'48 vs '85

[Plymouthy Adams]

Mike..you are right..he SHOULD have an 8 1/4 being a V8..the one I parted out did not and was a 7 1/4 though it was a V8 also..the following is from ALLPAR....applicable to all M bodied cars..

Available transmissions included the A230 3 speed (Slant Six only), the A833 4 speed overdrive (Slant Six and 318-2 only), and the A904 and A998/999 Torqueflite 3 speed automatics. These were coupled with either the Chrysler 7 1/4 inch rear axle (for Slant Six coupe and sedan, non-towing applications) or the Chrysler 8 1/4 axle for the wagon, heavy duty, and V8 versions. Axles were available in 2.45, 2.76, 2.94, and 3.23 to 1 ratios, depending upon transmission and engine. Sure-Grip limited slip axles were optional. Torqueflites got a lockup torque converter in 1978 for non-heavy duty engines. Police Package Diplomats with the 360 V8 were equipped with the virtually indestructible 727 transmission.

[Plymouthy Adams]

knighthawk..the rear cover on the differential is the surest method to identify a 7 1/4, 8 1/4 and the 9 1/4...all were available in that time frame but the 9 1/4 was primary trucks...my 9 1/4 2.88 posi came out of a 79 Police Interceptor. If you can find one of these cars..you get all kinds of special performance parts..power steering cooler, aux tranny cooler, rear sway bar..larger brakes...nice steel wheels...and the tranny is built heavier from the factory and first gear is manually locked out...(removable device) guess this kept the NYC police from doing any back alley racing...

[knighthawk]

I assume these measurements are the ring gear dia ? Also, that I would have either the 7 1/4 or 8 1/4, what am I looking for, by looking at the rear cover ? I realize now that the ring gear ratio is not that important, cause like the rest of this donor car , it will have to be re-built anyway .

[knighthawk]

I assume these measurements are the ring gear dia ? Also, that I would have either the 7 1/4 or 8 1/4, what am I looking for, by looking at the rear cover ? I realize now that the ring gear ratio is not that important, cause like the rest of this donor car , it will have to be re-built anyway .

[knighthawk]

o k , guys what am I doing wrong here ?? Trying to post a picture, can't get past the Manage Attachments !!! How about some step by step instruction here on how to get a picture out of my documents ? or folders or files or what ever they are called????

[Plymouthy Adams]

knighthawk..rebuilding a ring gear is not that common..if the car was servicalbe prior to being swapped and not stored out in the weather and got water internally..chances are all is well..go online and you should be able to find the bolt pattern for each model..the shape are very similar but the bolt placement and number of bolts vary..I cannot recall from memory which was which..I looked it up for meyself when i used the 5th Ave I had for donor parts..that is how I knew my car was a 7 1/4 and 2.32 rear gears..

[Guest mikeys toy]

I'll be honest; Allpar is by far the worst MoPaR website I have come across, their info is so full of holes.

But you never know......chrysler did some wierd things sometimes

[knighthawk]

I am changing the rear axle today, Ineed to get 4 tires the same size. Question : with this 2.3 gears, should I go with 205/70/15 or 205/75/15 ? I'm sure the 75 was standard, so the 70 should give me a smaller tire , easier to turn ???????????????????? thanks

[Guest mikeys toy]

205/60/15

[Plymouthy Adams]

replied in form of PM (actual answer to your PM)

[knighthawk]

just returned from the tire shop, he gave me a set of four, 205/65/15 for nothing, so I will use them for now. So we don't have to decide for sure for a while, .....thanks guys.

[knighthawk]

I am swapping rear axle right now , question : on the frame rail, mounted just in front of the rubber bump stop, is a metal " U " shaped loop. What is this for ??

[Plymouthy Adams]

Sounds like you have a factory sway bar installed on your car..one end connects to the frame..about 24 inches in makes a horseshoe turn and then about 14 inches to the the bracket welded on your original axle tube...

re-use this..not a hard swap...

[knighthawk]

O K , I got the "new " axle in , mounted on 205/ 65/15 's . I got the body sitting level, have to determin the front hieght next, BUT, the rear still looks too high ! Floorboards to ground measurement is 16 1/2 ''. What are my choices for getting it 3 or 4'' lower ??????

[Plymouthy Adams]

as the axle tubes are the same diameter..the height should not have been changed.you did not mount the springs on top did you?

[knighthawk]

I posted a reply earlier, musta lost it ! Anyway, the springs are on the bottom, used the same narrow spring perches. I realize there is very little wieght on it , even giving it an inch to set, it's still to high. What is the hight ( floorboard to ground ) of these origninaly?

[Plymouthy Adams]

I would not be concerned with the ride height in the rear yet and wait till the car has the newly installed V8 and auto..then address the total car in regard to stance...you can always lwer the rear later with blocks if need be...

Really odd...changing this axle, using original perches springs, shocks and with the 65 series tires..ought to be just a tad lower due to the itres..the rest is one for one...did you measure the height prior to the axle change and if so what is the difference in the numbers...

[knighthawk]

no, I didn't measure oit,,I guess I just got used to sitting with four flat tires all this time, it looked about right. Next question then : to determin the height of the front, ( for the volare style stuff ) I do what ? put the front sheetmetal back on and choose a ride height ? How about if I let the air out of the rear, then kinda level it, then nail the front ?

[Plymouthy Adams]

I highly suggest you load the vehicle..if you plan to lower the rear below that of normal ride height..do it at the time fo the Volare install....point is that when installing the Volare sub..you need to be sure of the caster for once it is set it is set..the angle has to be some positive..follow the chart of the volare when setting but do it with the ride height you want..or..just go a bit more positve (angle toward the rear) and you will have some play room..it is better to have a bit extra positive caster than none or negative..neutral or negative will make it road walk like crazy. Most of this work is done with the frame rails in a level condition. I will have to look around for the install specs on the Volare front end...

[knighthawk]

I'm getting ready to install the ''volare '' k member, If I have to remove the spring assy's and A arms to clear the frame, how do I know what to install the K member ? What if I level the bottom arm, measure the height and levelness of the K member , remove the arms , then install it ? Got to be a better method ???????

[Plymouthy Adams]

Most of these are done by first boxing and then notching your frame...it is a superior pain in the butt on these cars as the spring housing on the car have to be shave and boxed...keep in mind that relation of the rear frame and the front ears when doing this must not be disturbed...it is do the outside ..do the inside...watch your cross piece for replacement of the doghouse. Once boxed most people then set the height by depth of notch...also 2 inch drop spindles are available for this k-member...when cutting the notch..this is the time to verify your caster. Some install guide say you can imitate the doughnut mounts but ride height is general high when doing this...

[james curl]

What are you going to do about the spring pockets in the original frame? Do you think you can install a Volare K member without modifing the frame? There is not much of a flat area in front of the crossmember, the framd starts to turn down just back of the crossmember. Show us some pictures of how you are doing it during construction.

[knighthawk]

I finally got the "K" member from the '85 5th Ave under the '48, BUT, I got a problem posting the pictures. Ive asked a friend to help me out, so after the pictures come on , I'll make some comments .

[james curl]

I saw the pictures that Tim Adams posted and I am impressed with your work. It sure makes a clean installation, looks almost factory.

[knighthawk]

I know the Chev Cavilier is a popular choice for a steering conversion, what the Chev Corsica ? It also has r & p steering, would it work as well. There is one of these Corsicas sitting in the field next to where I got the '85 5th Ave............thanks.........