What's a good rear end to put in my Duster?

-
carlwinfree

carlwinfree

Member
Joined
Sep 9, 2014
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
Location
Southern Oklahoma
I have the original rear end in my 1976 Duster. It was an original slant 6 car (dropping a 360 in it now). Not sure what rear end is in it. I know the a body rear end is narrow, and hard to find. Any help/suggestions would be appreciated.Thanks in advance.
 
An 8 3/4 or a 8 1/4 would be a nice upgrade. If your car is a factory disc brake car then the 8 1/4 out of an A-body would be the easiest. You would need a shorter drive shaft, u bolts and spring plates.
 
65-66 Fury or 68-70 B-body rears are a good replacement but you must cut the welds on the spring feet and move them in about 1/2 to 3/4 inch each side. This will also allow you to upgrade to 11" brakes. The flange to flange width increases about 2" but wheel choice can fix most issues there. You can also just use an 8 1/4 from another later model A body.
 
8" ford from 70's maverick / comet. Bolts right in and plenty of availble drop out 3rd members just like an 8.75...
 
An 8-1/4 for street. Yield at 550 or so HP. It'll take more power. It'll just seriously suck when you break it.

The 8-3/4 will take most all you throw at it. Caution at 600+ HP. It must contain excellent parts and be set up right. My friends 500 cube Indy headed 8-3/4 ran his all steel '69 Dart (save the fiberglass hood) into the 9's for a few years before it broke.
(And man that sucked!)
He was in the 900HP area.

The 8-1/4 is inexpensive.
The 8-3/4 is expensive.
 
What's a good rear to put in your Duster??

Hmmmm?

This one looks about right! :cheers:

index.php
 
There is also a Dana 60, a ford 9" or 8.8 rear as well. Just sayin.
 
I highly doubt a 7.25 would die behind a mild 360.........I mean, I daily drive one.....and do regular burnouts....dry/wet/where-ever.....:protest:

If we are talking about setting a Duster up for 450+ ft lbs of torque, and some serious Track outtings.....no doubt., Go B-Body 8 3/4....otherwise, it sure does get expensive setting up a
8 3/4 just to barely lay twin tire marks....


:burnout:
 
One about 18-25 wearing a red thong..... Oh you meant a Differential. You cant go wrong with an 8-3/4 just need to find one. I was lucky and scored an open 2.73 housing for an A body for $400.00
 
Check your car: you may HAVE an 8.25" axle already!

If not...that would be my choice, probably from a 1996-2001 Cherokee.
 
Make it simple 8 3/4 rear with 3.55 gears all you need for starters and good on the street. Do not go beyond your knowledge.
 
The rears in the Cherokee are they 8 1/4 and do they require much to swap in?
 
Some are (avoid the weak Dana 35)...AFAIK, aside from welding on spring perches, it is a direct swap.
 
What's a good rear end to put in my Duster? Yours

Obviously some rear ends are more desirable than others. There is more aftermarket support for the Mopar 8.75 than the 8¼. The 8.75 was available in three different configurations characterized by the differences among the pinions and carriers. There are also differences in Sure Grip units. Early SGs used clutch plates, later ones used a cone clutch to control wheel spin. The early SGs are re-buildable, the later ones not.

http://www.moparts.org/Tech/Archive/axle/16.html

If you're not a purist about keeping the car all Mopar, you may want to browse the Ford aisle at the salvage yard. The A-body has spring perches that are 43" apart. Well, all Mavericks, the 64-66 Falcons and Mustangs do, too. So do the leaf sprung Monarchs and Grenadas. The holy grail of Ford pieces is the rear end of the Lincoln Versailles which is prized for its disk brake set up.

Remember, while there are a number of rear ends that will work, fewer will provide the desired results and make you look like a genius, too.
 

Attachments

  • 8971.jpg
    58.3 KB · Views: 469
  • fat girl.jpg
    40.1 KB · Views: 508
Whats your budget? I picked up a Maverick rear end off of Craigslist for $20 in good shape. I also thought about going to an Abody 8 3/4 I saw at the local swap meet. Just the bare housing the were asking $900 for and $700 for the sure grip center. $300 for the axles. For that much, I could oreder a Mark Williams fabbed 9" built to spec for my Valiant. So, how much you looking to spend?
 
A '60's B-body 8.75 is easiest/cheapest way to go. No need to move spring plates.
Use spacers(or even stack of washers)on rear shackles so each rear of spring is
Spaced an inch or so outward- that's it! Dusters have open wheel openings so
tire clearance isn't a prob. Did you ever notice on a disc brake Duster front tire track
is wider than rear? FIXED! 4.5" bolt pattern, bigger brakes, very simple and cheap.
Me and my brother both did this on our Dusters.
 
I do like the Ford idea, too, but B-body rear easiest. A-body 8.75 would be best,
but would have to be converted to 4.5" lug pattern and would be expensive for
"desireable" housing & axles.
 
madmoparmick said:
A '60's B-body 8.75 is easiest/cheapest way to go. No need to move spring plates.
Use spacers(or even stack of washers)on rear shackles so each rear of spring is
Spaced an inch or so outward- that's it! Dusters have open wheel openings so
tire clearance isn't a prob. Did you ever notice on a disc brake Duster front tire track
is wider than rear? FIXED! 4.5" bolt pattern, bigger brakes, very simple and cheap.
Me and my brother both did this on our Dusters.
Click to expand...

Pre-71 B-body rears have perches at 44" c-c. A body rears have perches at 43" c-c.

So, you get longer bolts for the shackles and just throw some washers in there? :violent1:

You're putting a bind on your front spring eye bushings, forcing an additional side load onto the springs, and putting them on an angle front to rear. Not to mention increasing the stress on the shackle bolts. You even lose an extra 1/2" per side for tire clearance for your trouble.

Just move the perches. It's not hard. Anyone that has to share the public roads with your car will thank you.

But yes, if you move the perches a 68-70 B body rear and works pretty well in a Duster to even up the track widths. That's exactly what I run in my Duster, after I relocated the spring perches.
 
j body 8 1/4 works well too. I have one on my duster. It's from dodge aspen
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top