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What year did they fix the 8 3/4 problem

I agree nothing in the 9” is ford most of the time.. I’d rather have the Dana,if I’m in doubt or putting a manual trans in front of it. To each their own ..
 
A "Built" 9" gets an aftermarket yoke, either a Daytona front bearing support or an aftermarket front bearing support, either a nodular center section or an aftermarket center section, some level of aftermarket carrier be it a Detroit Locker, a four pinion style trac-lok, a spool or a tru-trac type unit... At the very least the 31 spline axles but usually 35 spline axles... And the option of 40 spline axles...

So what does Ford provide???

Can you even buy a Nodular center section for an 8.75? How many have you seen fail? Typically if one fails it's because something else failed in which case a nodular will likely fail.... You can buy aftermarket bearing caps, they need to be machined to fit & if you get that wrong you've gone backwards... I have seen girdles
Whats you point LOL, 8 3/4 is a grenade waiting to pull the pin, I dont talk out of my ***, I have seen & blown up myself at least 20 of them junkers, THEN you have to pull your Torqflite out & fix the wadded up sprag, I will take my chances with my S60
 
Or maybe 741 vs 742 case?

Anything and everything will eventually be broken.
2 buddy's at the track last year **** out Dana 60 gears.

Still remember the day, on the polara. It was violent enough that it literally blew the distributor cap off. Figure that one out.
He was running about a 10.10.
Would like to know about that one!!

As I said earlier yes the Dana is beefier, no one is challenging that.. But the 8.75 is tougher that many folk give it credit for....

Are you familiar with the guy who goes by the screen name "Thumper" ? He builds custom carbs for allot of fast cars... His Dart has been well into the 9's for at least ten years now & was running low 10's for years before that... Still running his 8.75...

There are plenty of 10-11 second cars running 8.75's... It's not just slicks, you can run slicks, Thumper does... Slicks & a manual trans, you might get away with it if the car is light, heavy car forget about it....

If your running a stick & dump the clutch at 4K+ thats a huge shock load, If the tires don't spin the load is obviously greater... If the axle doesn't break than the driveshaft might, or the transmission, or the engine mounts, or the axle mounts, or the wheel studs... Your gonna find the weakest link... Thats racing ...

Remember that earlier comment of mine about Ford 9" not being all that tough? Well here is one of the common failures...

View attachment 1226707


Another...

View attachment 1226710

The one I was hoping to find but didn't is the failure of the pinion support... There's a reason Ford made the "Daytona" pinion support.... And Nodular cases, and bigger axles, and improved housings...

The Dana 60 rarely breaks but it was designed to live in a 1 ton truck so it's huge and it's heavy... Depends on a lot of variables but same width, same brakes, no tricks the Dana is about 45 lbs heavier than the 8.75...

But the thing I see as a bigger advantage of the 8.75 is the ability to swap 3rd members in about an hour...

A gear change on a Dana is a undertaking.. On an 8.75 when I was younger I could swap it out in 35-40 minutes & I would just for a weekend of fun, whether it was throwing in 3.91's for racing or throwing it a 2.76 one legger for a freeway cruise....
All gears are set up by someone.....and if you pull out a Dana 60 gear and put it in a box along with the shims, it can be set up again just as fast as the 8 3/4. Think about it :)

In 69 the center section was changed from the clutch style to the cone/spring friction style. Then there were issues with the air flow blowing oil out through the vent. The location of the vent was moved in 70. The change in the ingredients for current oils have increased the blowout issues.
Never had a problem with oil blowing out of the vent and if there was a problem, all it took was for the vent hose to be looped....

A BUILT 9" is WAY stronger that a BUILT 8 3/4, I wont waste my time & money on another 8 3/4
The 9 is 'way stronger' if you use all aftermarket parts. Sorry Charlie but that's the way it is but there's LOTS of aftermarket stuff available for the 9 to make it stronger vs the 8 3/4 rear and other rears. The 9 also robs a bit more power than all the other rear ends. So, are you using a 'stock' 9 in your car??
 
@1 Wild R/T I apologize. I don’t mean to come off as arguing if guys on here have the 8 3/4 and it is fine for them. Hell... I’ve been daily driving them since 2001. So 20 years of them behind me doing their job well! I have however been fortunate enough to have bought my 2 V code 4 speed cars back in the 80’s, and they both have the Dana 60. The ‘Cuda is a 4.10 and the Charger a 3.54. The GTX that I’m currently building has an 8 3/4. After going back and forth with new axles, a new center section and all the other parts to rebuild it... I think in my case I’d be better off getting a Strange 60 and being done with it. The 440 I’m building will be about 500HP, so it might be overkill. But who knows what the future looks like! :D

My point is the original poster suggested that there was a known weakness of the 8.75... Thats hardly the case... Yes the Dana is beefier but unless your seriously beating on your stuff the 8.75 is fine...

I've owned a few cars with Danas in them including my 71 Hemi Challenger.. But for most applications the 8.75 is fine & again I like having the ability to swap pumpkins...
 
Would like to know about that one!!


All gears are set up by someone.....and if you pull out a Dana 60 gear and put it in a box along with the shims, it can be set up again just as fast as the 8 3/4. Think about it :)

Never had a problem with oil blowing out of the vent and if there was a problem, all it took was for the vent hose to be looped....

The 9 is 'way stronger' if you use all aftermarket parts. Sorry Charlie but that's the way it is but there's LOTS of aftermarket stuff available for the 9 to make it stronger vs the 8 3/4 rear and other rears. The 9 also robs a bit more power than all the other rear ends. So, are you using a 'stock' 9 in your car??
You know I have an s60,
 
All gears are set up by someone.....and if you pull out a Dana 60 gear and put it in a box along with the shims, it can be set up again just as fast as the 8 3/4. Think about it :)

Point is with an 8.75 you drop out the pumpkin and swap it... You don't touch the set-up.... I have a 2.76 peg leg, a 2.94 Sure Grip, a few 3.23 Sure Grips, a couple 3.55 Sure Grips, a 3.91 Sure Grip & a 4.10 Sure Grip... I need a 3.73 Sure Grip... Like I need another hole in my head...
 
But for most applications the 8.75 is fine & again I like having the ability to swap pumpkins...
Like I mentioned above, once a Dana gear set has been set up, you can pull it, put it in a box along with the shims and if you want to plug it back in again, it's just as fast as doing the 8 3/4.....plus it will most likely fit other 60's.....
 
Like I mentioned above, once a Dana gear set has been set up, you can pull it, put it in a box along with the shims and if you want to plug it back in again, it's just as fast as doing the 8 3/4.....plus it will most likely fit other 60's.....
& the S60 has the side adjusters
 
also to note, I dont need to put different gear ratios in my car, I have an overdrive Trans,
 

I took my girlfriend to see Zager and Evans as the backup to the association in April 1970 in Lincoln, Nebraska. Her Father allowed me to drive their shiney 69 Fury III Hardtop that night, F8 Green and green Interior.
That was a real concert!
 
741 weakness vs 742 or 489 is one of the biggest red herring jokes in mopar land.

The pinion bearings isn't the weak point in ANY of the cases. Don't pay any attention to the stress riser on 489 and 742 pinions... LOL
 
741 weakness vs 742 or 489 is one of the biggest red herring jokes in mopar land.

The pinion bearings isn't the weak point in ANY of the cases. Don't pay any attention to the stress riser on 489 and 742 pinons... LOL
They ALL have the same weakness.......
 
The only thing wrong with a 741 case is you can't find gears for em.
Edit: I heard that ALL 8 3/4 cases are nodular iron. I don't know if thats true.
 
The secret that I try to adhere to is, preload the **** out of the side bearings. Build some anti deflection into it.
Not that I claim to be an expert.
 
I don't know much about the inner workings of these axles but I have hammered on a few of them and never had a failure.
I swapped to a 5 speed in my 4000 lb Charger and have no intentions of swapping in a Dana 60. I don't drag race and I don't run slicks. The tires light up at anything over 1/3 throttle in first gear so the trans and axle never see the full load or power I'm making.
Tell you another thing....I had a drip from the axle at the 3rd member and when I pulled it to reseal it, there was less than a pint of gear oil in there. The axle made no noises, it was as quiet as a church mouse. I resealed it all up, topped it off with 75x90 and some LSD additive and drove it around. STILL quiet. Beforehand, I was driving the car easy, hard and everything in between. They can take some abuse, I can tell you that.
 
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