Looking for a sure grip 355 chuck for my 69 Valiant. Looking for recommendation for reputable vendors. I wouldn’t mind a used unit but how will I know if It is good? Just looking for input!! Thanks !!

Doctor Diff.

Dutchman is here locally, but I'm not sure they build those as complete units. I know they sell parts and pieces....

I use DoctorDiff on all my parts buys. He has a nice surgrip that he sells. If you find a used one with the old style clutches, he can sell you a new clutch pack. The 69 up oem suregrip can fail after long term use and can’t be rebuilt. However, I’ve owned many of those and they all worked fine. Buying a used anything is a crap shoot now days. After all, the parts are 50 years old. That’s why I sell his new suregrip to my customers.

Another vote for the good doctor. Bought all of the parts to build my D60 from him.

I have purchased axle shafts from DR Diff, and I do agree he is a great vendor but his chucks are out of stock according to his website. That’s why I was asking if there is any other reputable vendors out there. I have a couple of open 3.23s, should I rebuilt one of them for what I want or is it more cost affective to buy a complete unit? Cost is always the objective.

I inquired about purchasing a 8 3/4 center section from Dr Diff last summer and he said he was not currently assembling any more due to being too busy and not having enough help. I ended up purchasing the parts from him as a complete kit just needing assembly and took them to a local driveline shop who charged me $225.00 to set it up. I thought that was pretty reasonable as I do not have the knowledge to do it myself. There is also an ebay seller 68lo23 out of AZ that sells a lot of these units already assembled and seems to be pretty reputable although I have not dealt with them personally. There is another seller drivelineworks out of FL that sells them as well. I have done business with them a couple of times and they were great.

Ok, if Dr. Diff is not an option how about Mancini, or Randy's Ring and Pinion?

A shop that does 18 wheeler drivetrain service work should be able to do a gear swap as well if you give them the specs and parts. Cheaper to rebuild what you have vs a new one + shipping.

I've got a couple from Randy's with Detroit lockers, the 3.91 is silent, the 4.30 has a tiny whine to it. Got a 4.10 from Mancini with an Auburn diff and it's a bit noisier than I want. Drove it for years like that though, no problem.

Well, I’m a do it your self guy because I can’t find a shop or contractor, for that matter, that can’t do the job right. Most everyone just wants to get done and get paid. And most customers can’t understand the process well enough to know what it takes to do the job correctly and don’t want to pay for that service. Over the years I’ve collected the tools and knowledge to do most jobs associated with rebuilding these old Mopars. It’s my passion, not a job. I started doing a few jobs to pay for my tools and the overhead for my big shop. I’ve got a press, the clamshell pullers and the $1000 setup tool that no shop in town has. They just guess, then run a pattern. Get it close then out the door and if it whines, just blame in on” well sometimes these gears just whine a bit”. I watched a shop do that just the other day. And they are one of the better ones. Anyway, I cook the case, clean, paint, change the bearings, gears and using my setup tool, I set the depth and run a pattern. It’s perfect when it leaves my place. I do all that labor for $650. Some gears are harder than others to get it right. I can get all the jobs I want and never had a job complaint from noise. Most shops don’t go through all the steps I do and don’t charge as much, but they know what there service is worth. That’s why I do it myself.

From my understanding. These new cases all come from the same place and are slow in coming like everything else. Cass can make more money selling parts than building them and with no help, it would be worse. He’s a volume dealer instead of one of these guys that tries to make a lot off of one sale. I sure can’t complain about him. He’s always been good to me or anyone else I send his way. You are just as good in using your oem case and rebuilding it. I’ve done many and never had a problem.

chuck....

Pig

Third member

Center Chunk

Differential Carrier Assembly . From the Factory Service Manual . Ronnie

Rear end. Rear gear.

Pumpkin

Hogs head

Pumpkin,
This is always what I heard them called

Just call it a posi and watch the heads start spinning!

charles or charley