a detroit locker and 3.25 gears and it's still holding strong. I have been told the 8 1/4 will handle 500 hp from the Dakota guys.
 
If it were me, I'd put the money into an 8 3/4. It's a better rear end all the way around. The 8 1/4 is cheaper but that's it's only advantage except for being a few pounds lighter. Other than strength, another nice feature of an 8 3/4 is that you can keep several 3rd members on hand and swap them out in less than an hour. That makes it nice to change from street gears to strip gears and back again. To change gears on an 8 1/4 means resetting everything up in the rear end housing.
 
I like the 8 1/4 but if I was going to changeout, I'd either go with a Dana 60 or a Ford 9. I used to have a 8 3/4 and really didn't like the wheel bearing setup. I think there is an aftermarket kit to fix it now but back then it was horrid.
 
Horrid? Really? It's a pretty simple adjustment but it has to be don't right. A basic dial indicator is all you need. The Dana 60 uses the same design so you're not avoiding anything there. As for putting F'ing parts on my Mopar.....I won't go there.....
 
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