There is no question the 7 1/4 has to go and since 8 1/4 or 8 3/4 rears have not been falling out of the sky, I must live in the wrong part of the country, haven't been able to get my hands on either so far. At any rate I was at my favorite bone yard and found a 72 Maverick with an 8" I measured and the mounting pads were the same distance apart for my 66 Valiant, It looked promising..however the width was about 1 1/2 to 2" too narrow. Has anyone tried this sort of swap? and if so how did it go. Or if anyone in Washington or North Idaho has a 8 1/4 to sell let me know.

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I've seen a couple guys use the 8" Ford rear. It seems to be a relatively easy swap. Elam used a 9" out of a '59 Edsel in his Dart Sport. It was pretty much a direct bolt in.

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i used a 8" rear end from a 67 mustang to go under a 73 duster slant 6 and it bolted up perfect with no modifications. It was about 1 inch total wider than the original but worked perfectly.

If it is too narrow, you can probably use Chevy rims since they have less backspace than Chryslers (cheaper too...). If it is too wide, you can use Ford rims since they generally have more backspace. Otherwise, if the perches are the same width, sounds like a good swap.

Lou

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