I'm building a low budget 31 model a roadster ( mostly by hand) but was wondering what some of you are using for a rear end when using a Chevy v8 and Chevy trans as well?
A very common rearend is a Ford 8" or 9". Streetrods are drivin' by Chevy, Hotrods are powered by Ford!
it sort of depends how you car will be setup...fender-less , full fenders , channeled ,wheel/tire size , etc. the maverick 8" ford rear at 56-1/2" wide has been popular for full fendered A's , that what i have in my `28 tudor. if you are willing to have one narrowed just about any rear end could be used
yes.....Bronco 9" at 58" wide and 5 on 5-1/2" bolt circle is popular too. just so you know , the Maverick rear has 5 on 4-1/2" bolt circle. both the Maverick and Bronco rears are getting harder to find and can get some higher $$$ the Bronco rear could be re-drilled to 4-1/2" bolt circle if needed ..the maverick can not be re-drilled to 5-1/2" bolt circle then there are the chevy rear ends....at one time the `55-`57 rear was popular , even though they could be a bit wide. i see S-10 rears being used too as i said in my first post , it all kind depends on how your car will be setup if you want a maverick 8" , i think this is a deal: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/ford-maverick-8-rear-end.938733/
I used an A body 8 & 3/4 out of a 340 Dart. Very strong and if you are running fenders it tucks under with 15 X 8 wheels with a standard offset.
Quick Change. They aren't that much more expensive (drum to drum). And the gear change time is literly minutes. Mike
I suspect an early Mustang 8" would work pretty well. I believe they are 57.5"(?) drum to drum. Should be relatively cheap. Please don't banish me for mentioning this one, but... Another option, although not period correct by a long shot, may be a late '90s/early 2000s Ford Ranger rear. I haven't measured, but I am told they are 58" drum to drum. They aren't worth a lot and are often performance geared(3.73/4.10) and limited slip.
If you don't entend to race the snot out of it an S-10 is a nice fit, 55" so, it doesn't stick out to far, 4 3/4 bolt pattern, and if its not an over drive car it's about a 340 rear end ratio. BILL RINALDI
Another option... An 8.8 from a late model Explorer can be narrowed to 56.125 by using two short-side axles and cutting the long side tube. All explorers are 31 spline, most are limited slip, many of the newer ones have disc brakes. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/shortening-ford-8-8-axle.615710/ http://web.archive.org/web/20120504...x.com/testforum2/index.php/topic,11946.0.html You can section about 3" out of the long side tube and weld it back together, or you can pull the tube out of the center section, cut it, and press it back in.
Don't forget the unsprung weight factor. Essentially, the lighter the axle/tires/springs the better the car will ride and handle. If you're going to use a mild engine and automatic transmission you won't need one of the bruiser-weight heavy duty axles and the street manners of your car will suffer if you use one. Just my $.02.
If you want low budget, go S10.. At 54 1/2" it's a little narrow as is.. If you run an adapter to go from 4 3/4" bolt pattern to 5 1/2" bolt pattern you get perfect width and can run old Ford rims...
A 57 - 64 Chevy would be a good choice. Parts supply is very good, and contrary to what many will say, it is a good strong rear axel. In addition, it is a "traditional" choice. A 55 - 56 Chevy is basically the same, but uses different wheel bearings, doesn't have a drain plug, and the casting for the pumpkin is lighter than the 57 - 64.
Send it to HotRodWorkshttp://www.hotrodworks.com/shopdisplayproducts.asp@id=20&cat=Axle+Upgrades,+Ring+and+Pinions+&+Components.html and let them do a makeover with slide in 9" axles.
Convert to an open drive shaft rearend and drive it like it is glass. My 35 as a Caddy 331, early Ford trans and the stock rearend, never had a problem with the rearend............ been through 3 transmissions though, you know, the weakest link in the chain.
Get a pile of spare rearends to convert because you'll break it eventually. In Fairport, NY, your best bet is probably an S10/Colorado rearend, they're plenty common in you-pick yards, and come in a number of ratios, can be had with a limited slip, or even disc brakes depending on what you pull them out of. They also come in two widths, the 4x4 axle is a few inches wider than the 2WD. Depending on what yard you go to, $50-$125 or so drum to drum. The only thing this does to you is you'll have to use some sort of Chevy brakes up front to have the same bolt pattern all around. I'd look into '51-'54 Chevy car front brakes/spindles on the Ford axle, not quite as easy to find but not impossible and I seem to recall you can adapt them one way or another. I did find a set of those in a you-pick yard a couple years ago, you may have to be patient is all. You really only must have the spindles, backing plates and hubs, the drums and the rest can all be bought pretty easy over the counter.
I think I'm going with an s-10 rear end this is a low budget build and I can get these pretty cheap They told me it couldn't be done... So I'll try it.
I will be installing a 55 T-Bird Dana 44 in my coupe. It's 57" wide at the wheel mounting, perfect for a Model A. On a side note, the non Dana 1955 rear is fine as long as you don't race it a lot. Your drive shaft shop can install the Chevy u-joint in front and Ford on the other end. I have a tri-5 rear also and it's too wide for a Model-A.
The Jalopy Journal
