'Seen our 505-inch RB Mopar mill? We gave you a look-see back in May and announced we were going to build it large with a stroker crank and huge cam. That got us thinking about the 831/44 rearend in the '63 Plymouth Belvedere that the engine will someday end up in-and the likelihood that it would detonate during a nice hard launch.
Well, the guys at Strange Engineering thought about that too and have released a brand-new bolt-in rearend for your A-, B-, or E-Body Mopar called the S-60. It may look much like an original Dana 60, but it's double-beefed. For about $1,850, the S-60 assembly includes Strange 35-spline S/T Street and Track axles, a 9.75-inch ring gear, a Trak-Lok posi unit, your choice of gear ratios from 3.54:1 to 5.87:1, a steel pinion yoke, and a machined pad to accept a pinion snubber. And for you hard-core guys, Strange offers plenty of extra-cost options like Pro Race axles, spools, Power Loks, and Detroit Lockers. Best of all, each S-60 comes delivered in a crate ready to bolt right in. Just order the one already sized and fitted for your popular Mopar.
The new Strange Engineering S-60 rearend (above) comes delivered in a crate ready to bolt in and is stronger than the 831/44-inch rearend (lower) we pulled from our Belvedere. Strange Engineering includes the housing ends to match the brake system. This one currently sells complete (without brakes) for $1,849. Upgrade options are available. | 
The centersection of the Strange S-60 (lower) is made from premium nodular iron and is machined to accept a pinion snubber. At the bottom of the cast-iron centersection is a drain plug for easy gear-oil changes. The 29-spline pinion yoke is designed for 1350 U-joints. The S-60 features 3-inch axletubes welded 360 degrees into the centersection. |
We selected a set of 3.54 gears with the Trac-Lok posi unit for our Belvedere. You can choose gear ratios from 3.54 to 5.87. Inside the S-60, Strange Engineering uses side-bearing adjuster nuts to eliminate the need for carrier shims. The mammoth 9.75-inch ring-gear set is pattern-checked for accuracy before shipping. | |
Since Strange Engineering's listings only go back to '66-'67 B-bodies, we first wanted to measure our Belvedere to verify the existing 831/44 rearend's dimensions matched the new S-60's measurements of 44 inches on the leaf-spring centers and 5411/44 inches on the outer housing ends. Years ago we installed a '65 B-Body 831/44-inch rearend with flanged axles into our Belvedere and axed the '63's original, user-unfriendly 831/44 with press-fit hub/brake drums.
Our first rear-suspension calculation confirmed that the '63's underpinnings (as well as those on '62-'65 B-Bodies) share the same 44-inch center-to-center leaf-spring mounting span found on '66-'67 B-Bodies. Next, we measured the outer housing end to end (not the axle flanges) and discovered the '65 831/44 totaled 5411/44 inches just like the Strange S-60.
From the gear ratio choices offered, we selected a 3.54:1 cog 'cause we are really not going to need much more torque multiplication. Each S-60 also features big 3-inch axletubes that are fully welded 360 degrees into the iron centersection. The massive axles ride on 3.150-inch Timken axle bearings for additional strength. Strange Engineering also has a choice of housing ends to accept almost any brake configuration. If your budget allows, Strange offers a full line of rear-disc-brake conversions kits and Ford-style rear drums. Since we already had a complete set of 11-inch Mopar drum brakes confiscated from a '70 wagon, we opted for the Mopar housing ends. To maximize our Belvedere's factory brake performance, we ordered a full set of Raybestos brake shoes, drums, and spring kits, as well as all-new OE-style hard brake lines from Classic Tube.