No more 8 3/4" axles after 72 in anything mopar, a few carry overs to very early 73 to use up stock and that's it. The 8 1/4 was used for a body V8s 73-76
********************************************** I suggest you check the dimensions a bit closer. The E-body did have the 8.75 with the large bolt pattern, and (as I recall) they are only about 1.5-1.75" wider than an A-body diff. Roger
Just to add to your note and clarify the spindles.... I wouldn't use the spindles from an F-body (Volare/Aspen) unless you know what you are doing. They are a little taller and will change the geometry of your front end. I am going to run them on my 68 Cuda convertible. But, I made several changes to the suspension (tubular a-arms in particular) and talked a ton to FirmFeel and some other vendors to make sure the set up will work. Just putting on F-body spindles won't work well unless you engineer the whole package.
He means a lot of people will try to tell you that 100mm x 5 is the metric equivalent of 4" x 5, so you can use wheels designed for 100mm x 5 pattern, but you can't. 1" = 25.4mm, so 4" = 101.6mm. Not much different, but enough that the lugs/studs won't be properly centered in the holes in the wheel, so when you tighten the nuts the lugs/studs are bent outwards slightly. A good way to end up breaking them and losing a wheel. Down here all the locally made Valiants ran 4" x 5 pattern up to about 1970, then changed to 4.5" x 5, lasting until 1981 when the last Valiant rolled off the line. Converting an early car to 4.5 here is relatively easy, as lots of front end parts are identical across all the models - you just grab a set of late model stub axles, complete with hubs/discs/calipers and they fit straight up to the early balljoints. Rear ends are converted by either shortening a late diff (they are wider), welding/redrilling flanges on the early axles (various local vendors do this as a changeover service) or fitting a Centura diff (late model pattern but narrow, as the Centura was basically a French-built Chyrsler 180, imported and converted from 4 to 6 cyl.) Last time I looked there were a surprising number of U.S. wheel makers that stocked wheels in 4" x 5 pattern, and quite cheap too. Lots of cars down here running imported U.S. made wheels in 4" x 5.
Send some photos mate! I always thought it would be cool to take an Australian Chrysler (like our '68 Dart) and make a clone "down under" version with that different nose on the front, I also think the rear bumper is slightly different. A Hemi with the S/S scoop, A100 seats, light glass, etc., plus rear wheel openings cut out like the Hurst cars. That would be a serious head-turner up here.
On the end of the drums, hell, in another thread on this board someone mentions a new Duster that pulled terrible to one side, which when finally checked in the shop with both wheels off, was found to have a drum on one side and a disc on the other. So I'd be surprised if there was any firm cutoff beyond the parts bin finally being empty.
I'm actually building a 'phantom' bodystyle Valiant utility at the moment - a 1966 (VC) utility body with front panels and dash from a 1964 (AP5) model that wasn't available in the 'ute' bodystyle. It's going to be built up to look like a 'factory prototype' drag car - the fake 'story' behind this car is that it was built by Chrysler in the US as a prototype of a model that they never got around to building, was used as a drag car to test out a planned factory turbocharged slant six motor that never made production, and was shipped out to Australia for a promotional tour alongside a number of US drag racers and their cars who came out for a tour of our Eastern states dragstrips - the 1966 'Drag-Fest'. Afterwards it was left behind in Australia, parked in a shed and forgotten about until I found it, dragged it out and dusted it off. Here's the beasty as it first arrived home behind the Toad - my daily driver.
Thanks mate! Mopar to ya! I have a friend down there, his name is Bruce and his wife is Shelia. Great people.
I'm doing a 67 Valiant with a 341 Desoto. It has 8-1/5" X 15" on the rear and 3-1/2" X 15" on the front. They are the 5 on 4" pattern. They are the Centerline Autodrags and you can still get them. I think they are the only company that makes wheels for that pattern. You may be able to use the 100 mm pattern. A set of Torque Thrust rims would look nice. If you have an 8-3/4" rear, you can get a set of axles for it with a 5 on 4-1/2" pattern and they run about $250.00 a set. Just get the drums redrilled. Bill
All 72 and older A-Body’s are 4” bolt circle, also 73 and 74 A-Body’s with the slant six unless it was ordered with disc brakes. The 72 and older cars with disc brakes used the 4” bolt cir. Kelsey Hayes set up with four piston calipers. The left hand thread ended in 70. If you want to convert to the big bolt pattern on a budget, the 73-76 A-Body front disc is the way to go. You will need the upper control arms, lower ball joints, spindles, calipers and rotors. The rotors are the same as most Mopars through the mid eighties, Aspen, Valarie, Diplomat, New Yorker etc. If you don’t want to relocate the brake lines then use the brake hoses from an 82-95 Chevy/GMC van (right on left and the left on the right) they even have a bracket that you can bolt to the top of the upper control arm. You will have to re-drill the banjo fitting on the hose to fit the Mopar caliper bolt but this is easy if you have a drill press with a clamp. The only issue is if you have fender well headers, you will need to check the clearance between the header and the hose, mine is pretty close but not too close. One thing that a lot of people don’t know is to get the big bolt cir with out replacing the 8 ¾ axles or going with a weaker rear end you can use a 57-59 Ford Fairlane 9” rear end in the Mopar A-Body and it is a bolt in, the only modification is you will need to run a different u-joint and maybe have the drive shaft shortened. You can even use your original e-brake cables and spring location. The Valarie/Aspen spindles have the caliper mounted to the rear which is better if you are running a sway bar. The 73-76 A-Body upper control arm is a must because it has the larger (B-Body) ball joint, but you can use the spindles, rotors and calipers from the Valarie/Aspens. The Valarie/Aspen spindles are also a great budget disc brake mod on the B-Body Mopars. I have them on my 68 Satellite wagon and they bolt up to the original control arms. The best Master cyl for these is the 85 Dodge truck, you just need the adapter and an adjustable push rod. Most of the guys I know that have used them didn’t even run a proportioning valve. I have a Wildwood adjustable valve on my Cuda. I have done these modifications on several of my own A-Body’s so I know they work.
That is cool MorganGT, I would like to find one of those Ute’s for parts, I have wanted to build a right hand drive Valiant conv. badged as a Barracuda. I’m sure I will see one already done now.
You can still get 5 on 4" rims from Centerline. It's the Autodrag line and they are all 15". 3-1/2 X 15, 5-1/2" X 15 and 8-1/2" X 15. I have the 3-1/2" and 8-1/2" on my 67 Valiant. They come in satin or polished. Bill
This is a great thread (especially for a Chevy person like me, looking at one of these little cars to buy, maybe...) Re: stock stuff for 1964... Okay - I found a 1964 Valiant Convertible and a 1964 Barracuda project car w/ A/C that could be bought as a pkg. deal. ALl there except the WHEELS! He removed the wheels from most of the 80+ cars out in the yard, to "prevent" theft. Wheels have all been lost, used, or thrown in a huge pile that even I don't care enough to go all the way through... Will need to find/buy/take some wheels with if we do make a deal - *So any Valiant / Barracuda wheels up to 1970 are the same, *5-lug, 4"? *And they are 13", right? *Curious - what was the width? 5"? Anyone close to Vegas have any? THANKS!
I can't speak for every application, but I believe most were 13" wheels. Don't know width but 4-5" is probably correct. Bolt pattern was 5 on 4".
You can find 14" in the 4" bolt pattern...They are quite common....Dusters had those too, up into the 70s, but not sure how far up....maybe 74-75 Also, check the Volarie wheels, may be the same...but not certain I am a Chevy guy too, so dont quote me on that.
The Volare/Aspen only had 5 X 4.5" pattern. The only thing for the BVD pattern are the BVD wheels. BVD-Baracuda(to 69), Valiant, Dart.
+1 to charles f. I have owned 6 darts/valiants over the years cause I love them little shits. My 69 had the 5 on 4 1/2 pattern cause it was v8. I understand that the v8 models had the 4 1/2 pattern and the 6's had the 4" pattern. this was true on my old 69 valiant too. but I converted it to later disc anyway. I like to be able to stop good... Do the swap and you can run almost any "ford dodge" pattern wheels u want. -GothY-
Here is some good info on Mopar A-body bolt patterns from a good Mopar source (Mopar Muscle Magazine). http://www.moparmusclemagazine.com/..._how_to_install_a_big_bolt_pattern/index.html "One of the odd things about pre-'72 Mopar A-Bodies was the use of five lightweight 7⁄16-inch wheel studs on a small 4-inch bolt circle. While Chrysler used the common 4 1⁄2-inch bolt pattern and beefy 1⁄2-inch studs on virtually every other car line (the early Imperial's 5 1⁄2-inch pattern being a notable exception), the early A-Bodies were saddled with an econo-box wheel pattern. Going back in the genealogy to the A-Body's origins, as Chrysler's compact economy entry in the early '60s, the five-on-four pattern didn't look so bad compared to the competition's compacts, which usually sported even more miserly four-bolt patterns. In 1973, the big-bolt pattern was finally made available on disc brake-equipped A-Bodies. Previously, the disc brake option consisted of the small-bolt pattern Kelsey Hayes four piston fixed caliper brake set-up, unique to the A-Body car line. The "new" brake set-up brought in for '73 was basically an adaptation of existing large-car components to the diminutive A-Body line. With the large car disc brakes also came the "big car" five lug on a 4 1⁄2-inch bolt pattern, and stout 1⁄2-inch wheel studs. Of course, to go with the large pattern up front, the rear was also revised to include the same large bolt pattern, as well as off-the-shelf "big car" drum brakes, replacing the skinny rear binders previously used exclusively in A-Body applications." Be careful with any Mopar info you find on the HAMB. Lots of brand X guys around here whos Mopar information is a bit skewed.
5 on 4 (101.6 mm) '64-'69 Mopar "A" 13" '65-'76 Mopar "A" 14" Dodge - Aspen, Dart, Demon, Swinger (w/o discs) '63-'72 Plymouth - Barracuda, Duster, Valiant (w/o discs) '61-'74
I have a set of 13" and 14" wheels for my '64 Dart. I don't know the bolt pattern, we just call em "small bolt pattern." I have a friend that works at a Mopar restoration shop and 9 times out of 10, when he restores a customer's car they want new wheels so that's how I got mine. They were bound for the scrap pile. Try and go a similiar route. Even got 'em for free! Vern
There are plenty of 8 3/4 equipped A bodies out there, some with the 4" bolt pattern. In fact, I have two of them. 1971 Dodge Dart GT's, both with a 318/904 and an 8 3/4" rear, 5x4" bolt pattern all around with 10" HD front disks. One was built in Canada, the other in Los Angeles. I've also heard that later V8 A-bodies shouldn't have 7.25 rears if they have a V8, but I have a '74 Dart Swinger with a 318 and a 7.25" rear (its a big bolt pattern car with disks in front). I have also heard of a few small bolt pattern, drum brake equipped cars built after 1972. Whether or not they "should" be is different story depending on who you talk to, but as any Mopar enthusiast should know there were a lot of things that happened at the factory that "shouldn't" have according to the records. Also, A body 8 3/4's were significantly shorter than any of the B or E body counterparts, measuring 51 1/2" from flange to flange. Next closest is a '62-'63 B body Max wedge car at 53 1/4" (good luck finding one), rest of the B bodies are between 54 1/4" to 55" depending on the year (pre-71), all E bodies are 56 1/2".
The 66 has a 4" bolt pattern, 5 lug. These wheels come in the exact bolt pattern you need and I have seen them on several early Darts/Dusters/Valiants. Check these out, the company is in Ohio.
The thing with the 7.25 is there are two of them. one for 6 cyl and one for 8 cyl. The only difference I could find was the axle bearings. They used a larger one for the V8. 1968 was the first year for the 8.75 because of the 340. The 318 still got the 7.25 as standard, 8.75 optional. Then there was the BB and Hemi cars. Those got what they got. I have seen both 8.75 4.5 pattern and Dana's. But they were also custom built cars, so any "rules" are out the window. I have had everything from 1964-1975 Darts, Dusters, and Valiants. About the only thing to truthfully say is no two are alike, but there are some basics that are common.
1968 was the first year for the 8.75? I'm guessing you mean for A-bodies, but this still doesn't hold true. What about something like a 1967 Dart GTS with a 383? It had an 8.75. And the 1966 D/Stock Darts? Also had the 8.75.
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