Identifying a 9" Ford rear end

I was offered a 9" Ford rear end by a friend at a great price but have not been able to really identify it properly. I have consulted several online sites that have i.d. charts that list tag numbers, but have yet to find a match to the tag on the rear end offered to me. The tag number seems to be: W8S-BN2 on the top line and 3 00 4EB 105 on the bottom line. The bottom line seems easy: a 3.00 ratio built at plant 105 in the second week of May '64 and is not a posi unit.

The unit has drum brakes and straight 3' axle housings. It is not an "N" case. The distance between wheel mating surfaces on the drums is approximately 61.5". The distance between centerlines of the spring pads is 46.75".

It appears it will fit my '46 Ford Coupe without narrowing and only requiring moving of the spring pads. From other material I have seen, with those dimensions it could be from an early '70's Mustang except for the date code on the tag.

Anybody out there on the board have any other ideas? I would just buy it and use it except for wanting to go through it before putting it in the car. So, I want to know for sure what I have in order to buy parts for it, if needed. Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

probably 64 galaxy?

WBS-BN Ford P*** '64 3.00 8 3/4 in NL -

from

http://www.fordification.com/tech/rearends_ford01.htm

 

Sounds kinda wide for a '46. ID really isn't that important. Does the end of the axle have two dimples or a D indentation? This will give you a good guess whether it is 31 or 28 splines. Brake diameter and shoe width may be a decent clue to how heavy the vehicle was that it was in. You can also tell by the bolt pattern on the backing plate what the bearing size is.

use your google, lots of info on 9"

 

Wildearp, thanks very much for your help in identifying the rear end. The link to the Fordification site was great--what a good resource for you truck guys. I'm now wondering whether the 8.75" rear is what I want--whether it is harder to find parts for? For example if I decide to install a posi diff? Should I just wait until I find a true 9"?
Thanks again.

 

Sorry, my reply should have been addressed to squirrel.