can i get a rear end from.....

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Princess Valiant

Princess Valiant

A.K.A. Rainy Day Auto
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has anyone ever taken a rear end from a Dakota or jeep and put it in an A-body?

I am interested in the 8 1/4 and I heard someone say that jeeps and Dakotas had the same 8 1/4 as older cars, so I started thinking that a shoebox Cherokee cant be much wider than a 68-70 B- body. plus the jeep or Durango probably has much better gears.

are there any major concerns to look out for....im looking for an 8 1/4 with somewhere around 3.23 to 3.55 gears (open or SG, don't matter) for a slant six Duster.
 
I believe shock mounts are different as well. Not saying they can't be modified.
 
With a plasma cutter and mig welder, you can put anything into anything. Go for it.
 
well I have a pair of spring perches that I can weld on from the dodge dealer ....and I have experience with putting a B-body rear in an A- body by cutting the perches of and welding a few inches in ...don't remember the measurements now....but I was just wondering if a jeep or Durango was even close. like a C- body rear, its just not even in the ball park so no go.

and what bolt pattern would a jeep or Durango have ? do they have five or six lugs ?
 
You're right about the width in Cherokees being about the same as B-bdy, but measure to be sure. Not sure if you'll have to change the mounts or not, again measure. Some of the Cherokees had an aluminum center section as well. They also have the same 5x4-1/2" bolt pattern.

Personally, I'm planning on using a Dakota 3.55 Sure Grip rear I already have in an early A-bdy.

The plan is to narrow it to the needed length, still to be determined by wheel/tire combo. I'll do a C-clip delete by using 8-3/4" / Dana housing ends so I can use the tapered axle bearings which carry so much more side load.

The main draw for this for me is that all Dakotas (I don't know about Jeep products) had a reluctor ring in the housing for RWAL (rear wheel anti-lock) brakes. In the earlier Daks, this is a stand alone system. Search for the pair of articles by Ehrenberg a few issues back on how to incorporate this into your vintage ride.

The earliest Daks (up to '91?) were 5 lug. Up to '96, they were 27 spline and if posi used an Auburn 3 series carrier. In '97, they became 29 spline and used Trac Loc series 3 carriers.

I don't know yet if there is enough meat on the axle shaft to shorten and respline them, or if I'll need custom axles, or to find some other axles to rework.

All I've read says the 8-1/4" is plenty strong for street use. In fact, I've heard of people running in the 10's on slicks without problems.

Mike in FL
 
RaniDart70 said:
well I have a pair of spring perches that I can weld on from the dodge dealer ....and I have experience with putting a B-body rear in an A- body by cutting the perches of and welding a few inches in ...don't remember the measurements now....but I was just wondering if a jeep or Durango was even close. like a C- body rear, its just not even in the ball park so no go.

and what bolt pattern would a jeep or Durango have ? do they have five or six lugs ?
Click to expand...

Rani, My 02 Durango has SIX lug bolt pattern. It is a 4WD with 4.7.
 
The long side of a Jeep 8.8 rear end can be shortened to match the other, and you use another short side axle on what used to be the long side.
Perches need to be moved, as well as a different yoke on the rear of the driveline.

You could end up with an 8.8, rear disc brakes and locking diff.
It even matches up for the E brake cable.
Seen it done and they work great.

Notice how one side is longer?
When you cut the long side down to match the short side the rear end ends up the right width for an A body Mopar.

Also a lot of Jeeps have the 5 on 4.5 lug pattern (Large bolt pattern on a Mopar)
My chrome wheels came right off a Cherokee.
 

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TrailBeast said:
The long side of a Jeep 8.8 rear end can be shortened to match the other, and you use another short side axle on what used to be the long side.
Perches need to be moved, as well as a different yoke on the rear of the driveline.

You could end up with an 8.8, rear disc brakes and locking diff.
It even matches up for the E brake cable.
Seen it done and they work great.

Notice how one side is longer?
When you cut the long side down to match the short side the rear end ends up the right width for an A body Mopar.

Also a lot of Jeeps have the 5 on 4.5 lug pattern (Large bolt pattern on a Mopar)
My chrome wheels came right off a Cherokee.
Click to expand...


exactly what kind of jeep is this? is it a grand Cherokee or the small Cherokee ....just to make sure I go after the right one....I assume your talking about the shoebox Cherokee like this one: ....right?
 

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RaniDart70 said:
exactly what kind of jeep is this? is it a grand Cherokee or the small Cherokee ....just to make sure I go after the right one....I assume your talking about the shoebox Cherokee like this one: ....right?
Click to expand...

Yes.
They sell the yokes for the driveline on ebay.
You can get disc or drum still.

There is an article around somewhere on the net about it, but I can't seem to find it now.

You know, now that I look into it more it looks like it was a ford 8.8 and not a Jeep.
The Ford Explorer was the one that was really close already.
But either one can be done fairly easy.

Here is one of the threads on it.
http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?p=1969595270
BTW, a lot of Fords used the 5 on 4.5 pattern also.
 
TrailBeast said:
Yes.
They sell the yokes for the driveline on ebay.
You can get disc or drum still.

There is an article around somewhere on the net about it, but I can't seem to find it now.
Click to expand...


can it be run in an A body without narrowing it at all ....I have always thought that the stock A-body width rear in a Duster looks silly and the B-body rear suits it better because it pushes the wheels out a bit and makes it look more proportional from behind. (I run stock tire widths) so is it possible to run the Cherokee rear as is from a junkyard pull as far as the width goes?
 
Grand Cherokees have dana 35 or 44 rear end. The square Cherokees had corporate rears in the later models (99-2000). Before that they were dana 35s not a good choice for any horse power. I had a heavily modified one in a Wrangler with 35 inch Mickey Thompson Baja claws, that lasted.
 
TrailBeast said:
Yes.
They sell the yokes for the driveline on ebay.
You can get disc or drum still.

There is an article around somewhere on the net about it, but I can't seem to find it now.

You know, now that I look into it more it looks like it was a ford 8.8 and not a Jeep.
The Ford Explorer was the one that was really close already.
But either one can be done fairly easy.

Here is one of the threads on it.
http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?p=1969595270
BTW, a lot of Fords used the 5 on 4.5 pattern also.
Click to expand...

I recall it being an Explorer also.
 
RaniDart, that's a Jeep Cherokee, Grand Cherokee debuted in '93. Got a '96 Cherokee 4x2, 4.0L, had a '92, 4x4 4.0L. Love em, built proof.
 
the ford 8 8 out of an explorer has 31 spline will give you the big bolt pattern and disk brakes in the rear, if you find the right year. not sure if they have to changed to go it to a dart but to put them in to a jeep cherokee you have to flip the spring pads from the bottom to the top
 
jeep cherokee's came with either a dana 35 or a chrysler 8.25 the jeep wrangler tj rubbicon you could get a dana 44 same length different mounting brackets. the chrysler 8.25 out of a jeep will have a rubber inspection plug in the axle cover that would leak fluid
 
RaniDart70 said:
can it be run in an A body without narrowing it at all ....I have always thought that the stock A-body width rear in a Duster looks silly and the B-body rear suits it better because it pushes the wheels out a bit and makes it look more proportional from behind. (I run stock tire widths) so is it possible to run the Cherokee rear as is from a junkyard pull as far as the width goes?
Click to expand...

"They" say you can run them unshortened, but the wheel well lip needs to be folded up to clear.
I would imagine that would depend on backspacing of the rims used.
 
I put a Cherokee rear on my 73 Swinger, both sides stick out an extra 2". I rolled my fenders and bought wheels with a deeper backspacing so now everything fits well and I have nice meaty tires in the back without scraping. Without switching wheels or flaring your wheel wells, you will probably not be able to fit your tires in the wheel well with the Cherokee rear.
 
All due respect, Sister, but why bother ? A-body 8 1/4 or EVEN 8 3/4, are NOT that hard to find. 8 3/4 cost a few bucks, but an 8 1/4 is almost FREE for an A-body. Out here they have very little value. Like maybe $200 for a complete bolt in 8 1/4 set up. Dakota ?, Jeep ? Talk about taking something SIMPLE, and making it DIFFICULT. What is wrong with the diff in your Duster right now ?
 
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