Hi again, does anyone know what rear end came in the 1950 ford car? I am trying to change the gear ratio but I have no clue what this rear is, 8", 9" etc... I recently changed the drive train to a 302/c4 and the stock gear ratio is just to steep. Any ideas on where to get a ring and pinion for a stock rear or a swap that works?? Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Stock is 3.73 for a non-overdrive car. To go higher you would probably need a donor rear end from a newer car. I haven't seen or heard of one from that year.........Mark
Maverick is dam near a bolt in. Your '50 has either a 3.70 or 4.10 ( w/ OD ). The hardest part of a Maverick swap is finding a 5 bolt hub. If you want go to rear disc try to find a Versailles rear end - a little more work and parts are expensive - but??
Might also look at Explorer 8.8 rears. Most 8" rears came stock with 3.00 or 2.70(?) gears, other ratios are available. Existing 1950 rear wont take too much hp.
Explorer 8.8 rear ends are too wide by about 3". In addition to which, the lowest numeric ratio is 3.55, with 3.73 and 4.10 being more common. All of which are of no benefit to the OP. An 8.8 from a Ranger is the correct width, and I have one with a 3.27 ratio, so I know that is available. Not sure what power train it was paired with, but a little research should clarify that. Actually, I have two Ranger rear ends, the 8.8 and a 7.5. The interesting thing is, the 7.5 has larger diameter drum brakes than the 8.8, but they appear to be interchangeable. Also, Explorer disc brakes will bolt on. As for the Lincoln Versailles rear axle, the disc brakes on those should be avoided. They have a very troublesome parking brake mechanism, are very expensive to repair IF you can find the parts and are too wide by about an 1 1/2" to be a really good fit. The rear end width is important on shoebox Fords if you want some selection on wheels. I have a '50 Club Coupe and have experienced this first hand. The Maverick 8" or Ranger 7.5 and 8.8 are good options. The 7.5 should be plenty adequate for the application you describe, but an 8.8 is best. Ray
I swapped to 8" out of a Fairlane. All I had to do was move the perches inward. I have pictures if needed.
Thank you everyone for the insight, I was hoping to get lucky and just do gears but I now see that its best to just swap the entire rear. Just did some quick research and found a few companies making complete 9" set ups for the shoe box.....looks like some overtime in my future Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
I have a very original non-overdrive '51 club coupe with a 3.55 rear end and a stock drive train. I find it is ideal for my purposes. I drove the car from the twin cities to Chicago for a car show about 25 years ago and had no trouble keeping up with thraffic on the freeway (70 mph).
89 to 92 Ranger 8.8 is the correct width. requires changing the spring mounts. Lots of gear ratios available.
IIRC, the '49 thru '56 Ford cars (except wagons, T-birds, and police) used the same rear. Most ratios will be in the 3.7 range, but there were some 3.3 used in '56 so you might look for one of those as a bolt-in solution.
I like the ranger idea. I think it would be worth having the option to change gears if I'm going to do an entire swap. Are the ebrake cable issues with the ranger swap? Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
I think you may be misunderstanding something about the later Ford Axle styles. The 7.5" and 8.8" are not, no matter the origin vehicle, as easy to change ratios as compared to the older 8" and 9" and your original '50 axle assy.. The center section does not 'drop out' of the main housing on the later models. What was meant by 'many ratios available' is that they came in a variety of ratios, depending on application (model and powertrain). So, the Ranger is still a good choice, just decide what ratio you want and look for that at the outset. Ray
I def understand how to change gears on the newer rears, pull the cover, unclip axles, unbolt yoke etc. I mean that I like the option of finding a ring and pinion for a 8.8. Oppose to trying to find something to replace the gears in my current rear.My original post was to try and identify what rear is in my car so I could try to find a different ratio center section without changing the entire rear. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
About 1 year ago I removed a 3.3 chunk from a 1953 Ford 215 6 cyl with Fordamatic Trans. The trunion universal joint is a high price item. A 1955 to 57 Chevy rear end assembly works very well on the 49 t0 56 Ford.
no problem with e brake using a ranger rear end. I used the 50 linkage and the ranger cables. E mail me at [email protected] if you want more info
Ray did you have any issue with the pinion offset on the 7.5" ranger or 8.8" ranger rear? I found a ranger 8.8 and its great on the overall width I am just noticing the pinion appears to be offset about 3/4" more to the pass side than than the original rear Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
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