8 - 3/4 center section - anyone seen this before ?

During the cleaning of the rear axle and 8-3/4 out of my 72 Challenger Rallye I made a discovery on the center section that I've never seen before (or maybe I have not been paying attention in over 25 years of wrenching on e-bodies)

This is a low mileage original car that I purchased from the original owner over 10 years ago while living out in cally so the underside is in excellent condition.

Check out photos of the 8 - 3/4 center section.

At first I thought it was rust but the more grease & dirt removed it became evident that the center is painted with red oxide primer. All the original paint markings and codes are on the axle tube, center section etc.
My experience has been that the center sections were finished (or left) natural steel.

another photo

probably rebuilt in the past, most i have seen are natural + the gear ratio tag is usually on the lower driver side, at least what i have seen

Might be that a dealer replaced it with a ratio requested by the new car owner.

Many similar things were done to please a customer. I bought a new 66 Plymouth, it had power steering that I didn't like, the dealer offered to replace it with a non power unit.

a buddy of mine has an nos center section . and it's red oxide as shown. so more than likely it's an over the counter install piece

Did over-the-counter NOS units have all of the same markings as an OEM unit?...except for bolt-check paint dabs of course.

Yes, that is a production line piece. I found several '72-'74 units painted red oxide from the factory over the years.

Where was the car it came from built?

Quote:

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Yes, that is a production line piece. I found several '72-'74 units painted red oxide from the factory over the years.

Where was the car it came from built?

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I have had several just like that out of '72-4 E-bodies.