Found a 9" Ford.....
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Elder User
Joined: Aug 2012
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From: Cuba, AL (NO internet)
Found a 9" Ford.....
I was talking with a buddy of mine a few weeks ago telling him about wanting to change the rear end in my truck. I've done some odds and ends for him and in his memory was a truck he was given 20 years ago. He said he thought it still had the 9” Ford in it and told me I could ride out and check. So here is what I found. I was also told I was welcome to get it if I could use it.
Here is what's left of the truck. I looked everywhere for a vin but no luck. It says “Ranger” on the glovebox door. Seems to be in the 67-72 generation. It has power brakes if that helps to nail down a specific year.
Yeah it's been there for a while.
The springs seem to be in good shape. And there are only 4 plus the one straight flat one. Will these springs bolt straight in to mine and opinions on doing this?
I'll have to get new Ubolts since I will be taking out that spacer block.
Plates looks to be in good condition.
So now all I have to do is get the thing out and count some teeth to figure the gear ratio. What do ya'll think!!
Here is what's left of the truck. I looked everywhere for a vin but no luck. It says “Ranger” on the glovebox door. Seems to be in the 67-72 generation. It has power brakes if that helps to nail down a specific year.
Yeah it's been there for a while.
The springs seem to be in good shape. And there are only 4 plus the one straight flat one. Will these springs bolt straight in to mine and opinions on doing this?
I'll have to get new Ubolts since I will be taking out that spacer block.
Plates looks to be in good condition.
So now all I have to do is get the thing out and count some teeth to figure the gear ratio. What do ya'll think!!
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 27,299
Likes: 1,059
From: NM
First check to see if there is water in it. If there is any, forget it. Then figure out the ratio, is there a tag on it? The springs aren't used, they are wider than the stock 48-52 springs. Wrong length too. You'll likely be on the hook for new brakes after sitting in the mud so long. Might want to grab the driveshaft out of it too, if it is longer than your stocker. I don't see it around, tho?
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Elder User
Joined: Aug 2012
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From: Cuba, AL (NO internet)
Thanks for the info on the springs Ross. That will save me some trouble. Driveshaft is gone though I thought with this year rear end I'd use the one in my truck? When I posted that I have an explorer rear you guys said to get a 67-72 9" and it was straight bolt in with no other parts needed???? Incorrect? Just trying to get my ducks in a row. The e-brake cables and brackets are there. I'll grab then just in case. And true on the brakes and seals....lube just MAY need to be changed too 
Logistics Pro
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 3,679
Likes: 370
From: Fallon,NV & Bainbridge OH
It will have moisture in it because the vent hose is broken off at the nipple leaving it exposed. You will not know how bad until you get inside it. But take anyway because it is mainly the housing and axles you want anyway. You can get another pumpkin from a lot of Ford vehicles that have housing you can't use.
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 27,299
Likes: 1,059
From: NM
Wayne, I don't like that the 9" is portrayed as a "bolt-in". If you got an axle that was on a running, driving, low-miles truck, yeah, it will bolt in, the perches are the right spacing, the lug pattern matches stock. Then you need to have the driveshaft lengthened (or find a longer DS and get it shortened). That's about $100. New U-bolts and nuts, $50. You have to make shock brackets, or buy some. Depending how you make the brackets you may be able to re-use the old shocks.
But it is rarely the case that you find a clean, well-maintained axle, it is usually more like what we see laying in the weeds here. Likely needs new wheel bearings ($100 all said and done), new brakes ($100+), You'll want new U-joints ($30) and the gears may be in bad shape. There's nothing "free" about this axle. I'd still grab it, like Truckee says, take your time and go thru it, see what all it needs. You could luck out.
But it is rarely the case that you find a clean, well-maintained axle, it is usually more like what we see laying in the weeds here. Likely needs new wheel bearings ($100 all said and done), new brakes ($100+), You'll want new U-joints ($30) and the gears may be in bad shape. There's nothing "free" about this axle. I'd still grab it, like Truckee says, take your time and go thru it, see what all it needs. You could luck out.
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Elder User
Joined: Aug 2012
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From: Cuba, AL (NO internet)
Please don't mistake my frustration as directed toward anyone but my own circumstances.. I'm very glad to get advice and accurate info from all you guys BEFORE I drag something home...but I'm disappointed again. I posted the explorer rear end stuff and got shot down on that one after constantly hearing about finding an explorer rear and you need this year for the brakes and this year for the springs...etc..Once I got it mysteriously all that changed... Was told to do the following for a “drop in”......
That came from page one of this thread....
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-hold-but.html
Now that I have taken that advice, gotten rid of the explorer disc rear, and lucked up and found a FREE 9” rear end of the exact year needed and always heard about....it won't work without hundreds of dollars spent...the driveshaft part is the most disheartening because we have absolutely NO businesses anywhere near me that does anything with driveshafts....I say just forget it and keep what I have in there. Proly just give up on the whole dang truck, lose interest and sell it!
Heck even the sticky that we have at the top for basic info says the same as Brain75 said...
1953 - 1956 F100 Rear End Selection and Rear Suspension Lowering .: Articles
Surely ya'll can see my frustration given the varying info on here as to which rear end to get that is a bolt in. I keep trying to do exactly what I'm told.....just doesn't seem to work out. And I was so excite about this find.
your best bet is to let the explorer rear end go for now, find a 69-72 f100 9" rear end in the right gears - 3.50 is perfect. they are available and should not be a killer price... 57-72 will work, 68 was a unique brake year, 69-72 will get you the best modern brakes you can get (self adjusting, wider shoes, etc).
a ford 9" from one of these donors (57-72) is for all intense purposes a drop in replacement - same spring perches, same tilt, all your got to do is deal with the shock mounts. there are a dozen people posting about the 57-72 f100 9" swap, a whole article written in the old forum.
that's the way to do the rear end on a basic budget - you keep your wheels, you don't have to fab, you don't have to hire a welder, you don't have to drill out hubs or use wheel spacers, etc - like I said, "drop in"
a ford 9" from one of these donors (57-72) is for all intense purposes a drop in replacement - same spring perches, same tilt, all your got to do is deal with the shock mounts. there are a dozen people posting about the 57-72 f100 9" swap, a whole article written in the old forum.
that's the way to do the rear end on a basic budget - you keep your wheels, you don't have to fab, you don't have to hire a welder, you don't have to drill out hubs or use wheel spacers, etc - like I said, "drop in"
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-hold-but.html
Now that I have taken that advice, gotten rid of the explorer disc rear, and lucked up and found a FREE 9” rear end of the exact year needed and always heard about....it won't work without hundreds of dollars spent...the driveshaft part is the most disheartening because we have absolutely NO businesses anywhere near me that does anything with driveshafts....I say just forget it and keep what I have in there. Proly just give up on the whole dang truck, lose interest and sell it!
Heck even the sticky that we have at the top for basic info says the same as Brain75 said...
1953 - 1956 F100 Rear End Selection and Rear Suspension Lowering .: Articles
Surely ya'll can see my frustration given the varying info on here as to which rear end to get that is a bolt in. I keep trying to do exactly what I'm told.....just doesn't seem to work out. And I was so excite about this find.
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 27,299
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From: NM
Compared to the alternatives, this style 9" is still the cheapest way to go. Nothing is truly a bolt-in except another F-1 axle.
Would you really drag that axle out of the dirt, throw it in your truck and count on it to be smooth and safe? Of course not. The same is true for any junkyard find.
You should have a 3.73 rear axle now? Getting a 3.50 is not going to make a big difference, certainly not enough to pay for the changeover.
Would you really drag that axle out of the dirt, throw it in your truck and count on it to be smooth and safe? Of course not. The same is true for any junkyard find.
You should have a 3.73 rear axle now? Getting a 3.50 is not going to make a big difference, certainly not enough to pay for the changeover.
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Elder User
Joined: Aug 2012
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From: Cuba, AL (NO internet)
Compared to the alternatives, this style 9" is still the cheapest way to go. Nothing is truly a bolt-in except another F-1 axle.
Would you really drag that axle out of the dirt, throw it in your truck and count on it to be smooth and safe? Of course not. The same is true for any junkyard find.
You should have a 3.73 rear axle now? Getting a 3.50 is not going to make a big difference, certainly not enough to pay for the changeover.
Would you really drag that axle out of the dirt, throw it in your truck and count on it to be smooth and safe? Of course not. The same is true for any junkyard find.
You should have a 3.73 rear axle now? Getting a 3.50 is not going to make a big difference, certainly not enough to pay for the changeover.
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Elder User
Joined: Aug 2012
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From: Cuba, AL (NO internet)
My axle is stock. My '55 F100 had "3.92" stamped on the dash data plate under "axle".....I'm not at home right now but I'm wondering now where I read that it was a 4.27. I do know its original given the best info I have. All the rest of the truck is extremely original and unmolested.
Lead Driver
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 7,669
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From: San Jose, CA
Doesn't this vendor offer better gears for the stock F1 rear ends, www.randysringandpinion.com? If so, the cost may be the same as a rebuild of the 9" rear end.
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Elder User
Joined: Aug 2012
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From: Cuba, AL (NO internet)
I'm going home.
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 16,192
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From: Burbank, WA
From an attaching standpoint, it is a direct bolt in. If the donor rear has good brakes, even the parking brake cable from the F-1 will detach from the original brakes and fit fine on the 9" brakes. It's truly a very easy swap, which is why it is considered the best option for more highway friendly gear ratios. 3.25's are very common to find and work great. When I did my first one as a 17 year old kid, I even figured out how to utilize the stock shock mount by using a longer bolt at the axle end. It's as simple a swap as you'll find for anything on these trucks. IF, the brakes, bearings and gears are in good shape, all you really need to procure is U bolts and possibly modify the driveshaft, depending on which pinion yoke it has, long or short. If they are not all 100% good to go, you will incur extra expenses. But that's true with most things in life.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,994
Likes: 3
From: Morgan Hill, CA
Hey Wayne,
You should get the 9" from you friend anyway. Open it up and check it out. If it's OK, you might be able to use it.
Here's the "bolt-in" story:
It will bolt in directly to your springs. The perches on the 57-72 F100 pickups should be in the right location. Shock mounts will be a problem. Some guys use the lower shock mounts from an F2 or F3....they bolt under the U-bolts and provide the lower shock mount. The uppers are riveted or bolted to the frame. The driveshaft will have to be shortened. I paid a local guy around $125 (I think) to shorten my driveshaft and put on the right yoke for the 9". That included new U-joints front and back. For that he also balanced it and painted it. You should use new U-bolts to mount the whole thing. The old ones have a lot of pre-load and have been known to break when re-torquing.
I found an old one from a 65 F100. The gears were good, but I put in new bearings. I also completely rebuilt the stock F100 rear drum brakes. Each little item is relatively cheap, but it adds up.
My advice is to pay as you go and never add up all of the receipts!!!
Dan
You should get the 9" from you friend anyway. Open it up and check it out. If it's OK, you might be able to use it.
Here's the "bolt-in" story:
It will bolt in directly to your springs. The perches on the 57-72 F100 pickups should be in the right location. Shock mounts will be a problem. Some guys use the lower shock mounts from an F2 or F3....they bolt under the U-bolts and provide the lower shock mount. The uppers are riveted or bolted to the frame. The driveshaft will have to be shortened. I paid a local guy around $125 (I think) to shorten my driveshaft and put on the right yoke for the 9". That included new U-joints front and back. For that he also balanced it and painted it. You should use new U-bolts to mount the whole thing. The old ones have a lot of pre-load and have been known to break when re-torquing.
I found an old one from a 65 F100. The gears were good, but I put in new bearings. I also completely rebuilt the stock F100 rear drum brakes. Each little item is relatively cheap, but it adds up.
My advice is to pay as you go and never add up all of the receipts!!!
Dan