Weird axle housing width.

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Clelan

Clelan

Inferno Red Duster
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A couple years ago I bought an 8 3/4 housing from a local guy who told me it was an a body width housing. Well I stuck it in the corner and just brought it out today to clean it up for paint so I could start putting it all together. I threw a tape measure on it and it measures 55 and 3/8 flange to flange and 44 " center to center on the spring perches. So I guess I have a 64 B body housing instead. With this bastard housing can I use 68 to 70 B body axles etc? The difference in width will only be about 5/16" with my housing being wider.

Cley
 
Here ya go

Screenshot_20161229-155304.png
 
That chart is wrong, 8 1/4 and 8 3/4 A body rearends are definitely NOT the same length
 
I thought that was off. The 66-7 b body was a little narrower than the 68-up
 
There is a great sticky at the top of this forum regarding axle dimensions. It has a great list. That is where I got the info I've gathered so far. Just wondering if I can use the commonly available 68 to 70 B body axles in this housing.

Cley
 
You can use the shorter axles with green bearings, or add a little bit of spacers and stock adjustable bearings with a suregrip
 
89on35s said:
A couple years ago I bought an 8 3/4 housing from a local guy who told me it was an a body width housing. Well I stuck it in the corner and just brought it out today to clean it up for paint so I could start putting it all together. I threw a tape measure on it and it measures 55 and 3/8 flange to flange and 44 " center to center on the spring perches. So I guess I have a 64 B body housing instead. With this bastard housing can I use 68 to 70 B body axles etc? The difference in width will only be about 5/16" with my housing being wider.

Cley
Click to expand...
Be very careful with axle length especially with cone traclok or a powerlok with the 2 pc side gears or you will take the splines off the end of axle where they do not engage enough.paul
 
89on35s said:
Thanks for the tip!

Cley
Click to expand...
Might look at e body axles. would probably have to trim about 3/8 off each but would probably leave enough spline.(barely). being even longer than b body rearends will make it tighter wheel/tire clearance for an a body. I have narrowed lots of b,c,e body housings to fit better in the a bodies.I like to narrow them so that the 4.5 bolt pattern axles end in the same place as stock. I have narrowed many different lengths for a bodies for all kinds of wheel/tire combos. same price as stock length.paul
 
I found a guy locally who has narrowed housings for a friend of mine in the past and he will be narrowing my housing to stock A body width. I've measured eight ways from Sunday and I think stock A body width is what I want.

Cley
 
if U are going to use B body brakes, they use a longer housing end to brake drum dimension than the A body
 
I have stock a body axles and brake backing plates. I will get new shoes and hardware kits as well as new drums and I think I should be ok. As long as the housing ends are the same. I think they are , aren't they?

Cley
 
Make sure the bolt pattern on the housing ends are the same. The 66 and up stuff is for 8.75 housing ends are the same across the platforms.

I had a splined axle housing and the ends were different bolt pattern.

52 5/8" is stock A body width housing end to housing end.
 
I use a large pipe cutter then you can reuse the ends plus its ready for welding no grinding
 
jockeyshift said:
I use a large pipe cutter then you can reuse the ends plus its ready for welding no grinding
Click to expand...

I'm not entirely clear which specific weld your talking about, however.
All butt welds must be beveled.

I am a welder by trade, I can promise you that if you want a full penetration weld, it must be beveled.
 
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Factory housings are almost never straight, using a pipe cutter and butt welding might work, but it's not the correct way. If your not using a jig off the carrier center points, your doing it wrong
 
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