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  •  » FYI Ford, Classic Mustang Tech Discussion
  •  » Rear end sizes for swapping.....

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    1/22/2023 1:28 PM  #1

    6sally6
    Hyper FYIFORD ADDICT

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    From: Surfside Beach,SC
    Registered: 4/02/2013
    Posts: 6,849

    Rear end sizes for swapping.....

    Sometimes Mustang guys want to find a whole rear end to swap under their Mustang.
    65-66's are pretty narrow compared to other FoMoCo stuff. 57-59 Ford Station wagons...with the faux wood paneling preferably !).
    No surprise butt...... that 67 years ago!!
    How about other makes and models of narrow a$$ cars ?
    Welp (thx RPM)...looky watt-eye came across!
    MoPar and Shivel-lay rear ends that could work. (especially the MoPar because of the bolt pattern)
    6s6



    Welp(thxRPM).......looks like it won't upload !

    sorry
    6s6

    Last edited by 6sally6 (1/22/2023 1:32 PM)

    Get busy Liv'in or get busy Die'n....Host of the 2020 Bash at the Beach/The only Bash that got cancelled  )8
     

    1/22/2023 2:17 PM  #2

    BILLY WALTON from GEORGIA
    Carrollton, GA Bash Host

    Offline

    From: CARROLLTON GEORGIA
    Registered: 4/14/2013
    Posts: 2,431

    Re: Rear end sizes for swapping.....

    6sally6 wrote:

    Sometimes Mustang guys want to find a whole rear end to swap under their Mustang.
    65-66's are pretty narrow compared to other FoMoCo stuff. 57-59 Ford Station wagons...with the faux wood paneling preferably !).
    No surprise butt...... that 67 years ago!!
    How about other makes and models of narrow a$$ cars ?
    Welp (thx RPM)...looky watt-eye came across!
    MoPar and Shivel-lay rear ends that could work. (especially the MoPar because of the bolt pattern)
    6s6


    Need to see this before I order the third member from Quick Performance



    Welp(thxRPM).......looks like it won't upload !

    sorry
    6s6

     

    Its really me....I fixed my caps lock .
     

    1/22/2023 2:19 PM  #3

    BILLY WALTON from GEORGIA
    Carrollton, GA Bash Host

    Offline

    From: CARROLLTON GEORGIA
    Registered: 4/14/2013
    Posts: 2,431

    Re: Rear end sizes for swapping.....

    I have a maverick/comet rearend as a spare but, I may just sell it  since I have the 65 rear already looking so good in the car with the rear GT S197 Disc brakes on it already. 

    Last edited by BILLY WALTON from GEORGIA (1/22/2023 2:20 PM)

    Its really me....I fixed my caps lock .
     

    1/22/2023 4:24 PM  #4

    Nos681
    Senior 24-7 FYI Addict

    Offline

    From: Atlantic Mine, Michigan
    Registered: 7/14/2016
    Posts: 3,328

    Re: Rear end sizes for swapping.....

    Hey Sal, don’t take everything you see as gospel.
    Measure to verify.

    I have seen this difference many times in charts that people just copy and paste.

    The 71-73 Mustang/Cougar 9” I have measures at 55-13/16” bare housing (60-13/16” wheel flange-wheel flange).  Axle code WES-T   I was the first to take it apart…mid 90’s.



    This is the 65 8” in my car.

     

    1/22/2023 5:11 PM  #5

    TKOPerformance
    Hyper FYIFORD ADDICT

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    From: Newark, DE
    Registered: 12/15/2014
    Posts: 7,488

    Re: Rear end sizes for swapping.....

    I think there's a lot more to it than just width.  Some things I noted are that some of the Chevy rears use a link style rear suspension so you will have multiple brackets to cut off and leaf spring pads to weld on.  If you can do all that narrowing a rear isn't that big a deal, especially when at least one forum member has the alignment jig.

    If looking at something like a Chevy 8.5" 10 bolt or 12 bolt you'd be better off with a Ford 8.8.  Its just as strong, and also keeps the same wheel bolt pattern if its from a 5 lug vehicle. 

    On the Mopar I wouldn't bother with anything less than an 8-3/4, and even then you'd be just as strong with an 8.8 Ford. 

    Cost on parts for a Ford 9" or 8.8" are also going to be cheaper than any other rear.  Brake options are also plentiful and relatively cheap. 
     

     

    1/23/2023 4:16 PM  #6

    BobE
    Senior 24-7 FYI Addict

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    From: White Plains, NY
    Registered: 4/04/2013
    Posts: 2,636

    Re: Rear end sizes for swapping.....

    My story …
    I personally pulled the 9” rear out of a 59 Ford passenger car (in a wrecking yard) for my Mustang and found the axle flange to axle flange width to 57.875”, not 57.25”.  While this was not the first time I had pulled a 9’ rear out of a 57-59 Ford, it was the first time I found the width to be slightly wider.  Somewhere along the line I did find that the 58-60 Thunderbird rear end was 57.875” wide.  I’m guessing that somewhere along the assembly line one was substituted for the other.

    65 Fastback, 351W, 5-speed, 4 wheel discs, 9" rear,  R&C Front End.
     

    1/23/2023 5:55 PM  #7

    TKOPerformance
    Hyper FYIFORD ADDICT

    Offline

    From: Newark, DE
    Registered: 12/15/2014
    Posts: 7,488

    Re: Rear end sizes for swapping.....

    Or possibly a rear was swapped before the wreck ended up in the junkyard.  You've always got to be careful with stuff in a junkyard.  By the time I car gets there usually people have done everything they thought they could to keep it on the road for a reasonable cost. 

     

    1/24/2023 4:39 PM  #8

    BobE
    Senior 24-7 FYI Addict

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    From: White Plains, NY
    Registered: 4/04/2013
    Posts: 2,636

    Re: Rear end sizes for swapping.....

    TKOPerformance wrote:

    Or possibly a rear was swapped before the wreck ended up in the junkyard.  You've always got to be careful with stuff in a junkyard.  By the time I car gets there usually people have done everything they thought they could to keep it on the road for a reasonable cost. 

    TKO - I agree this could have been the case, but this car was just an old 4-dr sedan, not wrecked, not modified, etc, etc. I removed it the mid 80's and I'm not sure how long the car was sitting in this "old Time" junk yard.  Anyway, there could be several reasons for the 'found' condition.
     

    65 Fastback, 351W, 5-speed, 4 wheel discs, 9" rear,  R&C Front End.
     

     

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