As Mopar drivers, we're lucky to have some of the toughest equipment ever built by Detroit. Our cars have bulletproof engines, some of the best transmissions ever built, comfortable and tough torsion bar suspensions, and most came equipped with one of two extremely rugged rear differentials, the 8 3/4 or the Dana 60. Since these rear ends are so tough, very few ever broke, so most of us are driving around with the factory differential in our cars still intact, maybe even with the factory gear lube still installed. While this is a testament to the strength of the most common Mopar rear ends, there is still room for improvement in these differentials, specifically the axles and axle bearings.
While factory axles and axle bearings perform just fine in stock applications, the fact is most of our cars are no longer stock. There have been major improvements in engine technology since the engines in our Mopars were first built, so even fairly stock rebuilds can have significantly more axle-taxing power than the factory engine. With a stroker motor in a heavy car, especially with slicks, the factory axles don't stand a chance. And if you race your car at sanctioned drag racing events, there's a good chance the factory axles aren't even legal.
There's another anomaly with factory Mopar axles, and it has to do with the non-sealed axle bearings and the adjustor. To achieve the proper axle endplay, Chrysler added an adjustor to one of the axles. While not super complicated, this adjustor can be a pain, especially if you perform frequent gear changes. Additionally, the factory axle bearings are not sealed, and must be repacked with grease at regular intervals to perform properly.
Fortunately, Strange Engineering has the answer to both these issues. Whether you simply want to replace your factory axle bearings with sealed units that eliminate the adjustor, or you want to toughen up the rear with new forged axles that are approved by all major sanctioning bodies, Strange has you covered. In this months Quick Tech we'll show you how easy it is to improve your rear end with new axles, or at least new bearings on your stock axles.
