Thanks! I think the 7.25 rear is actually starting to die. I hear a whinewhen I coast that goes away on acceleration. Nothing too bad, yet, but I would love to grab an 8.25 out of a copr car dippy with a rear sway bar. I would love to swap the whole rear axle/leaf spring/sway bar system on as a unit.

mine has the swaybar on it it is missing the brake drums and the little mounts where it mounts to the unibody if you are interested it would only cost you price of shipping

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Nothing beats a slant six
1987 D150

Shipping an 8 1/4? I think it would be rather cost prohibitive. Thanks for the offer though. I am sure I will find one eventually in a boneyard.

Yes, and it will pull the handling more toward oversteer. Its been a number of years since I drove an M-body, but as I recall they were between mild understeer and fairly neutral (most production 4-doors are heavy on understeer because its easier for a poor driver to recover from understeer than from a spin). I wouldn't get TOO carried away on rear bar unless you also go larger/stiffer on the front bar at the same time.

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THis is true. In my 76 Volare I once made a left turn while accelerating through an intersection. I lost traction and did a 540 degree spin-out and ended up facing the wrong way towards oncoming traffic. Fortunately there were no cops around and I was able to get myself turned around fairly quickly. I thnk I will focus on getting the rest of the suspension in good shape before I add anything to it.

Very brief update: I got the new fender and door painted black today. Didn't turn out too bad for a paint job done in my garage with some seriously low-tech and old school tools and painting methods. The paint is curing tonight and I hope to get the fender and door swapped out during the coming week.

This next weekend Joshie225 and maybe EricW are coming over to help me refurbish and install the 8 3/4 rear axle I got from a 69 Belvedere. I have to get the spring perches drilled out first, but otherwise it is a near drop in replacement for the dead 7 1/4.

I will post pics later.

New door:


New fender:



New rear axle:



Something is up with my camera. The door and fender look better than as pictured...

Looking good Reed! As you get some time (if you get some time), start disassembling the axle...ie, pull the axles, the third member, take off the backing plates, etc. This will make the swap go that much faster this comming weekend so all that needs to be done is install the backing plates off the 5th on and install the axles. Plus, its alot easier to install the center on the ground than on your back! Are the inside of the backing plates around the axle retainers dry?

Thanks Eric! I plan on picking away at different projects on the Fifth Ave before this weekend. First up is getting the door and fender installed so I can get some extra room in the garage. After the door and fender will be the intake and ignition system swap. Once that is done, THEN I will get the rear axle disassembled and prepped. I need to get the various gaskets and such still too. I will make a trip to Napa tomorrow and order some in.

I haven't disassembled the axle, but it doesn't look like the wheel cylinders or axle grease were leaking anywhere. Then again, the brake shoes are so rusty that the shoe lining has fallen off. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the bearings and gears in the axle aren't rusty...

Just thought of this: Make sure the rubber rear brake line from the frame of the 5th Ave to the 8.75 axle is compatable.

Good thought. I will double check on that.

According to Dippy.org:

"There may be an issue with the rear brake hose that runs from the hard line to the differential housing. Mark retained the stock piece when he swapped to the 8.75" by taking the bracket off of the frame rail and bolting it up somewhere closer to the rear axle. He has plenty of play in the line, and it doesn't even get tight when the rear of the car is in the air supported by the frame rails. A 72 Dodge pickup-truck brake hose is also said to work without requiring any modification."

I will try moving the bracket and then move on to the 72 pickup line if that doesn't work.

No pictures yet (my sister hid the camera), but I got the "new" door and fender on. Now I can actually get in the car from the driver's side! Yay.

hey reed how is the axle install coming along when you find your camera please post pictures it will be neat to see that 8 3/4 under that m body

_________________
Nothing beats a slant six
1987 D150

Will do Jason.

As purchased:



Right now:



I spent all day pulling the old 7 1/4 axle, and I am pooped. Nothing like fighting with u-bolt wile laying on wet cement and being rained on. BUT I was triumphant and now the dead 7 1/4 is awaiting diassembly in my garage.




I can spin the driver's axle on the 7 1/4 and neither the yoke nor the passenger axle will spin. That thing is toast.

The 8 3/4 has been stripped and I have installed new axle seals. The next step is to swap the brakes from the 7 1/4 to the 8 3/4, and then I can reassemble the 8 3/4 using all new gaskets. Once the 8 3/4 is reassembled, I have to drill new holes in the spring mounting pads and then it will drop onto the M-body rear springs. Tomorrow I need to take my driveshaft to a machine shop and have them shorten it to match the 8 3/4. Then, finally, I can start reassembling the car. Before I put those u-bolts back on I am going to clean the threads of the bolts and nuts with a tap and die. Once the u-bolts are on the car I am going to cover the threads of the u-bolts with some vacuum caps to protect them.

It is taking longer and more money than I wanted, but it is coming along. I am always impressed at how solid this car is. Chrysler really went nuts designing this thing to be rigid and solid. One of my favorite discoveries has been the tiny factory chin spoiler bolted to the bottom of the radiator cross-brace. I'll keep plugging away and get done eventually.

FYI, the u-bolt nuts are self-locking and the locking feature will be removed with a tap.

Fender and door look pretty sweet!

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Joshua