Im having trouble finding any info on the rear end in my 56. What exactly is it? It's different than a 9inch, and not an 8 inch. What exactly is it? What did FoMoCo put in these things and are they strong enough to take a bit of "abuse" ? If not- what fits thats "cheap" and a bit stouter ?
Funny thing is the '49-'56 Ford p***enger car rears never had a "name" like Dana 44,8 inch,9inch etc. The ring gear is a tiny fraction less than 8" the station wagons of the same era used a stouter Dana rear.However there can be a lot said for these rears I had several Fords back in the day with hopped up flatheads and Y-Blocks and never broke one also ran a 1/4 mile dirt car on steep bank for over three seasons and never lost a rear even though I broke two transmissions in the same car.I even have my present 302 and AOD hooked up to my stock 4:10 rear in my '54, with an AOD or C4 I don't see a problem running it,now if you had an FE torque monster and a 4 or 5 speed banging gears and putting more shock to it that would probably not play well for long.
Thanks Jeff. Thats what I need to know. By abuse, I meant once in a while, laying some rubber and maybe a burnout or two. Thats all. No 5000rpm launches or stuff like that. I want a fun "driver" thats all.
I'm really intrigued by the fact that nearly all of them have really low gears. I recall reading somewhere that the highest gear available was something like a 389, with most having a 410 or something even tighter. Anybody have any verification of this?
I am keeping my stock rear in my 55 and I am installing a nice well built 302 with a nice cam and will be using a C4 trans . I won't be drag racing the car all the time but I can guaranteer you I won't be easy on the rear ! They are strong rears ! The 6 cylinder cars have the better ratio gears . Those are the 3.89 and 4.10 rears . The many pick ups also have the 4.10 rear in them too . I do have a spare Mustang 8" rear if and when mind breaks . I have a sneaking suspension that the 8" rear will be in my parts shed for a very long time ! Jim
The station wagon Dana rears with 6 cylinders were 4:10's with 3 speeds and 4:56's with overdrive.V8 wagons were 3:90 & 4:10's respectively.All these rears would work well with an AOD a (Trans-Go Hi-Rev Kit is needed for ratios above 3:70) with a C4 you would running between 3,000 to 3,600 RPM on the highway.For you stick shift guys a T-5 would also play nice.
As a side note "back in the day" we always used Wynn's Friction Proofing added to the rear ends in the dirt track cars since this is no longer available draining out the old lube and replacing it with Royal Purple 75W-140 would be a great idea for both the rear and the three speed to decrease wear from heat and friction,it's not like parts for these are always around close by.
I got the do***entation for my car in the mail today. According to the info I have, it's got a 331 rear. Ah well, it'll be better on the highway and get better mileage.
The 331 was in the V8 cars . That is what I am running in my 55 . Jeff , I think we all use Wynn's back in the day ! I wonder what ever happened to them or are they still around ? Damn good products ! Royal Purple has some of the best products out there right now with a reasonable price too ! Can't go wrong with that product ! Jim
Not really going strong,for some reason you cannot buy it's products over the counter in a retail store.I looked into it and talked to a company with Wynn's product signs and it turns out it is primarily involved in selling equipment to do transmission,A/C and cooling system flushing,when asked if I could purchase the additives I was told,"sorry we don't sell retail products".The last over the counter purchase I made was at Pep Boys,the website shows none of the Wynn's products formally available, the labeling states "for professional use" and headquarters in Illinois, Friction Proofing and the rest of the products came from Azuza,California.I remember "back in the day" it was not uncommon to have an FE Ford come in with lifters going tick.tick.tick you could pour in the Wynn's valve medic and within 2-3 minutes the lifters would become quiet,out on the dirt track the Wynn's radiator stop leak was a hero on many occasions.
Yep, they got bought up a while ago by ITW. The same conglomerate that owns DeVilbliss, Miller and Hobart, Magnaflux, Permatex, etc. By going strong I meant still in business, just not at the consumer/retail level anymore.
It's a shame they gave up the retail end . I guess there is too much shelf compe***ion for them now . That shelf space costs a lot of money ! I was a snack vendor and shelf space for snacks ran $400+ a liner foot ! That was 10 years ago in a grocery store too ! It's a cut throat country when it comes to selling product anymore ! I loved their products and used them in my street and race cars back in the 1970's ! The sponsored a lot of big races too ! Glad to hear they are still alive ! Jim
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