Rearend Fit? - 72 Duster

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bwhitejr

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I have an opportunity to pick up a "B" body 8 3/4 rearend housing which already has the spring perches relocated to 43", but the flange to flange width is 55". The 7 1/4" rearend under the car now is 53.2" flange to flange. Will there be any problems with an extra 0.9" on each side of the car as far as clearance for the wheels?

If not, what size tires will fit?

bwhitejr
 
Depends on what you mean by flange width, but the key is the backspace on rim.

I know a fella that has a '67 B body housing in a '69 Valiant. This rear reportedly measures 59.5" between the drum faces. He says '94-'04 Mustang rims fit (8" rim, 5.7" back space, 275/45/17 tire).

In my '69 Valiant, I have a 9" from a '66 T-bird that measures 61.5" from face of drum to face of drum. '05-'07 Mustang Bullit rims fit (8" rim, 6.3" backspace).

Regular 7" steel wheels will fit but it depends on the backspace. I've mocked up two different styles of steel wheels....one from an '86 Fifth Ave and one from a '80ish NY'er (R body). The wheels with the 3.5" deep dish will rub the fender lip if the suspension allowed it to and the ones with only 2.5" "dish" will clear.

But you have a Duster.....
 
Bob Shingler over on BigBlockDart.com, runs a B-body rear in his Demon with a 10 inch rim, with 6.5 inches of backspacing, all he had to do other than move the perches was trim the wheel well lips on both sides...

Ryan
 
Another point of info guys. I have a E body rear in my 73 Duster. It is 1 in.
wider than the A body rear. I run 15x8 rims with 255/60-15 tires. No problems
with tire rub.
 
Th eE body rear is wider then the B body rear. If you run a B body rear its only 1" wider perside so if you were to run a 15X8 you would want 5.5" backspacing instead of 4.5"
 
As I do, the rear that I currently have in mine is supposedly from a late 50's something or other (unsure, but didn't care because it was ever so slightly narrower than the 65 b body rear I had in it. It measures 41 3/4 flange to flange (housing flange) I also run a set of steel wheels I had made 10 years ago by Stockton Wheel (way overpriced, any good wheel shop should be able to widen a stock set for less or you should be able to find brand new aftermarket wheels with the proper offset/backspacing, you should measure for the proper fit, trying wheels and tires can get expensive fast.) My wheels are 8 inch wide with 5.5 inch back spacing and my 73 just clears, with 245/60 15's, the outer wheel well lip and has about 3/4 inch clearance to the leaf springs, I have had 255/60 15's on it and they clear to but they will rub the very side of the tire high in the wheel well if I have a full car (wife and kids and me). Each car is different, measure, measure, measure, then buy.
 
Good point, I have been building "hotrods" for years. The one thing I can say with certainty is that whatever wheel combo works for one car, will not always fit on the next. I won't give the random caller on the phone backspacing info on the cars we build. I got stung early on when I did give it out, some guy immediately went and ordered custom wheels based on a two minute phone conversation and ended up with wheels that didn't fit his '55 Chevy. He had the balls to try and get me to pay for having his wheels rehooped! So, the best advice I can give is... Measure, measure, measure. And, when you are absolutely sure, measure one more time.

Rev
 
OK. I picked up the rear axle assembly yesterday. The thing has 11" brakes on it. Is that good? Seems large. Does that mean 15" wheels?

I also picked up a 741 3.55 SG. I know, I know, it isn't the choice piece, but is anyone else using one?

bwhitejr
 
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