61 econoline bus gearing
 

Hello--I am hoping you guys can point me in the right direction here. 15 years ago my father purchased a 1961 econoline station bus with a 144 and 3 on the tree. He replaced the engine with a 200 and a C3 trans. About 6 years ago he passed away and the van became mine, and i just got it running. here is where my problem is...the rear end and trans are both geared low so my top speed is about 35mph. I have a 9" out of a 67 HD econoline, but it needs complete brakes and seals, and i wanted to keep the original since it is in perfect working order. I was hoping that rancheros or falcons may have the same rear end so I could just do a simple gear change. I have also heard that ford ranger rear end's are a perfect fit...is this true? Any information would be greatly appreciated---I really want to start driving this beautiful original condition van! Thanks!

sadly, only thing that is a direct interchange is an econoline, 1961-1965 with the small rearend. the 9 in will fit under the truck, but there is not a cross over u joint for the driveline.
gear change requires a special tool to spread the housing, the carrier is wider than the housing is.

wish i could be a little more positive, but unfortunately ford didnt help us out a whole lot on the econo's.

jim

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My 64 econo truck has a 9 inch rear in it and it came stock. I also have recently aquired a pre 65 van body will a 9inch rear also.
You consider seeing if you could reinstall a standard back in. That would probally help. It maybe difficult to find the older trans,but they are a round. At 35 mph it seems like you are not getting out of 2nd. Is the tranny working up to snuff. If so it might be that you will have to bite a bullet and change the gears to get your speed up.

Sad to say that the 3-speed trans and steering column/shifter are long gone along with the clutch pedal. The C3 in it shifts into all 3 gears no problem....just way to quick. the only problem with it is a leak around where the shifter selector goes into the trans body. With the 200 in it the driveshaft is only about 18 inches long...it was a little 10 min. cut and weld that didn't need balancing, and I thought the 9" rear end yoke and driveshaft line up...but I don't know for sure. Thanks for the Help so far! :)

Don't know if you are still having problems. But I had a 65 HD that had a 9 inch rear in it. We took out the 200 and put in a 78 Granda 250 CID with auto and our drive shaft was about 18 inches or less. Everything line up. The original rear end had 4:11 gears so it was great for light to light racing. Changed that out with 3:25 gears out of another 9 inch with no problem. Wish I still had that van.


Brian