Can anyone tell me what the wheel bolt pattern on the '48 to '52 ford F1 pickups might be. I'm buying a '49 F1 this weekend and forgot to measure the pattern to pickup some extra wheels and tires so I can load it easy. thanks Eric
My '51 ford F1 still has the old rear end with 4:27 ratio. I want to put something latter in so I can use around a 3:25 ratio. Does anyone know what will work in it's place without having to narrow a housing? I'll be using a 4.5 bolt circle and cutting and welding new brackets is no problem. thanks Larry
"My '51 ford F1 still has the old rear end with 4:27 ratio. I want to put something latter in so I can use around a 3:25 ratio. Does anyone know what will work in it's place without having to narrow a housing? I'll be using a 4.5 bolt circle and cutting and welding new brackets is no problem." Any Ford 1/2 ton rear from 1957 to 1972 will pretty much bolt right in and will be the correct width. Nearly all are the Ford 9" and have the 5 x 5.5 bolt pattern as mentioned above. A large percentage had 3.25 gears in them. There are some F-100s that came with Dana 60s so that's why I said nearly all are 9". You may be able to redrill the axles to the 5 x 4.5 bolt pattern. I've heard that Explorer 8.8 rear ends may work but I have no experience with those.
Larry, What is the outside drum to outside drum measurement of the rear end that is in the truck now. I think that a Ford Ranger V6 8.8 rear end would work fine and the 8.8 is almost as stout as the 9" Ford. If you know what to look for you can find a limited slip in many of them at salvage yards. I bought 2 of them for $147.00 each at the take out yourself yards locally. They have 5 on 4.5 lug pattern. the 83 to 92 ranger rear ends are 2" shorter (56.5") than the 93 up rear ends (58.5"). The 95 and later models also have disk brakes. I would use the drum brakes because they are easier to install on your truck and they will serve very well under the use that you are likely to need. Larry, after posting this reply I looked up the 48-60 Ford f1 f100 pickup axles and found that they were approx. 61.5". I didn't realize that they were that wide. I would still recommend the 8.8 ranger rear end, but would use a set of spacers on a 93 or 94 ranger axle to give you the desired width. However if your wheels have the right offset the spacers might not be necessary. Are you using a Mustang II type IFS? If you are then I would use the 95 up axle with disk brakes. What wheels are you using front and rear. I like to have the spare tire and wheel work front and rear. ****
Here is a link to a site that might help. http://www.ford-trucks.com/article/...F1_and_F100_Rear_Axle_differential_Swaps.html ****
The Jalopy Journal
