1954 ford wagon rear end swap question

I will be swapping my stock Dana 44 out of my '54 wagon. It needs a rebuild and I think it will be cheaper to swap it for something else.
A quick look on Craigslist found me 2 options close to home.
1 is a Ford 8.8 out of a '91 Ranger. this has 5 lug axles and should be plenty strong ( 302, t-5 ) but i'm not sure of the width
the other is 2 hours away and is a Ford 9" out of a '65 Thunderbird.
Does anyone know the width of the stock '54 Dana 44, backing plate to backing plate? and also the spring perch width? I took a quick measure and got @ 51 for the axle width and about 41.5" for the perches, center to center.
I think the thunderbird is 43" perch to perch and I'm not sure of the overall axle width. I don't have the specs for the 8.8 Ranger rear.
I'm hoping to find some advice here on what may be the best setup for my wagon.
Thank you!
Mike

 

57-59 Ford passenger car is a 9" that pretty much bolts right in, perfect width. My '53 has one from a '70 Mach 1, works nice but is probably an inch wider than the original rear. '65 T-bird rear is probably going to be way too wide.

 

A 9 inch 57 car rear end or 8 inch Maverick is probably your best bet. 57 rear is 57 3/4 inches wide from wheel flang to wheel flang. Maverick is 56 3/4 inches from wheel flang to wheel flang.

 

My choice would be the 57/58/59 Ford rear end. Vastly better selection of gear ratios, strong and more available.

I would TRY to get one from a station wagon ... because of the larger axle bearings.

 

Got what you need in the classified.

Oldmics

 

The 57 Ford is a great choice if you can find one,,I used a 66 Mustang under my '54 wagon which is basically the same width as the Maverick or Granada. HRP

 

I will be picking up a ‘59 rearend tomorrow. From a 59 Galaxie 500, I’m guessing 3.56 gears. Plan on swapping them out for 3.00 ring and pinion ASAP

 

Those 3.56:1 gears should get a "premo-price" when you go to sell'em! Nice ratio
6sally6