axle bearings and seals

65ShelbyClone said:

I'm curious too. The regular parts stores are just about worthless when trying to find seals and bearings for a small-bearing 1957 9".

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I got mine from Summit. I too have a small bearing 9 inch rear.

Axle bearings: MSR-9507F : $65.95 per pair
Seals: RAT-6127 : $13.38 per pair.

Summit incorrectly lists these as fitting only 7.5 and 8.8 inch axles. These are stock replacments. I checked with Moser directly before ordering that these were correct ones.

Parts are much cheaper through O'Reilly's.

http://www.ultrastang.com/Rearinfo.asp?Page_ID=16

I got mine at auto zone. And all the other local stores had them too. seals were 8.95 a piece and bearings were like 18.95 a piece. If you look at the number stamped on the side of the bearing you can get the same bearings from any local bearing manufacturer or supplier. There is usually a supplier of some sort in most major cities. Just make sure it is a prelubed and sealed bearing because they dont get lubed from the diff gear oil. Hydraulic repair and farm repair facilities also sometimes have these bearings.

Axle bearings: MSR-9507F : $65.95 per pair
Seals: RAT-6127 : $13.38 per pair.

Rockauto.com prices range from $6.86 to less than $12.00 for a 9" bearing. Shipping can be calculated on their website but it is very reasonable from my past experience. That's about $45.00 cheaper than the price above.

I got an SKF number from my old man. He's restomodding a '57 Ford and had to rebuild the rear. I don't know if it's right, but the number he gave me is SKF207CCRA. He got them from a bearing supplier, not a parts store. They included the steel rings that press on after the bearing and the bearings are in fact sealed.

bearings

I just picked up a bearing at Kragen for my 65 with 8". SKF207CCRA is the part I bought. It was $21.99.

65ShelbyClone said:

I got an SKF number from my old man. He's restomodding a '57 Ford and had to rebuild the rear. I don't know if it's right, but the number he gave me is SKF207CCRA. He got them from a bearing supplier, not a parts store. They included the steel rings that press on after the bearing and the bearings are in fact sealed.

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I get mine from NAPA, but you get what you pay for.....Made in China.....CRAP!

Wait a minute, aren't the 8" bearings the same as the on the small-bearing 9"? Aren't same-length axles interchangable too? I get all this stuff mixed up.

EDIT: I just went to the Partsamerica site(Kragen) and looked up th bearings for my 1968 8". It has on option where you can see what other cars the parts fit. Among the many listed are several '57 models, one of which is the '57 Custom that my (as of yet) uninstalled 9" came from. $18 each. The SKF P/N of 207-CCRA is apparently correct.

65ShelbyClone said:

Wait a minute, aren't the 8" bearings the same as the on the small-bearing 9"? Aren't same-length axles interchangable too? I get all this stuff mixed up.

EDIT: I just went to the Partsamerica site(Kragen) and looked up th bearings for my 1968 8". It has on option where you can see what other cars the parts fit. Among the many listed are several '57 models, one of which is the '57 Custom that my (as of yet) uninstalled 9" came from. $18 each. The SKF P/N of 207-CCRA is apparently correct.

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The 207CCRA small bearing for the 8-inch rear end is the same bearing as used on the '57-'59 Ford big car 9-inch rears (but not the '57-'59 Ford station wagon/Ranchero 9-inch rears though. They have large axle bearings).

The '57-'59 9-inch small bearing axles from the 9-inch will work in the ''65/'66 Mustang 8-inch rears --BUT, if you use the 9-inch small bearing axles in the '65/'66 8-inch housing, then you have to use the late '50's brake drum assemblies too. You can't mix axles and drum brakes.

www.ultrastang.com

ultrastang said:

The 207CCRA small bearing for the 8-inch rear end is the same bearing as used on the '57-'59 Ford big car 9-inch rears (but not the '57-'59 Ford station wagon/Ranchero 9-inch rears though. They have large axle bearings).

The '57-'59 9-inch small bearing axles from the 9-inch will work in the ''65/'66 Mustang 8-inch rears --BUT, if you use the 9-inch small bearing axles in the '65/'66 8-inch housing, then you have to use the late '50's brake drum assemblies too. You can't mix axles and drum brakes.

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I'm getting mixed up again.

The 9" rear I have supposedly came from a '57 Ranchero, but I visually identified it as a small bearing housing. Maybe the person I got it from was wrong. Also, I'm dealing with the 8" out of my '68 rather than one from a '65-66...do the brakes differ?

65ShelbyClone said:

I'm getting mixed up again.

The 9" rear I have supposedly came from a '57 Ranchero, but I visually identified it as a small bearing housing. Maybe the person I got it from was wrong. Also, I'm dealing with the 8" out of my '68 rather than one from a '65-66...do the brakes differ?

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'57-'59 Station wagons and Ranchero have large axle bearings. All other late
'50s Ford big car 9-inch rears have small axle bearings.

The '65/'66 Mustang 8-inch rears have 52¼" wide (bare) housing widths just like the '57-'59 Ford big car 9-inch rear end housings. The '67-'70 Mustang 8- & 9-inch housing widths (bare) are 54¼" wide, but the drum brake assemblies on the '67-'70 Mustangs are the same as the '65/'66s.

If you use the 9-inch axles from the late '50s big car 9-inch in a '65/'66 Mustang 8-inch, then you also have to use the larger late '50s drum assemblies because of the added offset width of the big car drum's backing plates.


www.ultrastang.com

Aren't the bearings pressed on? If they are, you could just ask the machine shop that presses them to get them for you.

ultrastang said:

If you use the 9-inch axles from the late '50s big car 9-inch in a '65/'66 Mustang 8-inch, then you also have to use the larger late '50s drum assemblies because of the added offset width of the big car drum's backing plates.

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Okay, how about putting ALL the 8" brake hardware on the 9? I'm not changing axles or anything, I just have a small-bearing 9" rear that is otherwise complete, minus the brakes.

Max Power said:

Aren't the bearings pressed on? If they are, you could just ask the machine shop that presses them to get them for you.

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That is good option for anyone who doesn't have access to a 20-ton press like I do.

65ShelbyClone said:

Okay, how about putting ALL the 8" brake hardware on the 9? I'm not changing axles or anything, I just have a small-bearing 9" rear that is otherwise complete, minus the brakes.

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No good. If you are using the late '50s 9-inch, the '68's axles will be too long for the narrower 9-inch housing. This means you'll have to use the 9-inch's axles, which means you'll have to use the 9-inch's drum assemblies specific to the 9-inch housing too.

Putting the '68's drum assemblies on the 9-inch's axle housing will cause intereference problems between back of the 9-inch's axle flange rubbing on the 8-inch drum's backing plate, because of the offset difference in drum widths between the 8- and 9-inch rears.

I don't think I've been clear enough explaining my question.

I have the '57 housing and axles, but no brakes, not even the backing plates. I'm asking about putting the '68 backing plates and drums on the '57 housing with '57 axles. I was under the impression that it was a direct swap between small bearing housings.

65ShelbyClone said:

I don't think I've been clear enough explaining my question.

I have the '57 housing and axles, but no brakes, not even the backing plates. I'm asking about putting the '68 backing plates and drums on the '57 housing with '57 axles. I was under the impression that it was a direct swap between small bearing housings.

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Hmmmm...how do I explain this??....

You have a '68 Mustang (complete) 8-inch rear end. You have a late '50's 9-inch small bearing 9-inch rear end, sans the drum brakes.

Yes. The '68 8-inch rear end's drum backing plates have the same physical bolt pattern to fit onto the 9-inch rear's small bearing housing end flanges, but the problem comes into play in the brake's backing plates when used with the '57's axles.

10" x 1¾" '65-'73 Mustang rear drum brakes won't work with '57-'59 Ford 9-inch small bearing axles that are designed to work with 11" x 2" drum brakes.

If you had a '65/'66 Mustang (52¼" wide) 8-inch rear end to use the brakes AND axles from to put into/onto the (52¼" wide) 9-inch housing, then you would be in good shape.

But, you have a late '50s 9-inch minus the drum brakes, and a '68 8-inch (54¼" wide) that you can't use the axles from, obviously because they are too wide.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you're pretty much screwed with your present situation.

The chioces you have at this point are:

1. Get the correct (11" x 2") drum brakes designed to use with the 9-inch housing/9-inch axles you have.

2. Get a pair of '65/'66 Mustang 8-inch axles to use with your [10" x 1¾"] drums from the '68 rear end (to be installed on the 9-inch housing).

3. Ditch the rear drums all together and convert to rear discs using the existing 9-inch housing/9-inch axles.