Yeah, I hear all of you. "Sounds like a personal problem!" Here's the deal. Just getting into a frame off on a 1953 F-250. Dropping a 351W with a 5 speed into her. I have also been told nothing beats a Ford 9" rear end. What is on my truck now? Hard to switch to the 9"? Any gear recommendations? Also interested in a new front clip with disk brakes, coil overs, drop spindels, etc. Any recommendations on who to pick it up from? (Best value for the $$$, etc.) "Heidt's"? "Total Cost Envolved"? "Fat Man Fabrications"? Any add-ons I should pick up now that you guys wish you had in hind sight? I would appreciate any info. Thanks!!

 

A 57-72 9" will bolt right up but you may have to adjust the pinion angle. I'll let the other guys talk about the front end stuff.

 

Tortoise,

As Nathan has said;

For ease of installation, the 57 to 72 F100 rear end is the first choice. You may have to adjust the pinion angle (but that’s true for all of them) but it bolts right in. The spring perches are exactly where you want them. The down side is that it gives you the 5 on 5 & ½ bolt pattern. Whatever front end you choose will likely end up being 5 on 4 & ½. So you can change the bolt pattern on the 57 – 72 rear either of two ways – redrill the axles and brake drums or swap in other axles, backing plates and drums. If you choose the latter route – do a search on notes by BlueOvalRage. We discussed this matter fairly thoroughly about 2 months ago.

2nd choice would be the 71 to 73 Mustang. Came with both 8 and 9 inch rears and both have the 5 on 4 & ½ bolt pattern that you’d likely want. You will have to grind/cut off the spring perches and re-install new ones in the necessary locations, but that’s simple enough.

3rd choice would be the 89 and up ford Exploder. Although it’s actually an 8.8 rear end it has some desirable features –
- has the 5 on 4 &1/2 bolt pattern.
- 89 through 93 has drums brakes, 94-97 has drums or
discs and 98 up have discs.

If you send me your email address (mine is ) I can send you a brief “tech article” (won’t be posted to the tech article section here for a few months) that details all the various Ford rear ends you can use in a 53 to 56 and also explores the different methods of lowering the rear end as well.

Regards,

 

Tortoise,

With respect to a front suspension set up;

The choices (in my mind) seem to be;

1. Stock front with updated brakes. There are outfits selling disc brake conversion kits for the stock front ends. Just about any bolt pattern you want.


2. The MII set up or more expensive “superride” variant of it, which is supposed to be stronger. The various mfgr’s offerings in this area have been discussed to some degree quite recently in a note started by Rosa as well as in the various other street rod based forums (rodder.com, HAMB, etc.).

3 . The “Volare,eh,eh” K-member set up. The entire K-member and all the suspension that goes with it. Others can provide more detail on it if you’re interested. I believe it’s mid/early 80s through early 90’s Chrysler K-cars, including Volare, Aries, New Yorker and many others. This is a transverse torsion bar based set up. Some will argue it’s not strong enough for a big, manly truck but the hundreds of trucks using would tend to suggest otherwise. I personally would have gone this route but I have my own reasons (mentioned below) for the route I chose.

4. The Dodge Dakota set up. I’m not too familiar with this set up, but it uses a crossmember kit from ?????? and the components from an 87 and up Dodge Dakota truck. I believe it gives you the 5 on 4 & ½ bolt pattern as well.

5. The 75 – 79 Chrysler Cordoba/Fury/Charger IFS set up. This uses a cross member kit from Gibbon (the fiberglass people) and the suspension components from the aforementioned donor cars. While it employs longitudinal torsion bars, it is similar in installation principles to the Dakota set up. I chose this route because I like the appearance of it and installation does not require welding. And lastly, it can be done piecemeal – that is, I can lay out the money and the effort in stages as my budget allows.

6. Weld in clips. I personally never had any interest in doing a clip so I never explored or recorded what clips are suitable, but there are several and some of the folks in this forum have gone that route , so they could provide more info.

I would not presume to suggest that any of the above set ups is any better than the others. They all have their plusses and minuses.

Regards,

 

I put a 9" from a 72 in my 53, it was a bolt in but the spring perches are wider than the originals. Not much but just enough that the proper size "U" bolts (for the stock springs)won't slide by them. Also keep in mind that the tube diameter is larger so you need to replace the "U" bolts. Besides that it was about a 2 hour install. All in all it has been one of the easiest projects I have done on my ride.

 

The u-bolts and lower shock mounts from a '57-~60 will work. They look like the old ones but are large enough.

 

Agree it is a great swap. Most of the minor issues already stated such as pinion shims and 3" spring plates. I also had to relocate my shock mounts. With the 3rd member a bit offet, it is a little tight on the passenger side, if you are running an exhaust pipe on that side. Sufficient room is there with a just a little planning though. Less of an issue (if at all) if you aren't lowering the rear.

 

The 9" swap would really be a bolt in for a 3/4 ton. The stock 3/4 ton rearend and the 9" both have the same dia. axle tubes vs. the smaller tubes on the early 1/2 tons, so the shock brackets work. I hunted some down back when I built my '56. I used a 9" from a '59 1/2 ton. For the front, I think you can just swap the hubs and drums off a 1/2 ton to keep the same bolt pattern all the way around.