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Just sold an 8 3/4 from my old 66 coronet 440. we put it in a 74 dart . All we had to do is pry out the springs on the Dart about 3/4 - 1 in. on either side . It was no big deal and doesn't affect anything. If A bodies 8 3/4s are hard to find , this is the way to go .

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Just sold an 8 3/4 from my old 66 coronet 440. we put it in a 74 dart . All we had to do is pry out the springs on the Dart about 3/4 - 1 in. on either side . It was no big deal and doesn't affect anything. If A bodies 8 3/4s are hard to find , this is the way to go .

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Sorry man.. This is a hacked way to go about it. Spreading springs like this isn't a good idea. The stock A body rear shackle has mediocre strength to begin with. Now as the axle travels up and down in normal street operation, shackles could bind and break. Plus, the front spring bushing has a "twist" added to it and this surely could result in rapid bushing failure.

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Sorry man but thats an engineering way of thinking and really not in the real world . I've done this since the early 70s and not one of the cars I've done has had an issue. As a matter of fact, two or three of the A bods are still being used. don't know if you ever have done something like this , its not like you have to put a hydraulic ram in between the two springs. all you don't is pull out with your hands so the center bolt drops in the hole in the pad .
Your entitled to your opinion though and maybe more will agree with you but its my opinion that its not an issue.

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Just sold an 8 3/4 from my old 66 coronet 440. we put it in a 74 dart . All we had to do is pry out the springs on the Dart about 3/4 - 1 in. on either side . It was no big deal and doesn't affect anything. If A bodies 8 3/4s are hard to find , this is the way to go .

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Sorry man.. This is a hacked way to go about it. Spreading springs like this isn't a good idea. The stock A body rear shackle has mediocre strength to begin with. Now as the axle travels up and down in normal street operation, shackles could bind and break. Plus, the front spring bushing has a "twist" added to it and this surely could result in rapid bushing failure.

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Sorry man but thats an engineering way of thinking and really not in the real world . I've done this since the early 70s and not one of the cars I've done has had an issue. As a matter of fact, two or three of the A bods are still being used. don't know if you ever have done something like this , its not like you have to put a hydraulic ram in between the two springs. all you don't is pull out with your hands so the center bolt drops in the hole in the pad .
Your entitled to your opinion though and maybe more will agree with you but its my opinion that its not an issue.

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every one calls this the shadetree hickabilly way of doing it

I have done at least 5 A-bodys this way and never a problem either,the last one I did have moser cut down to A-body specs

I have all but stoped suggesting it here cause of the negative replys about how bad it is or wrong it is to suggest such a thing,but it is a very cost effective way to get r done

when you use a b-body 8 3/4 with 44" spring perch centers you only have to pull it 1/2" each way to drop it in the 43" a-body spring spaceing

worn bushings everthing i have is worn out anyways

I would not rule it out,might even run across that 8 3/4 with the 44" perch centers first when looking...I did

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every one calls this the shadetree hickabilly way of doing it

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Just sold an 8 3/4 from my old 66 coronet 440. we put it in a 74 dart . All we had to do is pry out the springs on the Dart about 3/4 - 1 in. on either side . It was no big deal and doesn't affect anything. If A bodies 8 3/4s are hard to find , this is the way to go .

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Sorry man.. This is a hacked way to go about it. Spreading springs like this isn't a good idea. The stock A body rear shackle has mediocre strength to begin with. Now as the axle travels up and down in normal street operation, shackles could bind and break. Plus, the front spring bushing has a "twist" added to it and this surely could result in rapid bushing failure.

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Sorry man but thats an engineering way of thinking and really not in the real world . I've done this since the early 70s and not one of the cars I've done has had an issue. As a matter of fact, two or three of the A bods are still being used. don't know if you ever have done something like this , its not like you have to put a hydraulic ram in between the two springs. all you don't is pull out with your hands so the center bolt drops in the hole in the pad .
Your entitled to your opinion though and maybe more will agree with you but its my opinion that its not an issue.

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every one calls this the shadetree hickabilly way of doing it

I have done at least 5 A-bodys this way and never a problem either,the last one I did have moser cut down to A-body specs

I have all but stoped suggesting it here cause of the negative replys about how bad it is or wrong it is to suggest such a thing,but it is a very cost effective way to get r done

when you use a b-body 8 3/4 with 44" spring perch centers you only have to pull it 1/2" each way to drop it in the 43" a-body spring spaceing

worn bushings everthing i have is worn out anyways

I would not rule it out,might even run across that 8 3/4 with the 44" perch centers first when looking...I did

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Thank you Mike , At least there is someone else who have done this and had no issues .
I see it not much different then when a V8 warms that the "v" of the engine wants to spread wider and if you remove the intake and install an aluminum dome someone will say your changing the geometrics of everything ....funny thing is there are a lot of engines going around without the original intake.
Maybe its better I say nothing and forget about helping some guy save a few dollars when he may need it for rent or food .
After 40 yrs working at this stuff , I know its not the perfect way and if the op had the welding equipment and the know-how, i would proberly have told him to grind the perches off and move them in 3/4" but I don't see it as that necessary or a safety issue.

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Just sold an 8 3/4 from my old 66 coronet 440. we put it in a 74 dart . All we had to do is pry out the springs on the Dart about 3/4 - 1 in. on either side . It was no big deal and doesn't affect anything. If A bodies 8 3/4s are hard to find , this is the way to go .

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Sorry man.. This is a hacked way to go about it. Spreading springs like this isn't a good idea. The stock A body rear shackle has mediocre strength to begin with. Now as the axle travels up and down in normal street operation, shackles could bind and break. Plus, the front spring bushing has a "twist" added to it and this surely could result in rapid bushing failure.

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Sorry man but thats an engineering way of thinking and really not in the real world . I've done this since the early 70s and not one of the cars I've done has had an issue. As a matter of fact, two or three of the A bods are still being used. don't know if you ever have done something like this , its not like you have to put a hydraulic ram in between the two springs. all you don't is pull out with your hands so the center bolt drops in the hole in the pad .
Your entitled to your opinion though and maybe more will agree with you but its my opinion that its not an issue.

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every one calls this the shadetree hickabilly way of doing it

I have done at least 5 A-bodys this way and never a problem either,the last one I did have moser cut down to A-body specs

I have all but stoped suggesting it here cause of the negative replys about how bad it is or wrong it is to suggest such a thing,but it is a very cost effective way to get r done

when you use a b-body 8 3/4 with 44" spring perch centers you only have to pull it 1/2" each way to drop it in the 43" a-body spring spaceing

worn bushings everthing i have is worn out anyways

I would not rule it out,might even run across that 8 3/4 with the 44" perch centers first when looking...I did

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Thank you Mike , At least there is someone else who have done this and had no issues .
I see it not much different then when a V8 warms that the "v" of the engine wants to spread wider and if you remove the intake and install an aluminum dome someone will say your changing the geometrics of everything ....funny thing is there are a lot of engines going around without the original intake.
Maybe its better I say nothing and forget about helping some guy save a few dollars when he may need it for rent or food .
After 40 yrs working at this stuff , I know its not the perfect way and if the op had the welding equipment and the know-how, i would proberly have told him to grind the perches off and move them in 3/4" but I don't see it as that necessary or a safety issue.

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yea no pizzing match from me..run what ya brung

i did it that way cause i did not have the welder and grinder and all that back then,I was 17 when an old timer showed me how to do it

so I guess the A-body 8 3/4 in my 88 440 truck that tucks 12" rims with 29x15x15 M/Ts are all wrong and not the way its done either

but at least the spring perches are the same 43" centers as a-bodys and trucks right?

and I guess using a truck engine bracket along with a car engine bracke to swap a sb v-8 into a /6 k frame is all wrong and shouldnt be done either

man,dont see how all the negative nellys get anything done on the cheap

oh and my last 73 duster had a B-body 8 3/4 with the spring spred to 44" centers

never had any traction,handling,bushings or shackle problems..it ran in the mid 13s with a sb v-8 on a /6 k frame with a short shaft 727 from a 4x4 truck

the a-body 8 3/4 in the truck looks good to me,so did my b-body 8 3/4 in my duster

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every one calls this the shadetree hickabilly way of doing it

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Well isn't it? It's not that big of a deal to move the perches and maintain the proper geometry of the suspension.

I can see it would work, but it can't be good for the suspension. Side pressure on the bushings and shackles, then twist on the springs when tightening the U bolts. No thanks, not for me.

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why yes,i guess it is...but so am I,guess i do it the cheap way best i can with what i got when i gots it

my title before "gotta want it" was "shadetreehickabilly"

its all good,everyone can at me while I enjoy my mopar I built the way i want it with parts I had around in the yard

gots mo $ for gas that way

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I'm sure all the engineers here also pull the rear all the way down, mandrel the housing, to make sure the end doesn't get out of square when welding on the fresh spring perches too... right?

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Wow, this thread is old...

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Nearly as old as you.

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Nearly as old as you.

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I had only been on the forum for like 5 months.

So, since people don't like it when an old thread goes unresolved with an update. Last year I bought an A body 8 3/4 I found on CL. It had a 489 carrier, open 2.73. gears and was drum to drum. A couple weeks ago I tore it apart and I just sent it out this weekend to be built up by a friend of mine. It's getting 3.55 gears, an Eaton TrueTrac, bbp axles, and all of its bearings and seals replaced.