Hot Rods 32 ford rear axle width

I just started buikding a 32 3 window. going to be a fenderless ,chopped , 50s style lakes car. I have decided to run a 9 inch ford rear. I have a 57' smooth back that is 61 inchs drum face to drum face. gas anyone run an axke that wide ? it seems to measure the same as my 48 banjo axke I have laying here also. any opinions or even maybe a photo of a few other cars?,I'm going to order wheel vintique wheels so I can specify an offset, but I don't want them to look out of place. I plan on running a 7.50x16 excelsior tire, on a 16x4 inch wheel .

 

I corrected the post. it's 61 inches . thanks for catching that

 

61 is a bit wide for a 32. IMO I have used 56 inches for the majority of the 28-34 chassis built in my shop. Tucks the tires in nicely in relation to the body.

 

I like the 66 to 77 Bronco rear axles,they measure 58" and have a 5 on 5 1/2" bolt pattern. HRP

 

56" seems to be the standard I've seen. Was trying to find similar info for my '41 Ford 1/2 ton when researching a rear for it. Anderson's build on a '35 at A.S.S. shows a 9" with the 56" width dimension, looks right and tucks the tires inside the fenders. HRP said the early Bronco's work well, but are getting harder to find. I think 61" seems too wide, JMHO.

 

When I started in the chassis building business 35 years ago the 57/59 Ford round back rears were the standard, especially if you could score a big bearing wagon rear because you could drill the BP out to 5.5. I would use 60/64 Ford passenger car or wagon short side axles for the right side and narrow the rears down to 55 inch's. I always rebuilt and used 60/64 rear brakes because they gave you up to 2.5 by 11 inch brakes. I disassembled and cleaned 100's of these rears back then. What a pain. How nice it is now to make a phone call and order new 9 inch round backs the right width and BP with new 11 inch brakes. Times have changed.

 

This is the axles under my black sedan,I like to use 6" wheels on the rear and the fit under the fenders fine.

I've bought a few extra Bronco axles when I run across them,I like the idea of having a rear axle with a big bolt pattern like the originals. HRP

 

Yep, 58" would work fine too, just need a little deepset wheel to fit right. I look for late 50's Ford F100 rear when I can find em too. They are a little wider than 58"than the Broncos', but they can be shortened, they are round back, and have the 5.5 bolt pattern from the factory and most have a 3.70:1 ratio with trak-lok.

 

I don't worry too much about getting them narrow I think it gives a car a street rod vibe ,

40 ford , and 56-64Chevy and lots of 9" were in the 59" range ... and its little things like that can create a period look or not ....61" is a little wide , but if you put a 5-6" wheel on back and add 1 or so to the backspace vs . Stock backspace ... Your home free

 

I'm planning to use a '40 car reared in my '32 5w and was told it is less than an inch difference. T/F?

 

BTTT

 

For the evening crowd.....

 

According to hotrod works

 

So...according to HRW, there's a 1-3/4" difference in width. I think you will be fine with the '40 rear in the '32.

 

40 rear

 

What rear end width would a person use on a highboy with the centerline of the axle 2-4" above the top rail?

-deuce rails
-30" tires
- 15x6" wheels 3" bs
- fenderless

Would the 58" wide rear end work or 61.25"?

It would basically be a heavy channeled 5w.

Maybe better to stay short and add if needed?
Or, shorten axles after body is placed?

From pics, it looks like 58" would tuck the wheels inward and the body would rub if it was channeled?

What you think?

 

All four of my old Fords have them, just right.