Rear ends, transmissions, and wheels...a few ?s for ya!

[Alaska Hemi]

Hey guys and gals...
I Found an old Dodge truck...late 70's early 80's maybe, not exactly sure yet, will find out tonight for sure.

It appears to have a Dana 60 rear end...I assume that's better than my 741 case SureGrip rear end on the car now, correct? What issues do I have to look at when swapping rear ends?

It's an automatic transmission truck...most likely the 727 (newer model)...are the newer 727s better than the old model that my 64 Polara 500 has in it (dual cable)? I know all about doing a newer tranny swap with the 318 Poly, so that's not an issue (piece of cake).

And finally, when measuring wheels - I put the measuring tape across the center of the wheel from lip to lip - it measures about 16"+. Is that the right way to measure a wheel? I'm assuming it's incorrect since the tires say 15" on them - what's the secret to correctly measuring a rim?

The guy is giving me the truck if I want it - and I'd have to pay $65 for disposal of the unused parts. I'm thinking I might be sitting on a couple thousand worth of parts for 65 bucks - what do you think?

Again, this is for a 64 Dodge Polara 500 w/318Poly, currently has the "old style" 727 transmission (dual cable), and a 2.76:1 SureGrip rear end (741 case number).

Thanks!
Andy

[72Challenger]

The first thing I would consider is what you mean by "better" than your 741. Do you mean stronger? Undoubtedly. More reliable? Not necessarily. It's extremely doubtful that your poly 318 could break the 741. And since the Dana is heavier and takes more power to turn, you would end up going slower after the swap. Also, it's not likely that it would be an exact fit, so now you need to go to the work of modifying it, maybe shortening the axles, certainly moving the spring perches, since the truck mounts the springs on top and the car mounts them on the bottom.

The tranny is a different story. A newer style trans has a few advantages to the older ones. But you would need a new shifter for sure, and you didn't mention what engine is in the truck. If it's a big block you aren't going to be able to bolt it to a small block. Actually, I'm not sure about the poly mounting pattern, I haven't owned a poly since 1971. I'll defer this question to someone with more direct experience.

As for the wheel measurement, the reason you got the measurement you did is because you're measuring the part of the wheel that covers the tire bead. The tire diameter is measured at the inside of the bead, so the rim must be measured inside the lip. Same with wheel width, it's an inside measurement, not an outside one.

[Alaska Hemi]

Thanks for the reply.

That's a good point about the 60 running with the 318 Poly. Thing is that I'm going to be (in the next 2-4 years) building either a 402" Poly stroker or dropping a 440 in the car. Then I'd be worried about the 741.

As for the tranny, it's not a big block truck, so I know it will bolt right up to my Poly - I know a few people that have done that exact swap. Apparently there is one bellhousing bolt that doesn't line up, but that's it.

If that's the case with the wheels, then I found some nice 15x8" OEM (or Ramcharger) style wheels, which is exactly what I wanted for my car.

Thanks for the help!

[70Barracuda]

That Dana is a 8 lug 3/4 ton rear? I have seen alot of Danas in trucks but never a car one.