a-body rear end help

[tguss]

im thinking on changing rear end on my 68 valiant , i want to put a 8 3/4 in it , what cars rear end will work ? will rear end have to come out of a a-body ? or will a b-body work ? and will i need to change the springs ? its been over 20 years since i own a decent mopar and im thinking about upgrading brakes and rearend. all help will be greatfull



















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[cosgig]

An A body 8 3/4 rear is the preferred size, but they are getting hard to find. A lot of guys are putting the early 65-69 B body rear in and just stretching the leafs out to meet the perches, which is under 2" different. This also gives you the large bolt pattern in the rear, which depending on your front end setup may require a change up front to match.

You could also use a later 73 and up A body 8 1/4" rear, they are plenty strong, have the LBP and come in Suregrip configuration as well. They are easily 1/2 the price of an A body 8 3/4"!!

I have an early B body housing ill sell you cheep!! Just the housing though!! PM me if you're interested!! Geof

 

[R4Sedan]

You can find an A-body 8 3/4. Some guys use the early B-body I think they were a 1" longer. You will need different shock mounts and U-bolts, unless you find some with the rear you buy. And if you go big bolt pattern then you'll want to upgrade your front brakes to BB pattern, kinda starts a domino affect.

 

[tguss]

thanks guys , this is helpfull. i was planing on selling the car but the more i look and drive it the more i like it and i know i wont find anougher one as clean and rust free as this one. this is a number matching all orginal minus wheels , intake and carb ( i have orginal wheels ,intake and carb put up ) no metal work have been done to car. will i hurt the value of car if i do the up grade on rearend and front brakes ?

 

[eestatic]

With the later (73 & up) A body 8 1/4 rear ends, what are the differences over the original 7 1/4, specifically overall width and spring perch locations, comparatively speaking?

An upgrade for my '65 Barracuda is on the horizon..

 

[TwistedPenta]

I'm not sure what kind of project your building but another idea, I'm building just a driver for street and strip. Not really a show car. I'm gonna run a 9" ford. Just because its harder for me to get 8 3/4 parts at an affordable price. I'm not sure what the width is but I have access to a lot of 9"fords. Surely I can match one up and just change or modify spring mounts. It's the same bolt pattern as Mopar big bolt. And I will still be able to change 3rd members easily for street and strip.

 

[FJ5]

Maybe this will help

 

[FJ5]

And this

 

[crackedback]

Junk that rotten, no good, POS chart.... unfortunately it's full of bad info.

 

[KosmicKuda]

will i hurt the value of car if i do the up grade on rearend and front brakes ?

IN MY OPINION, upgrading the brakes on a 68 Valiant would increase the value for me. Especially if you go with front K-H discs. (SBP) The matching rear drums would be 10" x 1-3/4". (Summit carries the front rotors) Those disc brakes were optional in 68. Going with newer 73-76 a-body discs and a LBP rear has the advantage of better wheel selection. And 65-72 a-body 8-3/4 rears are not rare. I see several at every large Mopar show/swap I attend.

It's not like a 68 Valiant is highly collectible where a potential buyer wants to see a build sheet and is worried about matching numbers. Don't get me wrong, I love Valiants and wish I had one.