I have my first A body 8 3/4 axle. It is a bare housing. I seem to recall that they had specific brake supports/backing plates and drums? I'm curious of any pitfalls that may exist by using brakes from a truck/Van or a B or C body. Are ther any other things unique to the A housing? In my stash, I found an axle shaft that looks like a match. It has the tapered bearing and a small axle flange. Since I think that it is best to use a matched pair of axles, I'll probably order a pair with the big bolt pattern. I've used B body housings in A body cars before. THAT seemed much simpler!

the stock A body 8 3/4 used small bolt pattern axles and IIRC 1 3/4" drums and shoes.
If your going to use aftermarket big bolt axles you can use any 10" or 11" brakes and backing plates off of any 8 1/4, 8 3/8, 8 3/4 or 9 1/4" rearend

If you were going w SBP I see pairs of axles for $50-100 and they would require the specific backing plates/SBP drums matched to those axles and as said the 1&3/4 wide shoes

What they said. The A body axle has a different axle offset that the bigger cars, they had a special offset backing plate to go along with the axle offset for the narrower shoes.

Now you didn't say what you are going to do for axles so any info given is going to be based on speculation.

Feel free to grammar nazi the above paragraphs ...

from what i have been told the A body axles have always been 28 inches ----the early and late axle is different only in the hub bolt pattern---the brakes are different by the backing plates shoes hardware and drums---bob