Your correct about needing to cut 2 7/8” off the long end, I’m using the LD that came with the 8.8 but I a put carbon fiber clutch kit in it, I also replaced the crush sleeve with a shim kit from Quick Performance in Ames’s Ia. The cool thing about the 8.8 is that you can add modifications for the power increases you make to your car. With the 31 spline axles it will handle all the power and traction you can apply to it.
Regarding the C-clip when I narrowed my 8.8 I had 9” ends put on each side then used 9” axle’s because at the time a c- clip eliminator was not available but I’ve heard there’s one now.
Lots of Mopar rear axles used a "C" clip to hold the axle in place, the 7.25, the 8.25, and the 9.25. Mopar axles with "C" clips didn't cause a problem very often.
I’ve seen a few Abody 8 3/4 have the wheel studs get sheered off usually at the drop of the clutch. Can’t say I’ve seen a 8.25 spit an axle but I’ve seen plenty of GMs do it.
Doesn’t the older Abody use a 7/16 stud and maybe sheer isn’t the correct word but the studs get broken off at the axle.
I'd guess half that is due to the rough treatment they got. Very few techs were torquing when new, you had confusion on left hand threads, and Dropping the clutch usually meant spirited driving, which usually meant running a wider tire than were out on the street when they were designed and built. Smaller bolt pattern (PCD) and smaller studs were carry overs from the A-Body design.
Interesting! I worked on these things for lots of years, I have never used a torque wrench to tighten lug nuts. We always winged them in with the impact gun! I never beat on them with the impact. My 1st boss always said you run all the lugs in until the wheel is in place, then you tighten the lugs in the star pattern and stop with the impact when the socket first quits turning with each lug. Did all the nuts on that wheel that way, then hit them all one or two raps with the impact going around the circle afterwards. I've broken a few studs removing them (turning them the correct direction), because they had been over torqued when installed, but I've never broken a stud tightening them. You should have seen the cross bar we used to hand tighten the 1/2" studs on the dirt track wheels! That bar was a 24" side to side reach, with an impact socket welded to the end, tightened as tight as that 200lbs guy could twist the bar! Every lug, on every wheel, before every trip onto the track, all season long. I don't ever remember changing the studs, but I do remember changing the rear axles every couple of years because they were twisting... I guarantee those studs saw way more then 90 ft-lbs of torque! If you take the car into a service center to get tires or anything that involves removing and reinstalling the tires these days, they will torque the wheels to 90 ft-lbs. "All of the lug nuts get torqued to 90 ft-lbs, company policy!" I was told.
Yep, all the shops I worked at used air impacts and the common thing was to run them in, then hit once more with a couple or three uggas. Trucks got more, imports maybe less. Most impacts were usually turned all the way up after having something not come loose, but that wasn't universal. Obviously, these would be all over in amount of force. Couple that with the lefties, it's amazing. I looked up Std bolt specs in the pocket ref. All dry threads. 7/16 grade 5 is 54, grade 6 is 65, grade 8 is 79.
Yes they are fun, I’ve drove several thousand miles already. Drive and work on as I go. Make sure everything is safe and functional. Once I get the interior and paint and body done it should look presentable - no where near show quality but good enough. I have an OT one in the garage that I completely tore down and am doing everything to the best of my ability. I’ve been working on it for a few years and am 1 to 2 years from finishing. Oh and I’ll have more $$$s in it than it’s worth ha ha Dan
Every Monday I ride my 72 Schwinn 10 speed out to Mayer Mn (30 mile round trip) to visit my pals at goose lake auto parts (I worked there part time back in the 80's) and then on to have lunch with the guys in town from the body shop. Anyhow there are a bunch of vintage cars still in the yard at Goose Lake and Larry the owner is a "mopar" guy so I asked if there were any 8 3/4 rear ends for your car today while I was there, They looked it up in Hollanders and there was nothing off on file but they fit 66-69 Valiant, Dart and Barracuda. I did go out and look under a couple of Barracudas, one with no rear and the other had the same one that your car does. It did show however that a yard in Idaho has one for 295 bucks complete. Seems like an ok deal but the shipping might be a killer
Thanks Mark, most were 7-1/4” my buddy has two wrecked Barracuda’s both with 7-1/4”s. The one in Idaho is a good deal if it’s for an A Body. Maybe I should call them. It probably has the the 5 on 4 bolt pattern. Wonder if it’s a sure grip. Wheels are spinning now. Road Trip! Dan Next time I’m up your way I’m going to have to stop by Goose Lake, they seem like good guys, I called them looking for a points distributor, they didn’t have one.
For what ever its worth, an 8 3/4 from a 66-70 B body car is only 3/4" wider at the wheel mounting flange to wheel mounting flange that an A body 8 3/4. The older then 66 B body cars had the tapered rear axles, and the original center sections had a flange at the U joint for the trunion bearing, you don't want either of those. The B body rear end comes with the 5 bolt on a 4.5 bolt circle as well. The axle housing pins for the leaf spring mounting on the B body is only a 1/2' wider then the pins on the A body, usually a guy can force the A body springs far enough apart to work (not that I would ever admit to doing such things, only that I've seen it work for a long time on a street car). There were millions more B body 8 3/4s then there were A body 8 3/4s, but a lot of them came with a 276 open rear gear center section. The center sections from 1966 to 1974 with the gears on them can be swapped as units into any 8 3/4 housing (that includes truck and van 8 3/4s, but the truck & van centers don't have the bolt holes for the pinion snubber). Some people will try to tell you the early 8 3/4 centers are weaker due to smaller pinion shafts, on a street car, that won't matter. If you intend to do the Caltracs and slicks, on a traction added strip, maybe there will be a problem, but not with normal the street equipment. Normal rear gears for 8 3/4 rears are : 2.76 (most), 2.91 (not many), 3.23 (many performance era cars, light trucks, & vans, getting very hard to come by), 3:55 ( special order cars, or many light duty trucks, & vans) and 3.91 (very rare performance cars), all were production gears.
Also, there is a block between the axles in the center section. Do not lose! The adjustable parts on the right side are not as easy to source, so don't tear them up or lose them, either. I don't think there are a half dozen different service parts like the 9 inch, but try to keep track of what the donor is. The different strength housings also tend to have different yokes. You need to pay attention to this, they are different splines and u-joint sizes. It's Sur-Grip in Mopar circles, so don't say posi unless you want to be Joe Dirt.
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