I have a 1976 Dodge Dart 4 door that has been in the family (my wife’s grandmother bought it new) all its life. Incidently I was born in 76. Long story short, the differential went out in 2000. It has been parked since. I was told by the repair shop that I took it too the differential was not rebuildable (bent housing or something). It is a 7.25 chrysler. My question is will a 7.25 from a 80’s-90’s dakota fit on an a-body car from the 70’s? I have been unable to find a 7.25 off an a-body built in the 70’s and would like to go original as it does not involve changing the length of the drive shaft. Any thoughts?
If this is all original and you have the documentation (it’s life’s documents should be readily reconstructable via the DMV registration records), then it’s far more than just a family hand me down. It’s an heirloom. If it were mine I’d search forums and websites, attend swap meets, contact Chrysler, anything possible to do a proper “original equipment” repair.
I don’t know the answer to the actual question, but I had to comment.
Sincere good luck.
thank you. Yes it is an heirloom. Like I said, my wife’s grandmother bought it new in '76. She gave it to my brother-in-law when he went to college. He gave it to me a couple of months after my wife and I married. It has great sentimental value.
I believe your car has a Spicer Dana 44 rear axle and a lot of those parts are interchangeable. I doubt if your housing is bent and probably just spider gears bad or the like. The bearings are not cheap but reasonable and should be changed when repairs are done. Good luck LEE
The unscientific way is to measure them. You are in the situation of academy graduates who decide what their class car is going to be and then they go buy 25 of them and they don’t ever sell it. The car becomes a kind of ball and chain of sentimental value. It’s hard to overcome. I usually don’t get up in someone’s face and tell him to get rid of it before it kills him. You don’t have to ditch the car, but maybe you should ask whether or not the car is a burden worth bearing.
I wish it was the dana. No, I’ve looked at the bolt patterns, meassured and matched it up to specs. Its a Chrysler 7.25. Thanks for the suggestions though.
I’m not sure how keeping a '76 Dart is considered that much of a burden… replacing a rear axle is something that takes two moderately competent individuals the better part of a morning to accomplish. And finding one can’t be THAT difficult.
You wouldn’t happen to be on the west coast, would you? I have a source for all kinds of '70s Mopar stuff, but it’s probably going to be pickup only (that is, you pick it up).
Why not give the OP a phone number? Perhaps your supplier may know someone close that can fix him/her up with the right parts.
I’d love to, but I’m not about to post my phone number on the public forum, and this peach of a forum doesn’t have any private message / email capability.
Edit: I see now, you meant the phone number of the supplier. That would be a private party who probably wouldn’t like his number posted either 
It’s not a financial burden and not even a rust bomb sitting in the driveway if you have enough room for it. I just drive through neighborhoods where there are non driven pickup trucks or rusted out 240 Z cars, flaking mustangs and stuff like that. I’d like to drive the 65 Fairlane that I scrapped in 77 but I would have had to keep it this long. We used to see a lot of snowmobile lawn ornaments in this neck of the woods. At least he is still interested in his Dart. That can’t really be bad.
I’m in west TX. The problem I’m facing is that I have checked around with several of the wrecking yards in El Paso to Amarillo and many places in between. Almost every A-body I found had either already had the differential salvaged or did not have the 7.25. I know others can be bolted and will fit in with the springs and everything, but it will require shortening the drive shaft. If anyone knows a supplier that might have a 7.25, I would be all ears.
Well, first of all, it is not that expensive to shorten a drive shaft. Second, why can’t you use the shorter drive shaft out of the donor car? Third, have you been checking eBay? Set up automated searches for Dodge 7.25, Chrysler 7.25, Dodge 7 1/4, Chrysler 7 1/4 and be patient. Hopefully I’ll talk to my uncle the Mopar man here before too long, and I will try to remember to pick his brain on the matter.
a lot of good advice (some anyway), but none of it is addressing the question. Does anyone know if a 7.25 chrysler differential from a late 80’s early 90’s dakota fit on an a-body dodge/chrysler from the 1970’s.
mr josh,
I doubt we’ll ever see a pm link here at the rate this site was/is set up.