lookin for some options to get rid of the stock rearend and put a nine under my 55 f 100 truck ! whats some popular swaps ? let me see what ya got guys ? 9's 8.8 out of explorer ? sompthing cheap i can find at a junkyard , heard a 9 out of a 67-72 f 100 is almost a direct deal ? looking for some reasonable money swaps this truck is just gonna be my daily - parts hauler
lots of good info here...http://www.ford-trucks.com/article/...F1_and_F100_Rear_Axle_differential_Swaps.html
Actually you can use much earlier 9's, I put a 64 F100's into mine direct swap, just watch the width, they are not all the same.
A 1957 to 1972 F-100 rear end is basically a bolt it in swap. The later models are a better choice IMHO ... because the later ones have self adjusting brakes. Also ... the later ones generally have a more HIGHWAY friendly ratio than the earlier trucks ( which are geared more towards towing and hauling ). Read the tag on any 9 inch Ford you find ... for the ratio if the tag is still there. A 3.50 rear end ratio is a decent all round gear. Decent around town YET not BAD on the highway with 29 inch tall tires. I ran a 3.50, 3.25 and a 3.00 in my 49 F-1 with a SBC/4 speed. The 3.00 was a little too high with the Muncie ( 2.20 low 1st gear ). The 3.25 was a little better so I ended up with the 3.50 If you cannot find a 1957 to 1972 F-100 with the ratio you want ... It is no big deal to switch to a center section with the gear ratio you want ...
I prefer the 9" myself,but for cost, and,availability, a lot of consideration is given to the 8.8. a friend of mine just picked one up complete hub to hub. (brakes, e-brake cable, everything) for $75.00. The Explorer is around 59.75 inches flange to flange, and the previous mentioned truck rears are around 60. Both are excellent choices.
did a little research on the web ! the 8.8 is starting to look like a reasonable alternative for me ! since its gonna be my daily rear disk good gear chioce and limited slip seem to be commonly found in the late model explorers ! with the cash for clunkers program there should be a few of these around in some yards ! i'm gonna do some checking and see if i can pick one up on the cheap ! anyone done one of these swaps ?
I took my original rear out of my 53 and swapped it with my buddies 9 inch that he had in his pickup trailer and it was a direct replacement had to but diff ubolts for them and the 9 inch is slightly narrower.
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