have my P-BODY for sale pretty cheap..its about 1800#.. was 2400#
race weight SB and me at the line.. you can put a BB in it with
minor changes( I was gonna)

An 8 3/4 will live, but I'd opt for a Dana personally that way you wouldn't have to worry about breaking it. We ran a 29.5x11.5 on the mini tub duster. I run 31x14 on my back half ladder bar car, but could go alot wider if needed. As long as the rear frame rails are good a mini tub would be okay for what your trying to do. Putting a BB in an A body and easy to work on is not simplest. We have the inner fenders removed on my car and snout bars going from the cage to the frame tying in the shock tower. Run TTI headers, they fit nice, but is nice in some spots. Before we caged it we ran fenderwell headers and they were SO much easier to work with but limited you on the front tire size. As far as weight my 2 dusters are

1975 back half ladder bar, dana 60 440 with alum heads, intake, full cage, only fiberglass is bumpers - 2950 lbs
1973 mini tubed dana 60 360 alum heads, all steel - 3040lbs

both cars retain factory dash, interior panels and have carpet on the floor.

My B-body has the engine a lot further forward than a Duster. Ho0ks great with 10.5s, ladder bars and stock frame rails ( been 1.240). You existing drive train could net you 10.30s at 3000lbs. A little hop up to the existing engine and a careful weight saving program will get you there. Start cutting. Then start shopping . Lots of good used parts if you stay on it. Make a list and be ready to pounce when you find the right item. I second the Dana. If your 8 3/4 has 35 spine axles they may have enough spline to cut down and fit in the Dana. You'd be surprised how cheap you can build if you plan early and take your time to locate cheap parts. With a 2 year window you should have no issue.
Doug

Thanks Guys. I'm thinking ladder bars good double adj shocks and mini tub. Since this will be a race only car I plan to remove anything not needed dash , glass, gut doors etc. I may try and sell doors and fenders and replace with fiberglass. Not sure about front suspension/steering yet. A rack and coilovers would be nice but not sure if worth it. Your right DVW I've been watching for stuff I will need and found a couple good deals on a shifter and fuel cell.

I run a Duster, and any advise I have, is generally not budget friendly, but,,,,its all in the name of making it easier to work on.

I run a BBM in mine with 4.56 gears, but with a Dana and a 33" tall tire....This car is 2700lbs and would torch an 8-3/4....Heck I already torched one Dana....Put a Dana or a 9" in it....Or even neater idea, a Winters quick change if fits and its a streeter.. You will need somthing to hold up. 10.0's is under what I would use an 8-3/4 for.

Ladder bars I like, easy to work on and easy to tune. Use a good set of double adjustable coil overs like Viking and you are good.

Front end, I like you plan, but one item I can't live without for ease of working on the car is a MagnumForce front end.....or the RMS version.....No torsion bars, no steering linkage to go thru the pan, no header clearance issues....and its light! I know, there goes the budget, but the ability to work on the car is 100% more friendly....Both of my cars have these on them.

I like Dragula’s way of thinking.... I like “easy”, and to increase “easy”, tube K/rack steering/coil over shocks sure frees up a ton of space for go fast parts!

Starting a racecar from scratch I’d go 9” derivative or S60..... this is coming from a guy that had 8.75 rears in 2 cars that Ended up with Danas.

Fiberglass doors and fenders...... way too much BS for what your trying to do imho.

In my p-body I run a alum center 8-3/4.. its strong and light but when
I built my Rampage I put a 9" in it.. the cost of the alum center unit
now days isnt worth the price.. I went that direction to make the
car light.. its a all moly 4-link with struts in the front.. I'm thinking about
putting it back on the street but I have to buy another shadow so I
can get a Vin from it.. I have the title but I tossed the dash when I
built the car

I like the mini tub, ladderbar combo, combined with a coilover shock and rack combo up front to provide the extra room for working on the motor. If i ever build another chassis, i would look into a Mustang 2 style front end, since they are available from a number of sources, and universal fit. My other option would be a strut front from Strange. These options might sound spendy till you add up the cost of going through the stock front end, and adding disc brakes, plus converting to a 4.5 bolt circle up front. And every last extra $$ spent on the strut upgrade would most likely show up in resale value. A mild steel cage would accommodate the strut or M2 style front, and allow you to modify the firewall for some engine setback which will help consistancy. Oil pan options are much better too. I would put the 440 block up for sale and start with a 400 based 512 cube combo. The wider header options may save $$ over what a stock front would require, so figure that in when calculating the front suspension and cage cost.
Have the pistons cut for 2.25 /1.81 valve sizes and deep enough to accommodate a 440-1 head cut to 60 cc, and equiped with a BIG roller cam in mind. That way you can start with whatever budget allows for heads, but can upgrade to a head capable of 9.0s without having to change the shortblock.

If you are happy running low 10’s follow some of the suggestions on getting the front end upgrades, aim for 2800 pounds or less, caltracs or ladderbar, and a stock crank 360 with TrickFlow heads will get you there. Build it into a 408 and easy 9’s are in your future. You will love working on the small block compaired to a big block.

I will add a little more to that Magnum front end.....With the fenderwell headers, the diaper comes right off, and the pan can be removed as well with lifting the front of the engine a little. Headers go right on or off, and plugs are easy to get at. Only thing I still hate are the top two trans bolts....

I have a two piece removable trans tunnel

When I added the CSR shield to my car I was forced to knock some holes in the firewall to get to the bell housing bolts. I wish I did that 24 years ago when I got the car.

I don't think Aftermarket front suspension and budget are in the same sentence. Making the tunnel big is never a bad thing. Trim the K frame. This makes pulling the pan and the motor far easier. I'd run a motor plate. Simple and gains clearance. removing the inner fenders gives more access if snout bars are installed in the correct location. Coil overs can replace the torsion bars in the stock location. But I've seen a few sets of custom headers that actually come off pretty easy with the stock stuff.
Doug

Thanks for all the replies. This is a retirement dream I have at least 3 years till then. But this gives me something to look forward to. Back in my 20's a buddy and I built a back half duster but never ran it much between work and family. I have always wanted to chase points at my local track just to see how good I could do. So I bought this body 12 years ago and figure I better start something or I will be 65 before I have it done. I'm going with mini tub ladder bars and dbl adjust shocks on rear. Not sure on front I have a old mustang 2 front end, buying a new front end or just coil overs like DVW said. My goal is consistency and easy as can be to work on. Going to start with my old 440 driveline and see how I do. I do have a couple other 400 blocks if I really want to get serious. I never really messed with small blocks but I can see where they would be easier and lighter, but will stick with BB. Thanks for ideas and support

You should at least read the thread on my Duster build. I've been working on mine for 2 years now and it will probably be another 6 months before it is running. I've tried a bunch of different things in my build and have changed course a few times. I started off with a motor plate but then decided to go with a spool mount setup. There is no perfect solution, each approach has some good and bad. You have to figure out what the goal is before you'll get very far. If you want a simple bracket racer that is easy to work on then that is different than a hard core race car which is a lot different than a street car. If you know what you're building then it is possible to get the project finished. If you aren't sure what you're building then you'll either never finish or never start.

You are right Andy. I have followed your build very interesting for sure. I have a stock 74 charger street car a 64 Belvedere street strip car now. So this build would be a basic bracket car no frills no fancy paint to worry about.

A basic bracket car should be a fairly easy build as long as you know exactly how fast you want to go and don't change the goal. Cars built from the ground up for a specific purpose usually go together fairly well. It is the guys who start off with 10 second cars that then want to run 9's that have the problem since a bunch of stuff needs to get cut out and redone. If you are going to run 9's then list out all of the stuff required by the rule book and put it all in the car from day one. The build that Forest is doing would be a good one to follow if you're planning on running 9's.

No 9s for me. I can't get NHRA liscence

Why not?
Are you aware that NHRA now allows you to self certified on the medical exam like the FAA is doing now on some pilot medical exams

No I was not. I haven't been an NHRA member for awhile. What does self certify entail?