anyone know what the hell rear end is in a 1956 ford 6 cyl manual 3 spd with overdrive? i believe it has 4.11 gears but i cant find any info on what rear it actually is, 8", 7.5" etc???? the pumpkin is perfectly round
Its not a 8 or 9 inch and I think was the same from 49 to 56 and was used in the cars as the wagons had a dana 44,a maverick or granada 8 inch will bolt in if you want taller gears and the 56 E brake cables will work too. 57 was the first year for the 9 inch.
If it's a factory OD car it should have 4.11s in it. Jeff is right, that rear predates the 9" ('57) and the 8". If you want to go swapping gears, do yourself a favor and find an 8.8, they're all over the place and can be had cheaply. If you're cool with the 4.11s, run em. Those rears hold up pretty well unless you're putting some power through em
Cool I appreciate your info thank you both. The 4.11's are murder for the freeway 3.10 would be cool with me, I have a 1964/390/cruisomatic which had low 3.** gears factory. I may be going 9", finding 56 rear parts seems impossible, I haven't actually called any companies but all relevant websites show nathan for this rear, carpenter,macs,larrys,google,yahoo,hamb,mustangsites,richmondgear,moser, have nothing and most importantly,no ring and pinion which is all i really need, 3.10,3.30 range would make for freeway love.
Some Ford ranger rears are 8.8 and almost a bolt in swap and not pricey,check the Rangerstation.com there is info on reading rear end ratio off the VIN a lot were also posi and little narrower than the '56 rear which will give you more wheelwell room something the 52-56 Fords lack, bolt pattern is the same so you won't need to change wheels you may need a conversion u-joint available from NEAPCO at most driveline shops.
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