When should you brace an 8 3/4 housing?

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Ol'forest

Ol'forest

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I'm building a 4.10 sure grip 8 3/4 for my duster, before I blast and paint it, wondering if it's worthwhile back bracing it. At what sort of power levels should they be braced? I'll probably never run slicks but 295 radials.
 
Never, at that point you should be stepping up to a dana.
Honestly, ring gear deflection would be more of a concern than housing flex. In my opinion that is the weakness of the 8.75.
If your just running radials I certainly wouldnt worry with back bracing the rear.
 
How much motor are you going to run?..
4-speed ? Automatic ?
I guess what I'm getting at is you'd be better off with a Dana 60 or something that's going to handle serious horsepower if that's the way you headed with slicks... It's my opinion that ate 3/4 are more of a expensive numbers matching kind of rear end... For less than I built my eight and three-quarter which I blew up in 20 passes I built a Dana 60 and have no worries..
 
I'm going so cheap with my build, I'd probably break something else first, like stock b-body axles. It's just bracing will cost me nothing now but time, I think it looks cool, but other than that probably little benefit to me.
 
It's all in the impact not the power of the engine. If it hooks hard that's when the damage is done. Some racer friends with a 64 Max wedge used leaf springs and a pinion snubber for years. Then they went to Cal Tacs. First time out the car hooked hard launched flat and straight, 60 foot times went down. When they got it home they had twisted the tubes on both sides! Big spiral cracks in the paint and the pinion sticking up toward the floor. But that was a dedicated drag car - they went straight to a Dana...
 
I agree with J par but I braced my 8 3/4 in my Hardtop 500 stroker because I had the housing and chuck already and will admit thought it would look cool. My Neihbor had a short I-beam I made as a jig to secure the housing and slowy tacked Brace in place before slowly welding up solid as not to warp anything.Like you, I had time and my labor is free to me .

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Kendog 170 said:
I agree with J par but I braced my 8 3/4 in my Hardtop 500 stroker because I had the housing and chuck already and will admit thought it would look cool. My Neihbor had a short I-beam I made as a jig to secure the housing and slowy tacked Brace in place before slowly welding up solid as not to warp anything.Like you, I had time and my labor is free to me .

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Were you able to install the inner u-bolts with that brace?
 
Yes. I cut the ends off the brace to account for that. Maybe an 1" each side? I dont remember. I inboarded my springs 3" as well.
 
I have MT street slicks on it. 323 gear. Street car . Went 11.7 2 years ago on Nostagia Day but have never been back. No problems yet.
 
Ol'forest said:
I'm going so cheap with my build, I'd probably break something else first, like stock b-body axles. It's just bracing will cost me nothing now but time, I think it looks cool, but other than that probably little benefit to me.
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I went cheap with all my stuff as well but my worst enemy was myself and not taking myself into consideration. Not being comfortable with the fact that I have an addictive personality that if I went fast I'd want to go a little faster and a little faster. When you mentioned Slick's that means serious traction not street tires. again you didn't mention if you had a 4-speed or an automatic which makes a big difference. An automatic keeps the load on the car were a 4-speed unloads and reloads in every year and puts much more strain on the rear end...
I think welding a brace on it will only be for like you said looking cool, but in the end might be its ultimate demise by warping it... Bracing it won't stop the axles from twisting or the Caps from blowing off...
Also what kills it is a hard hook not a good ET...
 
LOL I had plenty of 11.7 runs on my 8 and 3/4 till I didn't LOL...
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Where there's a will there's a way LOL...
 
j par said:
I went cheap with all my stuff as well but my worst enemy was myself and not taking myself into consideration. Not being comfortable with the fact that I have an addictive personality that if I went fast I'd want to go a little faster and a little faster. When you mentioned Slick's that means serious traction not street tires. again you didn't mention if you had a 4-speed or an automatic which makes a big difference. An automatic keeps the load on the car were a 4-speed unloads and reloads in every year and puts much more strain on the rear end...
I think welding a brace on it will only be for like you said looking cool, but in the end might be its ultimate demise by warping it... Bracing it won't stop the axles from twisting or the Caps from blowing off...
Also what kills it is a hard hook not a good ET...
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He said he'd probably never run slicks. Without any more details, like you said, auto or 4 speed? Healthy 440 or a tired 273 ? He probably will be ok with the 8.75. They are tough if treated right. I know many that have gone years without failure in the 11's with slicks. If he has any doubts, then no doubt the Dana 60 is the better choice for strength
 
318willrun said:
He said he'd probably never run slicks. Without any more details, like you said, auto or 4 speed? Healthy 440 or a tired 273 ? He probably will be ok with the 8.75. They are tough if treated right. I know many that have gone years without failure in the 11's with slicks. If he has any doubts, then no doubt the Dana 60 is the better choice for strength
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Well hells bells I read it wrong! I thought the bottom sentence said he was going to run slicks.... He'll be fine...
The many that have gone 11s for years were they 4-speeds?...
 
j par said:
Well hells bells I read it wrong! I thought the bottom sentence said he was going to run slicks.... He'll be fine...
The many that have gone 11s for years were they 4-speeds?...
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the ones that I know of are automatics. Actually, now that I think of it, I don't think I know anyone in person that has a 4 speed mopar that's a drag car...
 
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