I haven't rebuilt a differential in many years and things have changed in the manufacturing area, with a lot of former good name companies sacrificing their good names by supplying inferior, foreign made products to make a few extra bucks. Saying all that, I'm wondering what ring & pinion gear manufacturer's products do you guys recommend ? The axle I'm rebuilding is a '57 Ford 9" with 28t splined axles, Trac-Lock limited slip and a 3.89:1 final drive ratio. It's going under my '36 Ford coupe that'll be driven on the street and long distance driving. It'll probably never go down the track, but I've been known to get on it once in a while. I know how to build it, just wondering which products are the best to use without going overkill. Thanks for your help !
Depending on how big of a hurry you are in ... I would search eBay and find a NOS Ford gear set. That is what I did for my 32 Ford 3W coupe. I knew which gear set I wanted and watched eBay for maybe 6 months before one popped up. Not much moore $$$ that the aftermarket junk that is out there today. .
Deuce Roadster, Thanks for your reply - I'v e been watching Ebay for a while, but the majority of the Sellers don't list the manufacturer or even the ratio or are gears being sold thru Jegs & Summit. enjenjo, Thank you for your reply. I've seen your posts always found your advice to be good and respected. If anyone else would like to chime in, I'd appreciate it. -Bob
I've only done two and I used Richmond gears both times. I'm a young pup(26) so I tend to abuse things and haven't had a problem yet. If you were looking for a non eBay source for oem gears, French lake auto parts in mn has a large selection of old parts and tin. If it came down to it one of us Minnesota hambers could throw the chunk in a five gallon bucket and ship it for you... Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
Last week, I replaced a 2.73 gear set out of a 87 F-150 with a 3.75 set. I still have the 2.73, had a feeling someone might want some hi-way gears. If you're interested, these are factory Ford in great shape and most important, they're free. Pay postage and I will send them to you. Yes all 9" Ford gears are the same. Only problem is carrier interference with 4.10 and higher ratios. With O/D, you should tach 1600-1800 rpm at 70 mph. I use only Timken bearings as I have never had one fail.
You can get everything you need from Currie in SO Cal. I had a 9'' built for my wagon and the bearings went south after 9000 miles, guess where they were made, CHINA. Currie uses USA parts.
Great input, gentlemen - I appreciate it. Your recommendations are about what I remember being the suppliers of choice back when I did my last build. Guess I'll look around Carlisle next weekend and if I don't find what I want, I'll just deplete my 401k a little more and order what I need from the main players. Bob Riley, thank for the offer and I appreciate you making it, but I won't be able to use the 2.73 set. I've done the math and through the normal range of driving, it appears a 3.89 ratio would give me the desired RPM range with the transmission gears. Young 'n' Poor, thanks for your offer, as well, but I've got several chunks laying around and my kids'll be selling them as s**** s**** steel when I croak......
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