Hot Rods What rear end would should i go with and what ratio

Looking for some advice on rear end choice .I have a 1935 dodge p.u. its going to have a pretty stock 331 hemi backed by a new process 5 speed manual trans. I would like to have 4.5 inch 5 bolt wheel pattern and something with a drop out third member my front wheels are 53 1/2 inch wide where the wheels bolt on . any suggestions would help on ratio and kind .

 

8" or 9" Ford rear. 9" parts are easier to find, so I'd probably use one of those. You need to find one that is pretty narrow...I'd say 59"wide or less, but the width needed is really determined by the backspacing of the wheels you will use/vs. rear fender clearance.

With an overdrive transmission, you probably want a ratio in the neighborhood of 3.70:1 down to 4.11:1

 

Or you could keep it all Mopar, and find yourself a nice 8 3/4" rear. Still a frontloader,easy to work with. I'm not sure about availability of narrow Mopar rears.

 

+1 on the 3.90 or better gear.....

 

9" has the most aftermarket support.

Depends on your tire size and rpm sweet spot but I wouldn't go any lower than a 3.4x and a 3.7x is probably going to work the best.