Hoping someone doesn't mind taking a quick minute to help educate me on something.
In doing research, it's become apparent to me that the 8 3/4 rear end with sure grip is the most desirable.....and some people even swear by the 8 1/4.
What I'm not clear on is the difference between the large bolt pattern and small bolt pattern. Why is the large bolt pattern preferred? Is the LBP only available on certain setups?
A body cars until 1973 were small bolt pattern. Large bolt pattern gives you more choices for wheels and brakes.
The other item that eludes me is the 3rd member variations. I keep reading about various numbers, but am not sure what the difference is and what is best suited for certain uses.
Like gear ratios? 4:56 : 1 would be a gear for 1/4 track racing for example, and 2:76 : 1 would be for driving highway speeds at a lower RPM
I currently have the dreaded 7 1/4 rear end and want to switch it out with something, but am trying to educate myself on what the various options are and what will work with various engine power/torque specs.
You could get a SBP 8 3/4 and solve that. A bit pricey, perhaps. Or you could get a 8 1/4 (likely a BBP) and have a good reasonably priced axle. If you go BBP in the rear, you may want to upgrade the front to BBP so you don't need two spares...
Also if there's some other tidbit of data that goes along with this topic that ties things together and I'm missing it, please let me know
Thanks guys.
Merry Christmas!
Mike