i have a 53 ford with the stock rear end and i want to put 3.00 gears in it to make it a little better for highway driving but i dont know what rear end is in it i thought it was a 8inch but ford didnt come out with those till the 60s. what im wondering is anybody know were i can get new gears? i dont want to replace the whole rear end as im running a flathead with a s10 t5 and i dont think im gonna be putting enough power to hurt it. oh and the car has 4.10 gears in it i think as it was 3 speed with overdrive car and thats what i heard those come with. thanks any info would be great.
not its not an 8", its not a 9". its a 53 ford rear. do you need a higher gear with the t5? what engine rpm are you turning at at 60 mph? 70 mph? easiest thing would be to swap to a 70s era maverick/granada rear end. easy to change the gears, easy to find brakes. spring perches will need relocated I think. or a 57-59 9" rear, these are getting hard to find, but are the right width.
The rear axle was shared with the 52-54 Fords and is referred to in the manual as a Integral Housing Hypoid rear axle and there just isn't too much to be found,,looking through my manual I haven't seen any mention of a different set of gears. I used a 66 Mustang rear axle under my '54 wagon with minimal problems,,relocatin the spring mounts were the only think I had to do. HRP
i would just like to have the lower gear it seems like im driving in a higher gear then i should be even on city streets. around 60 to 70 its at 2500 to 3000 rpms i would just like it a little lower and i think my rear end is in need of new bearings so i thought i would put new gears in while im at it but i cant seem to find any. i really dont want to swap rear ends as i think i dont need to just nned to find gears. thanks
well like HRP says, there are not many gear sets, if any, available for those. easiest route is a later rear.
Standard Transmission—3.90-1 (39-10). Overdrive Transmission—4.10-1 (41-10).Fordomatic Transmission—3.31-1 (43-13)
Ford offered 3 different rear axle ratios in 1954 depending on the transmission that was in the car. A 3 speed cars came with a 3.09 gear,while cars with overdrive had a 4.10 to 1 ratio and the Ford-O-Matic came with 3.31 to 1 gears. 3.08 w/170 CID and SelectShift/Semi Automatic & 3-speed 2.83 SelectShift & standard 3-speed 3.00 was offered for standard 3-speed and automatic Going in a different direction,,, A lot of us building modified '54's use the Maverick rear axle and the fit from what I am told is perfect. these were available from '71 to '77. HRP
Agreed, it IS a '53 Ford rearend and neither an 8" or a 9" even though similar in design. However, the same rearend was used from '49 thru '56. There were several ratios available from the 4.--s in the O.D. equipped cars to the low 3.--s in the automatics. This should broaden your search.
I am looking for a 1953 Fordomatic differential for my Mainline sedan. Any leads would be most welcome.
I knew a kid back in the old days that had a cherry 53 Victoria that his aunt gave him after she blew up the flat motor. Him and his dad planted a 55 Cad engine and trans in it, angle iron, stick welder and bailing wire job. First time he got it running he tried a burnout, was looking for a rear end the next day
As was noted, this rear axle was in use from '49 to '56. There's different ratios depending on year, anywhere from the very low 3s to I believe a 4.4 was available, with plenty in between. I'd look for a 3.9 or 3.7; these are both semi-common and were usually found in '55-56 manual-trans sedans. I'd be very hesitant to go taller, with the current OD in the T5 it would be easy to 'overgear' that flathead to where it may not pull the gear in OD. And you'll probably have to look for a good used unit as these have been obsolete for over 60 years, although there's at least one vendor who claims to have NOS sets, but they're not cheap.
I have a 53 that was originally an auto. It has 3.50s or 53s in it. And I’d be willing to trade my rear for your rear. Just the center section of course. Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Up thru 56 3.21 was he highest. Ford Explorer 8.8 had 2.74 and 3.08 as high gears and we’re early. Later ones with OD transmissions were lower. F-150 11” drums will bolt on and the e brake cables will fit if you drill out the mount to American hole size from metric. No 2.74 gears left new, discontinued.
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