SBP or BBP?

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Had a much better post ready, and lost it to a stray electron...

So the small rear end is such a pile of crap it will blow up with a 318 & a 727?

Ok, so what am I looking at to put an 8.75 in it? Is this a bolt up job - or am I looking at grinding every bracket off of something & starting over?

Complete new rear end, complete new front end... what next?

B.
 
So the small rear end is such a pile of crap it will blow up with a 318 & a 727?
Click to expand...

if its just a driver and your not hooking it up hard a 7 3/4 will probably last a while...


Ok, so what am I looking at to put an 8.75 in it? Is this a bolt up job - or am I looking at grinding every bracket off of something & starting over?
Click to expand...

an abody 8 3/4 is a bolt in deal. need to shorten the drive shaft though and make sure you have the proper shock plates. and if you want large bolt pattern your changing the brakes and axles....

a 8 1/4 abody rear is a bolt in. its already bog bolt but you will still have to address the driveshaft. used to be pretty cheap but no so much lately and to me they aren't as good as a 8 3/4.
 
IMHO, Nothing looks better on a '65 than Rallye rims. And they are still a SBP rim so dont waste your money. 8.75 A rear ends were all SBP and 67 disc brakes were SBP so you have all the hardware available to beef up the axles. IF you want to be able to save money and you KNOW you are going to upgrade the rear end, go with the 8.25 rear (in BBP) and youll be $400 ahead of a 8.75 and not lose any reliability with that 6's power to the rear. Enough to get later BBP disk brakes up front. Keep in mind you still got a 6. No part breaking torque monster there.
 
I just found that Firm Feel has shoes with "high performance" linings:

Firm Feel shoes

Does anybody have experience with this material in drums?

As far as the 8.75 rear end... I called around and the cheapest one I could find was 750 bucks. Too much money to pay for a core.

I am sitting on a few 9 inch ford units, and a quick look shows 2 of them with 5 on 4.5 flanges already. I have a brand new pumpkin with posi & 4.10's with 33 spline side gears under my desk. I doubt that 318 will break a 9 inch ford.

If I blow up 7.25, I will deal with it. I don't drag race, so it may be just fine.

B.
 
bohica2xo said:
The car does in fact have 10 inch drums in the front:

I have already been through them. Turned the drums, and installed new wheel cylinders, adjusters and shoes. You have not been able to buy "good" shoes for decades. Velvetouch has not made shoes for a long time, and asbestos is long gone too. If you have an alternative to the over the counter Wagner Thermo-Quiet I have in there, I would love to hear about it.

I don't have a picture handy, but I recall a couple of huge holes in the axle flange that would preclude drilling another 5 holes with a 36 degree offset. Again if I missed something, let me know - I can drill those units in less time that it will take me to remove them.

15x6 minilites with custom drilling? Sounds nice, where & how much?

I looked at the hydroboost, no way that will fit - the master is an inch from a valve cover now. Power brakes would help cover the shortcomings of the drums. That little drum brake is just not the same as a modern vehicle disc brake. I had an '86 Ranger with manual 10 inch discs that stopped better - at 1.5 times the vehicle weight. With 50 mph stoplight to stoplight operation, the increasing pedal pressure is very obvious. They still stop, but the feel changes.

I have been doing drum brakes for a long time. I know these are as good as they will get with the materials in them right now. If you know of a better braking material I am all ears.

Thanks
B.
Click to expand...

As for the flanges, I agree with everyone. I had a set done years ago, and when I thought about it more, I never used them. There are usually 3 large holes. One large one to access the axle retainer nuts and two more smaller ones to ballance it back out. I also agree with you on the brakes. I do not have a car without disc brakes. We have 2 with the SBP, the 66 and 68 Cuda, and 2 with the BBP, 73 Dart and 67 Cuda. As far as the Hydroboost, I think some early Barracudas came with Power brakes? I've used the firm feel drum linings in the rear, but think they are more for road racing, call them to check first. I also like the 8 3/4 rear. First for the Timken axle bearings and second for the quick change gear ratios. Not much difference between the Ford 9 inch and the 8 3/4, The Ford has a smaller centering hub, but I could never mix breeds like that. As for the SBP Minilites, I will check them out next weekend and take pictures to post if they fit fine. It is a bit of a story.
 
66fs:

I look forward to to seeing the Minilites & hearing the tale. I always liked that wheel.

What did you think of the Firm Feel linings in the rear? I am thinking of going through the brakes again if it will buy me some time to gather the parts for a swap.

B.
 
bohica2xo said:
Had a much better post ready, and lost it to a stray electron...

So the small rear end is such a pile of crap it will blow up with a 318 & a 727?

Ok, so what am I looking at to put an 8.75 in it? Is this a bolt up job - or am I looking at grinding every bracket off of something & starting over?

Complete new rear end, complete new front end... what next?

B.
Click to expand...
A slant 6 will blow up a 7 1/4 so with a V8 you're on borrowed time unless you're going to just putt around. Finding a stock A-body 8 3/4 is getting tougher all the time. An 8 1/4 is ok for up to 300HP but has many design shortcomings.....C-clip axles and axle bearings that run right on the axle shaft....for instance. If you plan on getting aftermarket axle shafts anyway, you might want to see if you can find a C-body, Van, or pickup 8 3/4 rear. Have the housing narrowed and spring perches welded in the correct spot for your application by the company that supplies the axle shafts. That way there is no arguement if there is a fit problem. You might even have a place in your town that knows how to narrow a housing and you'll save on the shipping costs. Just decide on width, order the axles, and then bring the works down to the axle shop so they can narrow the housing to fit.
 
Thanks for the info cudamark.

I knew the 8.25 was a ho-hum unit with that outboard wheel bearing arrangement - one reason I did not even consider it.

As for going to an 8.75 - with that much work I am better off with the 9 inch Ford. I can re-spline a couple of axles in an afternoon, and cleaning off the spring perches is just as much work on either unit. I have a lot of 9 inch stuff laying about.

Actually, as I type this I think I may still have a housing that was prepped for a Ranger - might be very little work to get that under the Barracuda.

The car is not a numbers matching prize anyway. Previous owner swapped in a '75 truck block 318 & a 727. He hacked the floor selector off, and welded down a B&M shifter. At some point the driver side fender was replaced, and in the process it became a Valiant from the bumper up. The hard to find & expensive barracuda grilles / lights / etc. are long gone. Lots of little things done poorly, but the car is rust free & solid.

B.
 
From what I've seen, your run of the mill 28 spline 9" Ford rear end isn't as strong as an 8 3/4....especially if you put a big gear in it. You usually have to grind on the housing for clearence in the Ford, making a weak area even weaker. Plus, I don't like ball bearings on the axle shafts. The tapered roller bearings on an 8 3/4 are bullet proof.
 
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