Can you ID this rearend?

I found this rear end in a scrap yard and I think it's a Ford 9", maybe Versailles, with discs. Can you ID it?

(it's laying 'upside down' in the pics)

Luke

 

looks more like the big lincoln. Measure the wheel bolt pattern...5" is big lincoln, 4.5" is small.

and didn't they use leaf springs in the granada/monarch/versailles?

 

I'm a noob to Ford stuff (learning as much as I can), so please forgive my dumb question. Is the lincoln a ford 9"? Did any of the lincolns have a posi from the factory?

Thanks!
Luke

 

I believe you are right about the leaf springs. Here is a lincoln versaille.

 

All the narrow 9 inch that I have found in these cars have usually been a high 200s open 3rd member. None have been a posi, and all have been 28 spline axles.

 

70's Lincoln 9" rear.

Horrid rear, poorly welded housings, thin weak axles, disc brake performance is sub-par and they are incredibly wide for just about anything.

 

Usually can only use the housings and need to re gear to race them, nice for guys who are not going to put a ton of power on them stock, biggest****et is the disc brakes. How about an explorer rear.

 

9 3/8" big car rearend. I'd look for something else.
The gearing will likely be very high and its too wide for most uses in Hot Rods....although it might have a Trac-Loc, but I'm not sure if the 9 3/8 diff is the same as a regular 9".

 

Wow, you guys know your stuff! Thanks for all the info, sounds like I should probably pass, even though I could probably pick it up for almost nothing.

Luke

 

Pretty sure it's not the 9 3/8" rear. Without a good shot of the gear case it's hard to tell. But usually those smog era rears were low number gears and open.

I have had a number of these damned things show up on my doorstep when I did classic truck stuff. So many people were just enamored with the fact they have factory disc brakes. Never saw one with the 9 3/8" gear case and never saw one with posi.

 

Good junkyard 9" rears have all but dissapeared so the last two builds I used 8.8 rears from 2000 Explorers. They are reasonably strong, cheap and parts are availably. The pinion is about 2" offset but it hasn't been an issue unless the driveshaft tunnel is tight.

 

Lincoln, probably a Mark 5. I have one like it out back.

 

True...you can't see the little 9 3/8 curved rib from those shots so you might be right.

I've seen them in full size T-Birds and they all used the bolt on flange so I went by that and the fact it was from a big car.

Odd about the lack of a Posi isn't it? The cars I saw with them didn't appear to be Posi either. You would think with the price of those boats it would have come as a stock item!

 

The cars I have seen with the 9 3/8 rear were all parallel leaf sprung. But that doesn't mean much.

Knowing the general public can't actually drive well, equip them a three ton land yacht with a limited slip rear in adverse weather and watch pile them up high!

What's actually shocking on those is just how*****py those cars were for what they cost. It's no wonder the US and Canada lost the car manufacturing war.

 

Is there a tag hanging on one of the studs holding the center section in. If so post the numbers.

 

I'll second that opinion. Mid seventies Mark. Same rear as the Torino, LTD II, T-Bird, etc. but with disks and 5 on 5" wheel pattern. Most likely a 2.75 gear ratio.

 

I should have thought of that when I was there. Will do next time I swing by.

So... it's sounding like it's not a very desirable rear end? Everything sounds ok for build except the mention of it being really wide. I should have measured it...

Luke

 

The calipers on those are junk. I rebuilt a couple of them once and the parking brake is a nightmare, mostly because the***** is rusty and you can't find parts for them.
I'd go with the Exploder 8.8. Just as good a rear end, better brakes and cheaper and a lot more desirable width unless you are building a 70s pickup or something.