My uncle left me a 1967 Fury III, 440,
4-speed. It has 107K and runs just fine.
My question is about the rear end. It has
a cover plate like a Dana, Chevy, etc., but
nobody around here can identify what is
for sure. There’s no problem with it now, I
just want to be prepared in case it eventually
needs some parts.
It is a Dana 53. 9.25˝ ring gear, but not
even remotely similar to later (1970s-up)
Chrysler-built 9¼˝ axles. Chrysler used
this axle intermittently in HD applications,
such as limos (stretched Imperials),
hearses, etc., it was also in earlier HD
Jeeps and Willys trucks. In 1967–’68, it
was only in 440 4-speed C-bodies (and
the stretches mentioned above), and,
despite some pre-production factory info
indicating it would also be in B-bodies, it
never was. Your C-body almost certainly
has a 3.31:1 ratio. I think the primary
reason that a Dana 60 was not used: The
availability of this taller gear ratio.
See factory blow-up above. Parts, other
than bearings, are not easy to find, but
they are out there. Luckily, the wheel
bearings, adjusters, etc. are the usual
’65–’74 Mopar tapered roller components.
You may want to consider some
fresh wheel bearing lubricant, and, obviously,
make sure the hypoid lube is full
to overflow. Changing this oil, with LSD
additive, would be another good idea,
but good luck finding a gasket (Mopar
P/N 2852856, the numbers shown at
aftermarket parts places are all incorrect).
However, gear lube resistant RTV (silicone
sealer) would do the job just fine.
