Working on a 41 plymouth 2dr business coupe. Came with a 283 sbc and 200r4 looking to swap out the diffy.. got any direct fit. Or suggestions on a easy swap? Thanks in advance.
The limiting factor on a direct swap is the rear springs. They are 1 3/4" wide while most others are 2 1/2" wide. On my '47 Plymouth I used a 9" rear end from a '61 Mercury. All full size Fords from 1960 to 1964 should be similar. The spring perches line up. The other down side being you are looking for 60 year old parts.
My '40 Plymouth sedan has a Mopar B body rear end under it. Width is right, but you'd have to weld on new perches.
Perches available at most trailer parts stores. You can compare your WMS to what I have on this list: https://www.qualityengineeredcomponents.com/?page_id=1023
I believe a Ford Explorer or a Jeep Cherokee will be the proper width & available in many gear ratio for a cheap enough price. A Ford 8.8 is a stout rear end. My Explorer had 4:10 gears, wile many options are there. You would need to cut off the spring perches & replace where needed. As stated above a trailer supply or Tractor supply use to sell a spring perch for $20 .... No idea price today. Something to think about on your rear end swap is the Emergency brake. If you can save all the brake cables & brackets from the donor vehicle ... not a major deal to adapt to your car & use with your original E-brake handle. .... You just need to remember to grab all the pieces you can while grabbing the rear end.
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