8 3/4 chunk math - sticker shock

-
shadango

shadango

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2009
Messages
814
Reaction score
4
So, I have been looking for a used 742 case with 3.55s and a clutch type sure grip for a year plus....guess that's the holy grail of rears cause I aint found one local or distant.

Have found a lot of variations , most being open and the wrong gears.

Have found 489 units as well, same situation, plus I dont want the cone type suregrip which limits me there.

And with all of them so far....a $500-700 price tag.

The other issue? The math.

Seems like buying a used one will result in a $1200 or so bill....after initial cost plus the parts to make it what I want.

So have been looking at buying a unit from Dr Diff.

He is recommending a new nodular iron 489 with the crush sleeve eliminator, US gear 3.55 gearset and the 1350 style pinion yoke, with an eaton truetrac unit because the repro clutch style sure grips are on national backorder right now for months....$1375

All in all, what sounds to be a stout chunk and likely overkill for my tweaked 318/727 setup. I do plan to eventually go to a higher HP motor, so it wont be wasted.

Basically, seems like it is only about $100 more than competitor 742/7260/chinese gear/ clutch type suregrip units...and locally rebuilding a used unit that needs new gears and a suregrip added is about the same cost...so might as well go the more stout way, right?

I am still recovering from sticker shock, but I am leaning the Dr Diff way.

Any thoughts? I currently have 2.76 open gears in a 741 case.....
 
I ran a .489 chunk with cone type sure-grip 3.91 gears and the 7260/7290 crossover u-joint behind my 408/904 in my 66 Dart,runs high 10,s and had no issues.$1350 seems steep for a chunk and the 1350 yoke is overkill in my opinion unless your upgrading to a 700hp Hemi.JMO.You can find a used sure-grip for around $500 and go from there.
 
Since you already have the 741 you might consider just building it up how you want it. Not sure what the price difference would be since the parts for it might be a little harder to come by, but you woulnd't need to find a rare case. The 741 should probably handle it fine, it's pretty underrated if you ask around. If you just wanted to drop a new sure grip unit and gears in it I would think you would cut your price pretty significantly over basically making one from scratch.
 
Map63Vette said:
Since you already have the 741 you might consider just building it up how you want it. Not sure what the price difference would be since the parts for it might be a little harder to come by, but you woulnd't need to find a rare case. The 741 should probably handle it fine, it's pretty underrated if you ask around. If you just wanted to drop a new sure grip unit and gears in it I would think you would cut your price pretty significantly over basically making one from scratch.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I could build the 741.....but I dont want to. For one, I could never get the money back out of it if I decided to sell it....no one wants a 741.....new gears would be $200, plus a sure grip at $400 and thelabor to do it at $200-ish.....Would you pay $800 for a 741? I have seen them all selling for like $100 and below.....a couple have had SGs and were selling for a few hundred....so sinking money into a 741 would be futile...and still pretty pricey.

If I had the suregrip laying around? Might make sense.

I guess its the suregrip piece that is adding the most to this build, overall.

The 741 I have is holding up behind my tweaked 318 right now (so far)...true.....but I do have future plans to go more HP at some point.....why spend the money twice?
 
pettybludart said:
I ran a .489 chunk with cone type sure-grip 3.91 gears and the 7260/7290 crossover u-joint behind my 408/904 in my 66 Dart,runs high 10,s and had no issues.$1350 seems steep for a chunk and the 1350 yoke is overkill in my opinion unless your upgrading to a 700hp Hemi.JMO.You can find a used sure-grip for around $500 and go from there.
Click to expand...

Yep, $500 seems about right from what I have seen. If I could find one that had the clutch type SG and GOOD 3.55 gears, a rebuild would run about $500....so still over a grand by the time all is said and done....but yeah, better than $1400.

Cant seem to find that combination.

I am looking specifically for the clutch type....

I would have to find a chunk with clutch suregrip for damn near free or just a couple hundred bucks, it seems, to really save any huge money.
 
buy the open cases ... and piece it together. One piece at a time. I am not sure where i am at with my 489 but it would be close to $1000 with rebuild. clutch sure grip and 355

oh and add 13% to that 1000 ... mumbles about tax
 
dodgedifferent2 said:
buy the open cases ... and piece it together. One piece at a time. I am not sure where i am at with my 489 but it would be close to $1000 with rebuild. clutch sure grip and 355

oh and add 13% to that 1000 ... mumbles about tax
Click to expand...

Do you mean piece it together as I find the parts?

I dont know where folks are looking, but I cant see any way of building what I want for less than $1200...the $1375 version is a little beefier than what I wanted....but for an extra $175, what the hell...already spending big cash.

I know some folks are assembling themselves.....but not me....I will spend the extra $200 there to have it built and setup right the first time.

I guess I know my answer....just do it and quit thinking...LOL

Still, part of me does want to hold out til I find a used unit that fits the bill cheap....but that hasnt happened for over a year.

BTW.... I hear ya on the tax stuff.....sucks eggs.
 
MAN I get so tired of hearing about this case is better than that one.I have run them all and never broke any of them.I am sorry for being out of line but I just had to get it off my chest........Artie
 
godfatherofchry said:
MAN I get so tired of hearing about this case is better than that one.I have run them all and never broke any of them.I am sorry for being out of line but I just had to get it off my chest........Artie
Click to expand...

You are probably right to a degree.

For instance, I hate hearing people talk down on the 318....I have had a blast with mine so far and I think the 3.55 upgrade will really give me more smiles/gal. For what I am doing with the car right now, the 318 rocks.

But there is always "a step above"......or two or three.

It's "where do you stop"....

For my car as it sits right now? The 741 I have is probably fine, although I have killed some ujoints.....the smaller 7260s. But why spend $1000 on new gears, a suregrip unit, rebuild kit and labor to upgrade when I can build a "stronger" unit for the same money?

I cant discount the advice of many experienced Mopar folks (yourself included) which seems to indicate overall that the general consensus is that the 741 doesnt hold up as well as the 742 or 489.

There is a reason that Ma Mopar put the 741 into 6 cylinder cars and not 340s and big blocks, right?

Really, in my case, it seems to cost about the same to build a "vintage" 741, 742 or a 489 right now, within a couple hundred, cost of the case itself aside, where the 741 wins hands down by being cheaper by a hundred or two.

So I might as well "go big" so that if I ever wanted to bump up the power in my engine bay I can without worry.

My savior here would be if I can find that "cheap" chunk, already set up with what I want, that just needs to be rebuilt/freshened up.

But like I said, so far, that aint happened.
 
Are you coming to Carlisle again this year? If so maybe hold off on the Dr Diff untill you search one last time there? Then if you don't find one there it will give you some time to save up the difference in what you had to spend?
 
Well;this has been beat to death.Everybody has a different opinion so,your call because it's your money.Lot of guys run 8.25 and they are a good rear,some must have a dana,and they are a good rear.Kinda like finding the (hemi in the barn) for 500 bucks.It could happen but not really likely.Peace of mind is a funny thing-but it is NOT cheap!
 
Brads70 said:
Are you coming to Carlisle again this year? If so maybe hold off on the Dr Diff untill you search one last time there? Then if you don't find one there it will give you some time to save up the difference in what you had to spend?
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, I am planning on Carlisle....but thats a LOOONG time away....LOL

All I saw last year were 3.23/cone style 489s for sale, some were pretty crusty.... and the sellers thought they were gold.....so frankly not holding out much hope for that.

I had heard about a person or two finding a "good deal" whatever that is.

Its not a matter of saving so much as its a matter of budgeting. Spending more on the chink means less to spend on other planned upgrades.....but it is what it is I guess.

If the cost of admission has to be in the $1200-1400 range, and not the $900 price I was assuming I could get one for, then so be it....just have to wrap my head around the cost I guess.
 
Haven't looked at this for quite awhile but at one time I figured that it was just as cheap or cheaper to buy a new dana 60 from moser as to start fresh with an 8 3/4 (housing - center section - posi unit - gears - axles - brakes etc)
Just ran quick price for moser dana 60 around 2k for an a body without brakes
 
dodge71demon said:
Haven't looked at this for quite awhile but at one time I figured that it was just as cheap or cheaper to buy a new dana 60 from moser as to start fresh with an 8 3/4 (housing - center section - posi unit - gears - axles - brakes etc)
Just ran quick price for moser dana 60 around 2k for an a body without brakes
Click to expand...

The dana setup is $1800 and up from them right now.

Plus, I have been told that the Dana "uses" 35 HP and is 75-100 lbs heavier than the 8 3/4...... is this true?
 
d5667 said:
Well;this has been beat to death.Everybody has a different opinion so,your call because it's your money.Lot of guys run 8.25 and they are a good rear,some must have a dana,and they are a good rear.Kinda like finding the (hemi in the barn) for 500 bucks.It could happen but not really likely.Peace of mind is a funny thing-but it is NOT cheap!
Click to expand...

I hear ya......and yeah, the peace of mind I would get from buying this setup versus buying someone;s used whatever and hoping it holds up (if I could find what I am looking for that is) is probably worth it.

Still, the cheap bastard in me wants to hold out for that "hemi in a barn, cheap"...LOL
 
shadango said:
The dana setup is $1800 and up from them right now.

Plus, I have been told that the Dana "uses" 35 HP and is 75-100 lbs heavier than the 8 3/4...... is this true?
Click to expand...
I think I saw someplace like Mopar Muscle Mag did a comparison between the two with what you mentioned in mind and the dana 60 was equal to or better than the 8 3/4
 
shadango said:
I hear ya......and yeah, the peace of mind I would get from buying this setup versus buying someone;s used whatever and hoping it holds up (if I could find what I am looking for that is) is probably worth it.

Still, the cheap bastard in me wants to hold out for that "hemi in a barn, cheap"...LOL
Click to expand...
Yeah;maybe we should start a cheap bastard thread.But if we did-we wouldn't have room for any other threads!Probably get more traffic than the hot mopar babes thread!
 
................Dont forget that the little 741 was used behind the MAX WEDGE and the mighty 426 HEMI thats all they had back then......u dont think some of them were tortured?....kim............
 
I had looked at the Dana 60 vs 8 3/4 as an $$$ investment only at one time and figuring starting from scratch (buying everything) the dana 60 was a better deal.Plus if ever selling the car a Dana would sound a lot better in the sales ad.By the way I've been looking for an 8 1/4 for my scamp for ever and haven't been able to find one.
 
On one hand it sounds like you are going to have this case for a long time, as you want to build it strong enough to support the larger motor down the road. On the other hand, you are concerned about resale value. These seem to contradict each other. If you have the 741 that you can build for the number you have in your plans, and you are going to run it for a long time, why concern with resale value?

Not attacking, just asking.
 
dodge71demon said:
I had looked at the Dana 60 vs 8 3/4 as an $$$ investment only at one time and figuring starting from scratch (buying everything) the dana 60 was a better deal.Plus if ever selling the car a Dana would sound a lot better in the sales ad.By the way I've been looking for an 8 1/4 for my scamp for ever and haven't been able to find one.
Click to expand...
They are out there-I have two,also have 8 3/4-9" ford,43" center to center.Money is usually the problem
 
have you tried Tonys mopar parts in delaware? bet he has one. And I have a 742 open 276 set up, just would have to price out the other stuff to build it to a 355
 
i peiced together a 8.75 - axles for... lets see

(300) for housing and 741 open case

742 case with clutch type (350)

Clutch rebuild kit (60)

so thats 710.... all on cragslist except for new clutches
 
Mancini has your choice: 489 you pick gears, $1195.00 or 742 you pick gears, both with Auburn Posi, ready to bolt in those prices are close to what you were thinking to build a rebuilt unit, all parts are brand new. just my 2 cents
 
shadango said:
You are probably right to a degree.

For instance, I hate hearing people talk down on the 318....I have had a blast with mine so far and I think the 3.55 upgrade will really give me more smiles/gal. For what I am doing with the car right now, the 318 rocks.

But there is always "a step above"......or two or three.

It's "where do you stop"....

For my car as it sits right now? The 741 I have is probably fine, although I have killed some ujoints.....the smaller 7260s. But why spend $1000 on new gears, a suregrip unit, rebuild kit and labor to upgrade when I can build a "stronger" unit for the same money?.
Click to expand...

Killing u joints is a big indicator that your pinion angle could be off.....
And yes 318s are fantastic engines, basically just a smaller cube 340 and are very easy to build to respectable power levels.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top