34 ford question?

i am rebuilding a 34 5w coupe and am looking for a 9" ford rear end to put under it. everything i have read tells me it need to be 56" flange to flange. i was wondering if anyone has ever put one under their 34 with a 54 flange to flange measurement? found a heck of a deal on one and want to make sure it would work.

 

The proper way to measure a rear end is from wheel mounting flange ... to wheel mounting flange. Like this





The reason is ... brake drums vary a good bit in width ... which in turn ...
messes up a backing plate measurement.



There is no 9 inch Ford made ( from Ford ) with a 54 inch measurement from the wheel mounting flange to wheel mounting flange. The most narrow factory 9 inch Ford is the 57 to 59 Fords ... and they are in the 58 inch range. Most rodders in my area try to use a 57 to 59 Ford rear under their 32, 33, 34 Fords. I have one under my 32 Ford.



Another popular 9 inch Ford ( under early Fords ) is the early Ford Bronco. It is narrow enough and it has the 5 on 5.5 old Ford wheel pattern.

 

TCI uses a 56" wide WMS to WMS rear end on their 33/34 chassis. 54" might work , depending on your wheel offset.

 

A 9 inch that narrow ... ( 54 wms to wms) MIGHT be OK ... with a offset wheel. I believe a 54 inch rear would be too narrow for a 32 ... but in your 34 ... it MIGHT be OK ...

I do not own a 34 ... darn it

 

76-77 Ford Bronco with 5-5 1/2 bolt pattern is perfect from my perspective. Take a look. MDG

 

I've got the early bronco unit that is 58 inches out to out, on my 28 chevy and with the 3 inch back space on the wheels. It gives me 2 inches to clear the body with the tires. As for the bolt pattern. I had my axles and brake drums machined and redrilled for $65.00 for a smaller ford pattern...John

(sorry about the pic of the body parts my fingers clicked too fast)

 

I have the Bronco rear under my 32 roadster ... and they work nice but remember ... they are 4 wheel drive rears and the pinion is offset a little more than the 57 to 59 Fords. Not a problem in my 32 ... but it can cause issues in some vehicles ... especially if they are VERY LOW.

 

I got a early bronco rear end in my 32 and a 66 area mustang 8" rear end in my 33.

 

How can you look for a certain rear axle width without choosing a wheel first??Mock it up with fenders on and with your choice of wheels and tires. That is the only way to do it.

 

I've got a 57 Ford nine inch in my 34 Ford coupe and it fits perfectly.