Let's start with some simple ones....
7 1/4 rear is a good rear for what it was designed for, and some guys here have done really well with them for 'other' uses... You can't swap the axles from a 1973-1976 rear to the pre-72 rear...axle lengths were different (housing and axle tubes changed too...).
Good news! You can bolt in any A-body rear axle and it'll fit right in!
So you can try to find a 1966-1972 A-body 8 3/4" axle and swap out the 4" bolt pattern shafts for 4.5"( or 'large bolt pattern') shafts. Or you can swap in the 8 1/4" if your donor disc brake car had one. Both of these axles are getting harder to find and the 8 3/4" being more desired will be more $$$, than the 8 1/4"...The 8 1/4" will be easier in junkyards to find used gears and sure-grips for (Dodge Ram pickups with the 8 1/4" or 8 3/8" 10 bolt cover rear always have some god 3.55 or 3.91 tow package gears to work with if on a budget and you have the time and tools...)
If you really want to wake up your car, the sure grip will come in handy (it sure helped out lots last winter during a snow storm when I had to get to work and had no snow tires...kinda funny how a Duster can whip past those Grand Cherokees and Suburbans when you know how to use/drive your vehicle....)
Other things to ponder when 'scheme-ing' up a plan..if you're stuck with the 7 1/4 from the other car you can have a shop put the 3.23's from your rear into the donor rear for some $$$ (I'd take the 3.23's over say, a set of 2.76's any day...), if you have a junkyard with a 'boat' (like a 1966-1974) Imperial, or New Yorker with the 8 3/4" an axle shop can cut the rear down and respline the axle shafts for your needs. Also depending on supply and demand, you can also shop for a Ford 9" rear and have it 'resized' to your needs too...
If you do go for the 7 1/4" keep your eyes peeled in parts for sale ads, and on E-bay sometimes the 'rare' 7 1/4" sure grip unit shows up and that will help your launches too...
Hope that gives you plenty of 'options' to play with/ shop for/ save your P's and Q's to do...
-D.Idiot
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