Maybe a stupid question, but I won't know until I ask:

Did Ford use the same type of rear ends in the passenger cars? Would they have more "highway friendly" gear ratios that we could swap into the trucks?

Just a thought.

 

Totally different.

 

Ok, thanks. Explains why no one has discussed it!

 

Thats what I was told and then I found Randy's. There is a local shopo here in Ft Lauderdale that has the parts on the shelf too.

Google Randy's ring and pinion and give them a call. If you are only doing a gear swap you can get by for about $325. I did the gears, new carier/posi unit, pinion bearings, axel bearing and all new seals, totaly rebuilt and it was less than $800 including the labor for the shop I had to it (I never did this before and I wanted it done right).

 

Thanks for the info!

 

The key problem to re-gearing the stock axles is the spider gears not being available in the coarse spline to fit our axles. Can you provide a link to Randy's site where the spider gears to fit are listed?

 

You cannot swap rear axles, but you can swap internal parts.

F1, 1951/56 Ford Station Wagon/Sedan Delivery & Police Interceptors: Same R & P's, same case, same differential gears/bearings/cups, same pinion bearings/cups, same pinion seal.

2) 8M-4215 (Spicer # 17717) = Same 10T spider gears: 1948/52 F1 / 1953/56 F100 / 1949/56 Ford Station Wagon/Sedan Delivery / 1955/56 Thunderbird & Police Interceptor.

Passenger Cars use different axle shafts, different housings than F1/F100.

Cars available w/a 3.54-1 ratio using IM-4205-B case. F1/cars: IM-4205-A case used for other available ratios.

1948/56 Ford Truck Parts Catalog / Rear Axle Parts List #60 / 1949/59 Ford Passenger Car Parts Catalog: Parts listed individually.

Studebaker used Dana 44 in cars and 1/2 trucks thru March 1966, when they folded the tent. I have the Studie parts catalogs, but not a Hollander, but I do know where some are.

Did'ja know (probably not) that Studebaker produced a ratio of 100-1 parts vs vehicles, so there's a lotta stuff still available NOS

 

Wow Bill! You have the info! That was what I was curious about, if the more highway friendly gears of a car from that era might be able to be swapped into the truck axle, thereby maintaining the original axle. Got me searching now!

 

Just a thought....if you are a do-it-yourself kind of guy, the 9" is a much easier rear end for a first time rebuild. The other option is a newer 8.8 inch unit out of an Explorer. Generally, a good unit with brakes can be had around here for $400....and that is for a good unit that won't need a rebuild. The down side for that is that the spring perches are in the wrong location. If you can weld, cut the explorer perches off and weld on a new set...the set runs around $50. If you can't weld, I think most rear end shops would install the perches for the cost of a couple of hours of labor.

Dan