I have a 76 ford f150 4x4 in the shop that i am going though. I have been working on the entire drivetrain and am down to the axles. It has a 9in rear and a 44 front, with 5 bolt hubs. I want to regear it to 4.10 gears to have more power for pulling and off road. I was recently in a local junk yard and found a 76 f250 with 4.10 gears already in it. it was also labled "core posi" on the rear end. I want to keep my current front axle housing so i can retain my front coil springs. I have been told that the hubs are interchangeable, if i get some different bearings. I would really like to have the 8 bolt hubs, but dont want to screw myself over, and get into more work than i can handle. Someone was also telling my that the f250's of this era had high pinion and low pinion style axles, if so what do i want, and will the carrier, ring, and pinion swap into the 44 that i have. I am going to look at the truck in more detail tonight. I would like any info on this topic and if this would be a better option to buying all new ring and pinion gears and bearings. I have some junk vehicles that i will be able to trade even over for this truck. So much much cheaper option for me (low budget, still in school).

 

I am pretty sure your right with the front interchangeability as far as the wheel ends are concerned,you would have to check and see weather its high,or low pinion,the rear will be a direct bolt in,beside possibly having to shorten your driveshaft.

 

Ok, 77 is the cutoff year for F-250's. 76-77 are low pinion. 77.5-79 have high pinion axles. If it's 75 or older, there is nothing on the front axle you can use. All F-150's are high pinion, so you need a high pinion if you wanna use the ring and pinion.

Just one thing to keep in mind....the F-250 axles aren't any stronger. In fact.....the rear is slightly weaker than your F-150 axle. They are simply designed to carry more weight....not handle more horsepower. For the cost of a nice set of 8 lug wheels, you could re-gear your axles.

You need more than just bearings if you wanna use the 8 lug hubs on your knuckles. You'll need the spindles, caliper bracket, brake rotor and caliper. However, I would swap the entire knuckle. The F-250's have flat top knuckles, which will really come in handy if your trucks is lifted. So, even if the F-250 is a low pinion model, you can still get the knuckles.......you just won't be able to use the gears.

If the truck is a 77.5 or later, the rear axle will be a direct bolt in. If it's a 77 or earlier, you'll need to relocate the spring and shock mounts.

 

What do you mean by flat top knuckles? I've been kind of thinking of this swap myself. But now that I hear the 9 inch is stronger than a Dana 60 maybe there's no point. I've already twisted the pinion off the 9 inch.

 

If you twisted the pinion off a 9 inch.....it was from failed pinion bearings and/or improper setup.

As the name suggests, flat top knuckles have a large "flat spot" where you can attach a steering arm. Most leaf sprung trucks use a steering arm attached to the Driver's knuckle.....just like the F-250. Some trucks even have a flat spot on the passenger side knuckle too. This allows you to put a steering arm at the top of the passenger side knuckle. Now you can keep your drag link level, even with an insane amount of lift. Even with a moderate lift, you can keep the drag link level without adding a drop pitman arm.

Just google "flat top knuckles" and or "crossover steering". You'll come up with enough info to make your head spin.

 

The ford 9" is not stronger than a dana 60. It's the other way around Dana 60 is stronger.

 

Have you SEEN a Dana 60 full floating REAR axle??

 

I've seen several twisted right off. Depends on the power. My buddies Jeep set up for sand drags would often twisted it right off before he replaced the Manual with auto trans.

I agree, Not normal power. Big Block on lots of NOS.

 

Is he still running stock shafts? I agree, it IS possible to twist the pinion off. However, the axle shafts will "usually" break first. It's unusual to break one with "normal" use.

 

No, now that I think about it, they were Mosers. Also turning 32x16.5 Hooker 3" paddles (15" rims). they would hook up like a chain in a sprocket.

Absolutely Agree, Not normal. In fact I've never seen one in normal use.

I am really curious about a 9" being stronger or as strong as a D60 in that regard though.

 

The 9" vs d60 debate could go on forever. They use built up 9"s in 1000hp+ drag cars. But thats just it, they are built up. I snapped a pinion off of my stock 9" too. The 3rd member case accually broke out @ the pinion bearing while rock crawling it. It was NOT a nodular iron case. Now I personally have now swapped in a Dana 70 rear to handle my big block and 42" tires. Reasoning behind it was not the strength of the center section, but rather the outer wheel bearings dealing with the side load and stress from the big tires. I didn't trust the smaller outer wheel bearings of the 9". Yes I know it will work, at least for a while, but I'm not all about that. I like knowing things will work for life. When you campare certain parts or peices of a 9" to a 60, yes it has its strengths, but as a overall package IN STOCK FORM (stock axle vs stock axle), the 3/4 ton rear is better.

Have fun with the swap, I did the front hubs too, like already posted before in this thread. You will reuse you're F-150 front axle shafts in the swap btw.

 

last night i confirmed that the 3/4 ton is a 78. it had a snow plow, which might be why it was labled having a core spindle. i would imagine that the broken spindle took the hub out with it, oh well. are you sure about the knuckles needing swapped? the truck also has a fully functional rear posi. will i need to re-shim my front ring and pinion to fit my axle houseing?

 

With all due respect, I feel that is you have to ask a lot of these questions you aren't ready to do it just yet. This is a great place to start, and you should begin your research now like you are doing. That is what I did a few years ago.
And honestly, if you have to ask about shimming the gears to swap them into a new axle, you are not ready to do it just yet. It takes a lot of skill and patience as well as the right tools to set up gears. Unless you have someone on hand who can help you I would keep reading and learning. Google is incredible these days, you can find anything you want to know on there. Also, Pirate4x4.com has a great gear set-up page and great tech about axles, but be warned the forum can be harsh especially on young guys just starting out. The tech page is not on the same page as the Forum...hell I will just go find a link and post up in a minute.

 

Here is a helpful link.http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/Gear_Setup/

 

Farmerdebruin, which spindle is damaged? Front or rear? If it's the rear, the spindle is NOT replaceable(for less than about $500). Which limited slip is it? Trac-lok? Or Powr-lok? There is no way to know if the front will need to be shimmed without trying it first. The shims are behind the pinion bearing race. You WILL have to change those shims first. THEN install the carrier.....and go from there.

I never said you HAD to swap the knuckles. I just said the F-250 knuckles are flat top's. You CAN put 8 lug hubs on your knuckles. However you WILL need the spindle, caliper bracket, brake rotor and caliper.

Bmarkline: You do realize the Dana 60 uses 30 spline axles that neck down to the size of 28 spline axles?? The 9" has 31 spline axles made of a better alloy. They are stronger than the Dana 60 axles. As a general rule, axle shafts always break first. This is why stock vs. stock.....the 9" wins. Now....if we were talking about the 35 spline Dana 60......Dana wins. But these trucks are 30 spline and are NOT upgradable to 35 spline without modifying the spindle.