I am getting closer to putting my 56 Monterey Wagon on the road. The engine is complete and the AOD trans is on the way from Lentech. I'm wondering how robust the stock differential is. I'm not planning burning up tires. However, once the car is on the ground, I want to be able to drive it trouble free for a long time. At the same time rear springs are also under consideration. The previous owned removed 3 leaves from the 11 leaf wagon spring packs. It appears that he had the remaining leaves de-arched. Eaton wants $900 for a pair of replacements. Suggestions ?
Mercs of that era had exceptionally strong rear ends. The p***enger cars came with Dana 45 axles which is basically a beefed up Dana 44 used in light trucks in the same time frame. There is little danger of breaking one. The downside is parts are made of unobtainium. Dana 44 parts can be made to work with some creative shimming. Regarding the springs, if you're happy with the ride I'd just leave 'em as is unless you're planning on hauling weight.
You probably have a 3.2 rear gear or close to it. With an AOD you can live with it but they work well with 3.7 up to 4.10. A 3.70 in OD will be a 2.47. A 4.10 in OD is 2.74 which is a nice road gear. If you have a 3.2 it will be a 2.15 in OD. If your looking for a modern change an 8.8 is a good choice and they are everywhere in everything. Some Ranger pickups are very close in dimensions. I had one narrowed from an Explorer with F-150 Drum brakes and the the stock E-brake fit perfect with one minor change. One other thing an 8.8 looks like a big stocker..
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