What donor parts would be needed to change from small bolt pattern wheels to big pattern on a 1967 dodge dart? Thanks for any help

Front brake assemblies , and rear axles ... depending on the rear you currently have.

I used the spindles, brakes off a '73 Duster, had to change the flex brake line as well. For the rear, mine had a 8 3/4 already, used a set of C-body axles that had been cut down to A-body length ,(or you can get new axles from Yukon and a few others), I used the drum brakes and matching backing plates from a '66 B-body 8 3/4.

Is there a certain year of dart that already has big bolt pattern that I could swap the rear end and would a duster rear fit as well? Thanks

73 up A bodies COULD have large bolt pattern.
Drum brake front=small bolt pattern.
73-up Disc front=large bolt pattern.
73 up A body 7.25 rear came with both bolt patterns.
73 up A body 8.25 rear was large bolt pattern only.
If you have an 8.75 now I'd get new axles (Dr.Diff)
and replace the rear brake assemblies with 10x2-1/2".
Donor can be from almost any 65 up rear end EXCEPT a body small bolt rear end.
You can also use the F,M,J disc brake assemblies for the front.
Either way you'll need the large ball joint upper control arms or the adapters to use the small ball joint.

I just checked and mine has the 7 1/4. Anyway to get new axles for or much better to find a 8 3/4? Thanks

Cut down a C body Housing to 8 3/4 A Body Specs. Call Cass and order a set of big bolt conversion axles for an A body 8 3/4. As noted above backing plates-drums from another 8 3/4 and your good. Don't try to use a stock width 65 B body rear under a 67-69 Dart...It's just too wide and doesn't fit worth a crap...

You have SBP drums front/rear. there would be enough meat on the front drums for sure & likely on the rear axle flanges to redrill em to 4&1/2" BBP if desired for screw in 1/2" threaded wheel studs, drilling on your drill press would be easy & tapping would be a bit harder to get the tap started straight. make a 4" and a 4&1/2" circle on a piece of stiff fiberboard or something similar then make a pinprick anywhere on the 4&1/2" circle then another mark in a straight tangent line 2.645" away from it then (3) more for (5) total & when done each dot should be 2.645" away from the next one. On the 4" circle make the dots 2.351", (5) of em. drill the 4" circle dots JUST to the dia of the 7/16 studs so you can slip the template snugly over the 7/16 studs to locate it firmly & with a pointed punch make (5) pinpoint marks on the drum/flange thru the template on your original pinprick marks on the 4.5 circle to locate the new holes on the drum/flange to be drilled for the 1/2" studs. the BBP wheels have a larger center register hole so you would need lug centric lug nuts to center the wheel. On the rear axle flanges there is the big hole for your socket/extension to tighten the axle flange nuts so you would want to clock the pattern to avoid any of your new 1/2 holes landing right by that hole. this plan might not be up your alley but it is an option but you would not need to buy any new parts to speak of. On the other options SBP and BBP 7&1/4 axles do not interchange from their respective 7&1/4 housings.

AALL 73 and lates A bodies got big bolt pattern

About rear axle. You can take any A body 8.75 rear end and get couple of any other body axle ( but A body ), remove the axle hubs from them and reinstall them on the A body axles from the full assembly rear end you got. I think that's way easier than mod a full rear end dimmensions.

This job has being done here with success even on 1/4 miles cars.

Nope



There are zero other body axleshafts with the 4.5" bolt pattern that will swap in without mods and you cannot remove the axle hubs, it's a one piece axle.



Not thinking this is true either.

Ok, will tell is not posible to do it to couple of personal friends who already did it ( on a 70 Swinger and a 71 )

HEY GUYS! WHAT YOU ALREADY MADE IS NOT POSIBLE, GET IT BACK... WHAT ? DID YOU MAKE IT 8 YEARS AGO AND ARE USING IT ON THE TRACK SINCE THAT? WAIT! ITS IMPOSIBLE YOU MADE SOMETHING WRONG! GET IT BACK

LOL

Bud, trust me.

Even they seem to be, axles are not one piece

About all being 4.5"... I'm pretty sure they are since front discs become standard, but is true, can be wrong on that? And even still front drums were available, I think they become 4.5" too to get all standarized? Not sure

About the hub interchange... ask them by yourself if you want

Can't find the way to get the link from the app at the iPad, but a screenshot with their FB ID can help if you want to try to contact them... the car is on front pic

yes '73-'76 A body front disc apps were all BBP (single piston calipers) but '73-76 A body front drum brake cars were still SBP, at least some were (I've had several). not sure if any 4 wheel drum 73-76 A setups were BBP.

disc only were 4 1/2". drum brakes were ALL 4" bolt pattern. those cars were relatively new back when i owned a junk yard. we had hundreds of then through during 72-84 and ALL the A body drum cars to '76 were 4" bolt pattern.

I have all aftermarket stuff on my cars but if I didn't I would go with this set-up on the fronts if I wanted 4 1/2 inch bolt pattern.


http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/threads/using-mustang-rotors-for-4-5-bc.20544/

On my 69 barracuda I swapped the rear to a 8 3/4 and my dad redrilled the front hubs and drums to convert to a 5 x 4 1/2 pattern. Takes some time and precision, but def the cheaper route.

That's what my friends didn't want, deal with redrilling process and precision on the job, plus maybe get some weakness on hub. They already had some old damaged B body 8.75 axles around and the car came equipped with 8.75, so interchanged the hubs and done. Need of course to be at a machine shop... press, weld, machine however not really precission... but way easier than make the same job, plus precisision on a full axle assembly.








Got it!

I do not need to trust you.

All A bodies got one piece axleshafts on all axles.

You got a two piece one you need to show us.

what about using the bolt pattern adapter plates? I used em on a dart DD & no issues. You have a 7&1/4 so it is a low po deal & they'd be a bolt on & go deal for you but would add a bit of side width. I did check torque regularly as a precaution since it was my first time useing em & I heard a few caveats but they stayed tight zero issues.

Whatever...

Hey Nacho when you get a chance show us a picture of the two piece A body axle.
I've only seen them on early B bodies, please school us!

I can't tell or show about that. Personaly never have seen on any body, BUT I know 2 friends who made that on their Darts! One of them is the Dart posted from the FB profile which I know personally since 2002. Unless they lied me.

Need to note is a job made on a machine job per what they told me. Press, weld and machine job is required. Not a bolt on two pieces axles.

GUYS, IF I'M WRONG, REALLY SORRY I'm just tellling what they suposelly told me made to the mod. Is not a personal experience. So if they lie me I can't find a reason why did it

nacho, you are a straight shooter and stand up guy, so don't be too hard on yourself. things in your neck of the woods are worlds apart from here in the states, so anything is possible. modifications to make something usable is understood to sometimes be the only viable option opposed to having something imported, which can/would be cost prohibitive.

When I went to 4 1/2" pattern I used a adapter. Never had a problem with them on the front. It does as mentioned above, it out sets your wheel the thickness of the adapter. I'm running the adapters on my 67 Barracuda in my picture. I later found a 74 Dart disc brake set up and converted it. The car came with a 8 3/4 and bought aftermarket axles for the rear.

don't worry! I can understand that and thanks

ok just called to the Swinger owner and explained me with detail how they did it!

as you say, is in fact a one piece assembly BUT they really CHANGED the hubs. Of course was a machine shop job. What they made is cut the hubs on both axles, cut splines on the Dart axle and press fit the B body hubs into the Dart axles. Then seam weld on both faces of the hub.

They told me is a pretty much tipical job done here for old BIG ton trucks ( several brands ) where original axles are become hard to find, so holds the heavy duty abuse with confidence.

They in fact race with this car and the job done for long time, although about a year ago or so, they got new aftermarket axles ( I think with green bearings )

so, it is posible to do it, but maybe easier modify the axle splines getting the right thickness axle on inner end ( per this website ) from B bodies if you want to keep somehow the stock assembly, not aftermarket pieces

http://www.hotrod.com/articles/mopp-9910-how-to-install-a-big-bolt-pattern/

On my sons 72 Dart we put 75 Dart front disc on it with the larger 4.5 bolt pattern. On the back I had an 8-3/4 rear from a 67 Cuda I put in it and we had the local machine shop drill the axle's 4" to the 4.5 pattern. Its had the drilled axles in it since 1997 and they are still in it. Been raced many times over the years and they have held up fine. Ron

Seems like a ton of work when new axle shafts with new bearings and new studs is just under $300 at Dr Diff.

Agreed, except if you can make it by yourself, saving the maching payment.

I wouldn't use green bearings thought, would keep stock ones. I Think DrDiff are to be used with green bearings? Dunno the Moser ones.

But when you do that, different drums and shoes, maybe backing plates too depending on drum size. Then worrying about wheel offset, tire clearance...

I didn't read the other replies so know that this might have been said.

I priced doing this from a salvage like 15 years ago. I added up salvage price on control arms and spindles. Then i added in ball joints, rotors, calipers, pads, bearings, all new because I wanted reliability, I also added in an alignment. I think I came up to about $550. I bought a wildwood brake kit for $600 and have enjoyed the upgrade ever since, I got disc brakes and the big bolt pattern out of the deal.

This was on a car that is a street strip application but the wildwood stuff has been great, no parts changes other than pads in 15 years. For the rear I upgraded to 35 spline axles and had Moser do the axles with both bolt patterns.

exactly what axle do you have that you "upgraded" to 35 splines and what did you do for brakes?

Excuse the lack of detail in that post, I have an 8.75 rear axle with a spool. When I upgraded the axles Moser did them with both bolt patterns because I was still on small bolt wheels but I saw the need to go big bolt in the future. I had a machine shop friend drill the bolt pattern onto my existing drums when I made the change.

I dont know if you ment us drilling the axles on my boys Dart ? But we did that in 1996 actually and I dont even know if Dr Diff was around back then or if he was I did not know of him back then. Ron

I was referring to Nacho's friend's method.

I thought you were buy was not sure. Thanks , Ron