Howdy all, i recently swapped a 9" axle in my 95 ford bronco. After many re-fabrications it worked. Well due to the recent breaking of an axle shaft i decided to upgrade the shafts to 31 spline and get a full detroit locker instead of the welded open i had. My only delima is im not quite sure exaclty the type of axle i have. I know its a 9" axle from an early model ford. Thats about as far as my knowledge goes on it though. I have all the measurements on the axle tubing and the axle shafts should that be any help and i believe the original shafts. the old shafts are 33.5 inches tall from bottom of axle(stud flange) to the top of the splines. I will say that the axle did not fit under my bronco due to the wide stance of the leaf spring perches, so we cut them off and welded them a little closer in. The local Four Wheel Parts store here in Dallas sold me some shafts but they are to short by a few inches. The million dollar question is what axle do i really have? and did ford make a heavy-duty 9" axle that is wider than the rest, or do i simply have an older model axle? I do have the stock axle identification plate if anyone knows how to decode it. Here is the info on the plate:
WEV - R1 6F1 (top line)
3 00 9 711A (bottom Line)

Any and all help and information on this would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Gary
:-X11

 

If your axle is originally 28 spline, you can't convert to a 31 spline because the larger axle will not fit through the hole in the main carrier. You can convert to 31 spline if you get the 31 spline carrier housing, or get a machine shop to enlarge the holes in the carrier you have now. Also you will need new pinion gears to match the 31 spline count.

 

Oh yea i know the new 31 sline shafts wont work on the old carrier. Well since i broke the old shaft inside of the old carrier, i just decided to get a whole new one. I thought i said that in the original posting but i guess i forgot. I am upgrading to a full detroit locker. Thanks for the interest.
Gary

 

I don't know if this website will help you or not - copy and paste. If your shafts are 33.5 and you figure minimum of a half inch between the ends, your axle housing must be at least 68" measured from axle to axle. Ford didn't make many 9" that long. Junkyard might be able to id it easily. Good luck.

Also there's some difference with bearings early to late which you've probably already encountered.

http://hiqties.hypermart.net/9inch.html

 

I just put a 9" in my 86 F150. I found that the early '80s 9" fit just fine and already was a small bearing 31 spline, $120.00 from a wrecking yard. Around '73 (maybe '75)Ford went to a wider frame in the 1/2 ton PU's, wider axle housing with wider spaced spring perches and at some point changed to a tapered axle bearing, the vans had a wider spring perch setup than the PU's but I don't know if the housing was wider. The pre '73(?) axles and housings were narrower than the newer ones so had shorter axles. The 9" disappeared in the early to mid 80s in favor of the damn 8.8.


JohnF

I keep getting interrupted so I'm sorry if I added to the confusion.

 

You have a e-150 Van Housing.

 

thats right. e150 van i have an early 83 302 aod 31 splined posie 9 inch.the 3.00 designation just means its an open carrier and ford sad to say did it again goodby 9