Kinda depends on if you need it or not. It does have the 5-1/2" bolt circle on a rear that's from the hamb era, which could work out for some hot rods.
Those housings are popular due to the smooth back hump. You will have to narrow it for most hotrod applications. How you go about narrowing depends on if you want a centered pinion or not. The drum brakes are very usable. If nobody has changed it, the center section is probably open with 28 spline axles. The axles are 5 on 5.5". So actually a lot to like and a good starting point unless you are looking for high horsepower drag race stuff.
The center pumpkin is good for stripping down and using it with a narrowing fixture. Then you have one dedicated just for that purpose... cheap.
In those days, no difference other than maybe ratio. The early WAR cases are the weakest of the factory 9" cases. They look like they should be strong with the case webbing but will spit the pinion out under high power drag race use.
While not the stoutest of the 9 inch ***emblies, it is as strong as almost anything else in the era. It is good for a street rod that's driven with modest restraint. It is the rear axle that came in my 57 Thunderbird and I managed to drive it for 17 years with no problem. I did slip the rear tires from time to time.
Restraint is the key. I can say from personal experience that a heavier car ('58 Ford 2-dr wagon) with a built FE and a manual trans will easily kill one. But they were only $35 out of the yards in those days too. I lost track of how many I replaced... and spitting out the pinion will produce a bunch of carnage. AMHIK... Just keep that in mind. Typical failure was broken spider gears. The 28 spline axles are a definite weak link also, I replaced three of those for roughly every single pumpkin. Better parts were available in the late '60s when this occurred but outside the budget of a teenager... I did get very proficient at replacing them however... LOL A few other bits of trivia on 9"s. The '57 and most '58 housings had drain plugs, gone in '59 never to be seen again. Ford also flip-flopped between case-fill and housing-fill some years/models, so not all pumpkins were drilled for the fill plugs. I believe the housing-fills finally disappeared for good in the late '60s, the WAR cases were gone a bit earlier ('61 or so). The small-bearing axle 9" used the same axles as the 8", sometimes saving you the cost of a special axle if you needed a shorter one. All factory 31 spline axles were big-bearing.
Width difference of 3 3/4". The 57-60 F100 rear is 61" between the wheel mounting surfaces whereas the 57-59 Ford p***enger rears are 57 1/4 "
Is that when/why the small bearing was added? Been years since I did my 9 inch, but recall a small bearing at the end of the pinion.
Special, yes, desirable, yes, rare, again, you don't find them much anymore. Before the aftermarket housings became available these were the ones to use if serious horsepower was involved, they were not made like the garden variety housings with welded tubes, the tubes are somewhat thicker wall also. I first heard about these housings in the mid 70's when a friend built his big block Camaro drag car and they were getting hard to find even then. This is the one in my roadster.
That third pinion bearing was always there, the basic architecture never changed. Ford did modify the case design multiple times to improve strength and/or reduce weight depending on application however.
^^^^ and the aftermarket folks have jumped on the band wagon with even "beefier" stuff. Just put a 9" together w/ a Yukon case with "Daytona" style pinion bearings. The third pinion bearing much larger and retained with a snap ring.
So now a 2K aftermarket 9" along with a $450 brake kit is required for a "regular" 350/350 hot rod or will a "puny" factory 9" still work as it has for years.
I replaced the third member in my 64 galaxie and found no way ro put oil in it and had to pull an axle and jack up from the side to poor the 90 wgt down the axle tube
Years ago there was a lot of chatter about the benefits of an "N" case. Are they all they were cracked up to be?
Yes...I still search for them when picking yards. When the C7AW-E came out in '67-80 that's probably the most common unit to find in salvave yards, and will handle a fair amount of power. It would be hard to find a WAR case from 57 to mid 60s.
Did that with my friends work's van. No internet to search in those days; don't remember how we decided on how much gear lube to use; barely any left in the original to compare. Other problem; it was about 20 degrees out, warmed the 90wt in a pot on my mom's stove. Thinking back; wonder how she went along with it. Good old days.
For anything over 400 hp yes I would upgrade to a N case along with the Daytona pinion support. With sticky tires and a manual transmission it’s only a matter of time before you’ll pull the pinion gear out of the case.
I just did a Yukon brute center section with a Daytona pinion support myself with a Detroit trutrac on my model A. This is a 1 time build for me and once it's done I dont want to have to "repair" things as time goes on. With a 440 I was more worried about the torque hurting the rear end than horsepower and as I've stated before I'm an aggressive driver when I have places to do it. If I were running a small block anything I'd been comfortable with a factory "N" case but with the prices people are asking for them it's almost as much as a heavy aftermarket case. I found my brute case complete as a "kit", center section, Daytona support, all timken bearings, bolts on sale for 450.00. Too me too cheap to p*** on and should hold up well. ..
I got my N case, actually the third member years ago for $150. It’s the newer style with the normal looking “N” cast in the case. Came out of 1979 Bronco. Upgraded to a Detroit Locker with 31-spline Dutchman axles and it’s been bulletproof for 8-10 years. I plan a bit more power for next year so I may look into back bracing the stock 57 housing before I start bending it.
The older 9" Ford axles are used by many hotrodders for their clean beauty. The 28 spline axles are weak, and they usually have open differentials, and poor ratios. So even if you get it cheap you'll likely have a bunch of cash into it by the time you get good axles, and an updated stronger differential. So just depends on how far you want to take the stock '57 9" Ford axle.
yes much stronger and usually(allways?) have a daytona pinion support with larger bearing if you need more you need aftermarket parts
The Jalopy Journal
