Ford 9 inch housing w/oval dimples identification

I have a 9 inch housing in my 57 Ford pickup that has a smoothe back with the barely raised flat strip in the middle and dimples on each side. The dimples are not round but elongated horizontally. Every picture I can find and every description that I have found show and refer to round dimples. Is this just a manufacturing difference or is it from a different car or truck?

 

You have a one year only 57 pickup rearend. Notice there aren't any weld seams on the axle tubes, at the ends or the center. The tubes are extra thick (1/4"). I have been using them in drag cars for 35 years, because of the strength. BTW nice Olds!

 

Interesting
I didn’t know any 9”’s got thick tubes .... to bad thay all dont.

 

I've never seen one of them. 1/4" tubes? that is a nice piece.

 

This is one I put "wide 5" snouts on, the pics show absence of seams.

 

thanks,that is good info. I was considering taking this one off a 57 truck that I have. Do you happen to know what ratios these trucks had?

 

It depends if it was a stick, stick od, or auto trans, any thing from 3.10 to a 4.11. The pickup rears use the same length axle in both sides, making the pinion offset 4.375" to the passenger side, not usually desirable for most applications. I shorten the driver side of the housing 4.375", and re-spline a 1965-66 axle like amount. 1957-64 axles are cast and neck down inboard of the spline and cannot be re-splined in the area required. When complete it makes a nice rear end, just under 58" wide (between the wheels) 5 on 5.5 bolt circle with decent brakes.

 

Old thread, but thank you for that info, Marty. I was just sent here by DDDenny for info on this housing, which apparently is in my T...

 

'58 Wagon not exactly round but not oval. Makes me wonder of Ford was stamping them or buying stampings.



I have never heard anyone say that they are round by the way I just always herd the distinction between a dimple back or smooth back and they are not a 9" rear (1957) they have an 8.75 ring gear. The reason I mention it is that a 9" center will fit but on some of them you have to relieve the flange a little bit to et the chuck in there. Well that and clarity.

 

Beaner
I think that you are thinking about the 9 in. housings need to be clearanced slightly when using the 9&3/8" third members. These were (generally) used in the bigger cars, such as the later LTD's and Lincolns.

 

Pass. housings to the end of '64 are listed in the Hollander exchange manual as "8 3/4", and, as far as I know, need minor grinding to clear the later ring gear. Truck housings do not. I have a '57 housing that required minor grinding. I wont post the entire Hollander section on ford rears, its too long, but the first page will illustrate what I am talking about.

 

I have the same housing with the oval dimples, mine came out of a '59 Ford Truck.

Like Marty Strode said above, they don't have any seems. The axles tubes and the center section are formed from one piece of steel, made in two halves and welded.

 

I have a 59 truck to same oval dimples

 

I believe the pumpkins in the 57-59 are the weakest of all stock 9 inchers.

 

Yep they are the WAR. But I'm no expert.

 

I have read pros and cons on the WAR..I beat on one pretty good but no mega HP and bearing cap load bolts in back brace..

 

It was swapped in then, the housing in question was 57 1/2ton truck only.

 

A friend of mine ripped the pinion and support and the nose off a WAR case in a low 12 second sb 4 speed fairlane. Literally fell out on the track. IMO, unless you have a nodular case, Detroit locker and the big pinion support, the strength of the ford 9" is over-rated. In my experience, a typical 2 rib or WAR case 9" with the small pinion support, like you find in a wrecker, isn't as strong as a 12 bolt.

 

Actually if you talk to any serious racers even the nodular case is over rated. it can be beefed to take serious HP but if anyone is really going to lay down some torque and hook up an after market case is the way to go.

Most of us are not that serious, I seldom throw more then about 450 pound feet at one and street tires. Gone are the says that racing was work for me, I am more interested in having a good time with a healthy streeter. LOL

Getting back to the sheet metal housing I think that the round back is actually not nearly as stout as the later housing. I do intend to run my 31 spline Detroit in my '58 center, but I doubt that I will ever have it in a wheel stander. LOL

 

True. I am putting together a 9" for my 4 speed '65 falcon right now, with the price of NASCAR take-out 3.25 bearing lockers as cheap as they are right now, and assuming you are going to run aftermarket axles, its actually cheaper to buy a new big bearing case and buy a used big bearing 35 spline locker than it is to hunt up a used nodular carrier, and then buy a new 2.9"bearing locker to fit the used carrier.

 

I actually know where there is a stack of 9" rears that I can dig though and rob and there are some nodular cases in the stack. So if nodular was what I needed it wouldn't be more then the trip and the time. But for most it is just either luck or pain that they own one.

I guess for their intended use they are a good case.

 

Beaner
If you are referring to the 57 and later passenger car or the 58 and later truck housings I agree with you. Not saying you don't know the difference, but maybe you haven't looked close at how the 57 1/2 ton truck housings were built. I agree that those later housings with the bulge for ring gear clearance are the better choice strengthwise, but many of the aftermarket suppliers such as Detroit Speeds' housing or Curries' 9 plus housings were patterened off of Fords 57 truck housing. Like Ford; they no doubt chose to start building them as a multi-piece unit due to lower mfg. cost. They simply used thicker material for the center housing as well as the axle tubes.
They are still not as thick or as strong as the 57 truck housing. You don't see them too much anymore because they have been hard to find for many years.

 

You are correct that '57 truck housing is tough. I guess Ford decided that the added cost of the one piece was less than the cost of repairs and reputation.

I would say that I would give a testicle for a '57 truck housing but someone no doubt would take me up on it and I wouldn't be able to work at the pawn shop any more.

 

Still got both of mine
Get this; I got my housing for 5 bucks, a six pack, and a half hour of work helping take it apart. It was under an old utility trailer that the guy bought just for the center section.
And I drank half the beer.

 

Small world. Earlier today, I was following a little home-made utility trailer with a late thirties ford front axle and wishbone under it, and fenders made from '35/'36 spare tire covers.

 

Hey Guys I need some help on identifying a Ford rear end housing I have. Everything I have read says it's a 8" housing (has two round dimples, flat on top and no protrusion for the ring gear) but it has a 9" third member (can't use a socket on two of the lower studs, has a rib in the middle of the third member) in it. So what do I have? Any help would be very much appreciated.

 

You have an axle that is painted white and laying out in the snow.....

Pictures help over-the-interwebs identification alot.

 

FrozenMerc here are a couple of pics. What do you think I have?

 

Yes, yes I do, well, it's not painted white but it is pretty close to the snow.