53 ford f2

Got a 53 f2,does the rearend have a different gear ratio than the f100?or should I just change the tranny to a f1 so it cruises better.

 

By 53 it was called the F250 for 3/4 ton. I'm only really familiar with the 48-52 F series, but I know the F-1s had 3.92:1 gears with an optional 4.27:1, so unless you're thinking about throwing in an overdrive transmission, the 1/2 ton tranny ain't gonna help you.

I think swapping the original Dana rear for a later ford 9" truck rear with taller gears would be more productive.

 

Yes, if you have a 53 F250 with the stock rear end (timken split housing) it will have either 4.86 or 5.83 gears in it. You can't (from what I have found) find lower (numerically) ratio gears for this rear end and, if you want to keep the 8 lug pattern on the wheels, I would recommend swapping it out for a DANA60 from a later year 3/4 ton.

I'm not 100% sure what year mine came out of, but I believe 57-72 made use of the DANA 60 and is a bolt on affair.

Got any pics of the F250?

 

You can swap in a rear axle from a pre-73 Ford truck, same size truck. After '72 the axle are wider.

 

Probably a good idea for you to learn a bit about rear end gear ratios and how to count them, this will help you in shopping for a rear axle assembly.

 

So if I took a rearend out of a 72 half ton would it cruise better without changing the 4 speed trans?

 

cruise better, sure. Still would have the lug pattern issue to deal with, though.

 

It doesn't matter what the trans is out of unless it's an OD. Otherwise high gear whether 3 spd or 4 spd is still 1-1 ratio. The rear end ratio is where the difference is.

 

Thanks guys!