i am looking to buy a 9" ford r/e for my project. according to my list the 66-83 broncos had them. i know where there is a 81 bronco (i think its 81) and i got the tag no.s: S808A amd 3 55 8 8 5H16 . i tried to google it and come up with nothing. can anyone tell me if this is a 9" rearend and if so the gear ratio? thanks a lot.
Just check the bottom two third member mounting nuts under the pinion, if it's a 9" you need to use a box wrench to get at them as a ratchet and socket won't fit. Way easier
8 8 means it's an 8.8 rear, not a 9 inch. at least that's how I remember the tags working. 8.8 has a bolt on rear cover, 9" has a smooth rear cover, the guts drop out the front.
I was looking at narrow donors, and my search said 66 to 77 early style square Bronco was 9" I did not check the later big series Bronco 78-up to know if it was a 9 or if it was a different design
yup, a Bronco from the 80s is the same as a full size pickup, like the F-150, the rear end is considerably wider than the early Broncos
The early square body Bronco 66-77 is 58" to wheel mount surfaces, and came with 3 brake sizes and 2 axle bearing sizes. 10", 11" narrow, and 11" wider shoe. There is a website that warns to get a complete brakes setup with the housing too, because none of the brakes/backing plates are interchangeable, and will not fit the other housings! ...and the narrow 9" usually costs more in most areas. So I went with 65-66 Mustang V8 8" as it is lighter, strong enough for the build, and still has a good selection of inexpensive new ring/pinion ratios. It also is a drop out center. It was about 57-1/2" WMS
wow great info......i am going to have to dig into it some more. i know a shop in town the guy said he could narrow the r/e to fit my current project which is a 47 ford but i was also going to do a t-bucket with a flathead. still planning but want to get the rearend asap. thanks guys.....
Just this question, not trying to hijack the thread I have not had a 9" Ford apart, ever. Are you saying it drops out, like a '55 and up Chevy rear ? C - clips to hold axles or bearing retainers ? I have a 9" in my '51 Chevy, my late friend did the work. Looking to swap out the 3:50 posi for a higher (numerical) rear.
8.8 has 'C' clips like GM 12 bolt, accessable behind rear cover. Gears are not in a removable carrier like a 9". Chances are it has 28 splines axles , not 31. Disc or drum brakes?
Narrowing the 8.8 involves a bit of work. There are tons of these in the salvage yards that are narrower. I just pulled one from a 90-92 ranger pickup(v6) that was 56.5 wide, wheel to wheel. It had a 3.55 gear and posi. Mustang 94-04 rear disk brakes are a bolt on with a simple modification to the backing plate.
Which housing ,had 3/8 wall tubing ? That is what narrowed for the Divco. I think it was from a Ranchero / Trino.
Well your info is a little off but close enough for us I suppose. The bronco rear is a good choice if you want to run early wheels, the '57-'59 rear is good if you want to run late wheels, but they were an 8.75 rear and not a 9, although a 9" chuck will bolt in with a little work on the flange. If you want to build a healthy streeter car the some of the broncos (not all) had Nodular cases, 31 spline axles and a few even had Detriot Lockers. The flanges can be redrilled to a 5 on 4.5 bolt circle if you want to run late model wheels.
try this, it should be what he said: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/ford-9-richmond-r-p-carrier-3-89.1008227/ All you needed to do, is click on his avatar, go to his profile, then look where is says" find all THREADS started by" him. In case you did not know how to do that
I work at a Ford dealer parts counter. the tag shows its a 8.8" RG non-locker, with 3.55 ratio. if you do use this, KEEP THAT TAG. when you need parts, you can get most anything for it (bearings, seals, etc) without any questions from your partsman at your local Ford dealer.
Takes a while to learn, fortunately there are some very patient HAMBers here. @F&J is a pretty patient fella, and is seldom a smart ass like some of us are.