Any Known Way to replace.......

[reamer]

The complete rear Differential to something more modern and highway friendly ('74 F-350 dual rear) in to a '48 F-5 Yet keep the five bolt rims and tires? Thanks Reamer

[Randy Jack]

Reamer - One way is to have the axle flanges of the new rear end drilled out (by a machine shop) for your hole pattern. Use the F5 wheels studs and mount your rims/tires. Voila!

[fatfenders]

Randy Jack

You sure it's going to be that easy? Unless I misunderstood, he's talking about converting an 8 bolt dually hub to 5 lug pattern. Bolt circle is going to have to be near identical to even have a chance.

[reamer]

yep, this is the tough part. Not sure what I'll do.

[Earl]

I know that F-5 is a heavier truck, but if you aren't planning on using the full payload, could you get the ever-popular Ford 9" under there without too much modification?

[dmptrkr]

If I were considering changing out the rear axle I think I would be looking for a way to match the bolt pattern by changing the front too and get rid of the split rims. Excellent topic for a thread. There's a lot of information in the archives about axle swaps for lighter trucks but I don't recall ever seeing anything about the bigger ones.

[reamer]

My F-5 does not have split rims. (I think) there is no removable steel ring around them.
I'm wondering, I have a dualy rear end form a '74 F-350.This one has the "normal" Ford 8-bolt pattern and rims.

I was thinking, where can I find out if I can get Ford 8-bolt dually bud rims that will fit my existing '48 Ford 7.50 x 20 tires?

Reamer

[bobj49f2]

dmptrkr and I have been thinking about the wheel problem for about a year. I agree with him, if you can change both the front and rear hubs to accept modern eight hole hubs I would go that route, it will be a lot easier finding rims and tires. Finding five hole rims that aren't split rims are next to impossible and if you go with the 22in tubeless, like the ones on my F-4, it is hard finding tires that will fit. The Izuzu truck has 16" rims with a matching five bolt pattern but the rims are smaller which makes the overall height about 2 or three inches lower. I am thinking about going with the Izuzu 0n my F-4 because it is not much larger than my F-2 which has 16" wheels, I don't know how they would look on the larger F-5 or 6s.

BTW, I am sure you have split rims. They don't have a retaining ring on the outside, they are made up of two halves that twist apart. These have corresponding knotches that have to be spun 180 degree during assembley and they have to be in near perfect condition, no rust or bends, to make sure they stay together. Most tire places won't touch these, they like them less than the snap ring type.

[reamer]

dmptrkr has a good point.

If ya covert the rear to 8-bolt and not the front, if a flat comes your way on the front, ya cant use a rear up fron cause the rear is now eight bolt.

Izuzu has a five bolt 16"? are you talking the small pickups and suv's or the big truck fleet?

Will they fit on the F-5 axles?

Option 2, anyone out there know of a company that may have a ring & pinion set in the low 5's for ratio, (better than the 6:66 in there now) that will fit in the stock rearend of the F-5. (this is the type where the right and left sides bolt togeather.

Thanks
Reamer

[bobj49f2]

I got mixed up, I meant Mitsubishi Fuso , all the rice burners are the same to me. These are comercial size trucks, the one with the 5 lug 16" wheels is the smallest model, I think.