Will this stand up to a mild 273?,D

7 &1/4 poll single choice
	no ,it won't
	yes, it will
Votes accepted starting: 11/16/10 11:26 PM You must vote before you can view the results of this poll.

A few things will determine if it can hold up.

1. How will you drive it?

2. Auto or Manual?

3. What gears?

If you have a manual and dump the clutch, it wont last long at all. If its an auto and you drive it like an old lady, it will last behind a big block for a very long time. If you have 2.73 it takes more work to get the car moving, thus more abuse. If you have 3.73 its a little easier to get moving. Need a little more info, but for the most part, nope, wont last long.

The 7 1/4 axle was the standard axle behind slant 6 and 318 cars. Its a decent unit with great reliability. Yeah, they break, but I have seen 8 1/4 axle shafts break at the hub without being abused. It really comes down to how the axle is treated.
Even using a 3 or 4 speed trans doesnt spell instant death. These axles came behind 318 3 speed cars too.
What kills these and other axles ? Abuse and neglect. Rev it up and dump the clutch? Peel out alot? Buy some good shoes. Also, and this also applies to early transmission failure...When spinning the tires on loose surfaces,(Water, dirt, gravel) LIFT off the gas when approaching an area with better traction. Its the sudden shock loads that cause the greatest damage.

supposedly the spider gears are the weak link & Randy's sells them & maybe Doc does also. I'm gonna try a welded spider &&1/4 on a circle burner & see if it holds up. The ~100 lbs?? or so less unsprung weight (from an 8&3/4) will be very nice.

Yeah, I agree about the sudden shock loads. My brother was driving my dads 83 Ford 1/2 ton. Had the 300 6 and a 4spd with the 9". Spinning in the gravel to pavement. When i caught it took out hte rear and the trans. Split the case down the middle. The 9" had some broken teeth. The 300 isn't known as a horse power machine especially for 83. Anything short of a weekend cruiser thats driven nice, this rear don't have much hope. I killed 3 with a stock 318 and 4spd. Of course I wasn't easy on it.

Ive seen one take more abuse then it should. The one in my buddies 73 dart, burnouts all day long, no gear oil in it ( no joke is howls and grinds like you wouldnt believe) But its getting worse and i can see it failing soon. Personally id just step up the rear for peace of mind

Heres some more info: 904 auto,2.73 open rear. Plan on freeway drives and crusin,no racing.D,

I had one in my Duster when I started racing it. I used to do big funny car burnouts and always waited to hear the "CLUNK!" when I came out of the water. Never did break it. It did eat an axle bearing or two though.

If you treat it right, it will treat you right.

The thrust washers on the side gears wear out which alows the side gears to move to far out. To much clearance and it breaks. Replace the washers once in awhile and your good to go. This info from the axle lab at Chrysler Engineering.

My old '65 Dart came from the factory with a 7.25 behind a 273/4 spd. Can't say how many times it was gone through before I got my hands on it, but it had a ton of miles on it and was still there.

I pulled the DORF 9" out of my 65 Cuda and replaced it with a LBP 7 1/4 2.94:1 SG from a 74 Dart Swinger. It stayed behind the 383 Magnumn for 2 years when I heard a loud grinding noise on the way home from work. I made it home and dug out my 8 1/4 - 8 3/8 hybred with 3.55:1 SG. Hung it on the springs ok. when moving the 7 1/4 around the garage, the left brake drum popped off and the brakeshoes were delamanated and that was the grinding noise I had heard.

my 2.76 geared 7 1/4 lasted about 2 weeks behind a mild 360 before it started clunking. I wasn't babying it sure, but I wasn't exactly trying to kill it either.

Thanks for the replys .I have a bunch of smallblock stuff left over from the Coronet and a couple of 273s(one with 904 trans) that were given to me,slant is smoking so I'd thought I use up all my leftovers on this project,D.