Today I spoke to a guy on the phone who is going to buy one of my spare gas tanks. During the conversation, he asked what rear end was under my '34 coupe. I told him it was at this time, the stock banjo rear end, unknown gear ratio but I have been told to exchange it for an 8 inch or a 9 inch Ford. He said on his '34 he has an Olds rear end that is too wide and does not know what to replace it with. Does anyone have a "perfect" non banjo or Olds rear end idea that we should go with for our cars? I sort of like the 8 or 9 inch idea but am not sure if that is the way to go and if it is, I do not know what gear ratio I should run. For my car, I will be using (I believe) the stock 3 speed transmission unless I find the "perfect" T5 5 or 6 speed to go behind my Merc that I have decided to attempt to put in it. Also, I do not want to change out the rear leaf spring combo from the stock setup. I like that mono leaf going across the back. (If it is possible to keep that setup) I do not know what his engine and transmission combo is yet but should tomorrow.
My 34 has stock buggy spring front and rear with four bars with 8 inch rear 3.25 gear. You would have to get a open drive truck trans to use with 8 or 9 inch ford.My 8 inch hits the stock floor on big bumps once and awhile so the bigger 9 will hit the floor for sure.You don't need a 9 inch for a flathead anyway. The stock rear buggy spring makes it hard to run the exaust over the rear.Darrell
Width wise I believe the Maverick 8" is ideal; or the '57 Ford or Early Bronco 9" if you need the strength.
I used a Bronco 9" on my 34. It fits perfect. Came with a 3.50 gear ratio. Speedway brackets. Modified the crossmember to take a straight ( as opposed to the curved 34' ) 40' rear spring. Works fine.
Ford OutsideWidth Year Model 56.50 1969-1977 Maverick 8" 57.00 1974-1978 Mustang II 8" 57.25 1957-1959 Ford, Ranchero, Station Wagon 57.25 1965-1966 Mustang 58.00 1966-1977 Bronco 58.00 1964-1965 Falcon 58.00 1977-1981 Granada/Versailles 58.50 1977-1981 Versailles 59.25 1967-1970 Mustang, Fairlane, Comet, Cougar 60.00 1967 Cougar 60.00 1958-1960 Edsel 61.00 1964-1971 Ford Full Size 61.00 1949-1951 Mercury 61.25 1957-1972 Ford F-100 Pickup 61.25 1960-1964 Ford Full Size 61.25 1971-1973 Mustang 61.25 1967-1973 Torino, Ranchero, Fairlane 63.00 1970-1979 Ranchero & Torino 63.00 1972-1979 Ford Full Size & Intermediate 63.50 1967 Fairlane (Coil Springs) 65.25 1973-1986 Ford F-150 Pickup 65.25 1978-1986 Bronco 65.25 1973-1986 Ford Van 3/4 Ton 68.00 1972 Ford Van 3/4 Ton 69.25 1977-1986 Ford E-150 Van
I have a 57 Ford nine inch in my chopped coupe, with the stock spring. It has 3.5 gears, and 7 inch rims. Fits and works perfectly.
Here is the 57 Ford nine inch rearend in my 34 Ford coupe. Used the stock rear spring with one leaf taken out and flattened a bit. This setup has worked well for many years, and the ride is surprisingly good for a buggy spring suspension.
I am a big fan of 9" Bronco Rear axles and have used them under a number of chassis,.. I also like the big bearings and 5-1/2" bolt circle. as well as the fact that a number of them come with 3:50 Trac-Lock Differentials. But with that said, A friend of mine used a Flathead hooked to a T-5 with a S-10 Rear axle on 35 wishbones,.... and loves it. I started to build this 33 Coupe as a beater,... then petered out. It has a 67' 9" Bronco rear in it . And this one had a 57' Rear axle under it.
Anybody put the early Bronco axles in a 57-9 Ford rearend housing in order to get the 5 on 5 and a half bolt pattern? According to Fordcpe's chart above, the Bronco axles are three quarters of an inch longer than the 57-9 Ford axle - could that much be shaved off to make them fit? I have a pair of early Bronco axles and would put them in the 57 rear in my 34 coupe.
3/8 of an inch off each axle should be no problem as long as the pinion gear offset is the same on both housings(if I remember correctly, the Bronco housing is centered with the pinion offset). Just found this thread. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=583944
Thanks for the info, Baron. I'll put the Bronco axles in a 57 housing and see how things fit to determine if this swap is feasible.
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