Hello. I want the wheels on my car connected so I can do them nice two wheeled burn outs until I transplant a 9" rear in to the car. Was first thinking of welding the spindel gears together. but then I started to have second thoughts, it might be nice to be able to return the stock rear back to just stock. So now I wonder, before I tear anything down, is there a mini-spool from another ford that will fit a 1956 fairlane rear?
BAD idea ! You can pick up a 8.8" rear from an Explorer or Ranger for $200 or under in many Pick-A-Parts and many already have lockers in them take time and read this: http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/Ford-8_8-axle.shtml The 1990-92 Ranger with a 56 1/2" width is a great fit in your '56.
I have driven cars with welded rears before and lived. Not many Explorer/ranger around On this side of the pond (located in sweden) so the only thing I want to know, would it fit?
No,the 1949-56 Fords had a Dana 41 rear end no parts interchange with the 9" rear. If you read the link I sent you the 8.8" was used in a lot of other Fords maybe something else will be more common where you are.
I ran 1/4 mile dirt back in the late 60's guys would weld up the rears in pre-1957 Fords thinking it was an advantage they usually ended up breaking I never did and came off the corners better and beat them and never lost a rear.
Lots of guys with GM rears welded the spiders when I raced. You'd be on the track... smell hot gear oil and sure enough, someone would lose an axle when it let loose.
My son and I ran a pinto on dirt, tried and tried a welded rear and always resulted in DNF. Then I found out that a spool for a 9 in will also fit a 8 in, and that's what we ran until we changed cl***es. Still won't help with a 56 unless you change the rear.
I ran a welded 8" in my Pinto for a lot of years. Eventually the side gears cracked so I put a mini spool in it. They are cheap. If you don't have access to a mini spool weld it up just knowing that at some point it will fail.
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