Why is the 9 inch Ford rear or rears out of Oldsmobile a choice for Hot Rods and Racers? What would a rear cost from a junk yard and what do I look for? Did Chevy make any good strong rears? Thanks.....
You might read this before you make up you're mind. http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles/12_bolt_chevy_vs_9_inch_ford/index.html It's kind of interesting that a few years ago the Hemi Cuda superstockers were running 12 bolt Chevys. They weighed less, took less horsepower to turn them and they could make them last behind a Hemi. I don't know if they still run them or not, but it does say something about a 12 bolt. As far as running a stock rearend, I've seen lots more cars with 9" rearends that have the pinion jerked out of the front of the rearend than 12 bolts. If you want to buy a Daytona pinion support (and nodular case) then the 9" is stronger. If you want to run stock stuff, then they don't really have a strength advantage. I've run both and have a 55 project and an Anglia project with 9" Fords, but I've got another Anglia (strictly racecar) that I'm setting a 12 bolt up for right now. As far as early Pont/Olds, they are popular because they're traditional and built like a truck rearend-big & stout. Well, I see the bottom of my coffee cup, off to work. Larry T
ONE reason the 9" is so popular is because it is not a "c-clip" type axle (nor was the Olds or 8 3/4 Mopar). The axles are retained at the ends, not in the middle; so if an axle breaks, it's much more likely that the wheel and tire stays on the car... None of that really matters anymore thanks to the aftermarket. You can even buy 9" Ford center sections that take 12 bolt gearsets... The 9" just takes a little less work to make it race legal.
9" Ford rears are plenty strong for most street applications but are getting scarce. You can get new after market ones but they are pricey. A good compromise is the 8.8" Fords. They are readily available and about half are posi units. local prices here in the Houston area is around $200 The design is almost identical to the GM 12 bolt and they come in different widths.
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