8 3/4 brake question.

[Crazy440]

Might be one of those "stupid" questions.  While cleaning the below marked surface, I scrape off, what appeared to be, a paper gasket.  Am I correct?  If so;  1.  What is it's purpose?
                             2.  What is it called?
                             3.  Where might I purchase it?

[69rtse4spd]

I call them rear end housing gasket. I got mine at Advance Auto, Dodge Dealer can get them, Summit Racing has them to. Will need two per side I believe. You might as well get 10-20 at a time, they are cheap enough, that way you will always have enough on hand.   

[Crazy440]

Thanks for the info.
Why two per side?  Where would the other one go?

[Rolling_Thunder]

one between the backing plate and axle housing - then one between the backing plate and the bearing retainer plate.

[Crazy440]

Just looked at them on Autozone.  They show two kinds.  Inner and outer.  So I would need two of each?

[resq302]

No, that is no an axle seal.  If the gasket looked like the exact shape of the metal colored area on your backing plate, it most likely was a white closed cell foam dust gasket to keep dirt and such from contaminating the parts inside the brake drum.  They are not necessary but I seem to recall someone making them, just can't think of who right now.  They were also used where the front spindles came in contact with the disc brake rotor or front drum depending on what brake option you had.

[Ghoste]

Mine are foam as well and when I swapped the rearend I replaced them at that time.  I think I got mine from the local Dodge dealer but I'm not certain.

[Dino]

I didn't have them on hand when I was doing the axle so I used a thin bead of ultra copper on each side.

[John_Kunkel]

The gasket between the housing and backing plate was originally rubber-coated embossed steel and the one between the backing plate and the bearing retainer was white foam.

Fel Pro makes them but they're composite.