Yes - years ago I parted out a 71 or 72 Dart with heavy duty everything except the motor/transmission. It had a slant/904. The story i got was the original owner was going to pull a trailer so the 8.75, HD cooling, etc but when not pulling a trailer, wanted some decent mileage. Each to their own!!
Thanks for sharing. I thought I remembered reading a thread here where someone else had claimed they had a 4dr 69 dart with slant and 8 3/4" for the same reason. They were going to tow a small fishing boat once in a while.