Best rear for a '66 coupe

[Gellpak]

I'm seriously considering swapping my rear for some sort of trac-lock rear for performance purposes, but i don't really know where to begin. I know i saw on these boards a couple of months ago about someone spending $1200 for a good setup. Is this the average cost of such a thing, or is there a cheaper way to get the same results (i've seen some things about explorer rears) and engage both my rear wheels? If I do this I want to do it right so I'll want to pay attention to the gearing (i need help there too). Anyone know, for starters, whether I should go for an 8" or 9" rear?

 

[jb1dsl]

9" all the way!!

 

[mdjay]

9" locker... It's like going from baby bear to papa bear...

 

[NorCal66]

If you're gettin a whole new rear go with a 9", it's even used by some chevy guys because it's that damn good. An 8" would be fine if you weren't gonna be pushing too much power, but why not go bigger for a little bit more. You could spend that much for a brand new rear from Currie or some other vendor, but most people get used rears. You can get a 9" out of certain stangs and versailles...but I don't know which years.

 

[HistoricMustang]

Unless you drag race on a regular basis, a well built 8" will work just fine. I am beginning to see more and more at road race events. It has to do with less rotating mass which equals more horsepower.

I am a Currie guy so check with them.

A good all around performance gear would be in the 3.40 to 3.53 range. I use a 3.89 which is a little high (or low depending on how you want to phrase it) for road racing but it does help in the "torque" department and it works OK up top because I run a 5-speed (Good for 145 at Daytona).

HistoricMustang
www.historicmustang.com

 

[Gellpak]

OK, well then I guess the next step would be to figure out what kind of car to go searching for for a used 9...

 

[Hack]

http://www.kevinstang.com/Ninecase.htm

Here's a website with a ton of 9" rear info.

 

[mdjay]

Be carefull! The 65-66 cars have a 52" housing... They are a bit more tough to find...

 

[washMO66]

I have a Currie 9" 51.75" drum to drum.

Detroit true trac, 3:73 gears

It's solid as a rock, two years under the 66 with decent HP from a stroker. I drag race about 50 passes per year and drive to work a couple of times per week.

Only complaint is that it was expensive.........

Go 9" and don't look back, if you want to put any type of respectible HP to the ground and don't want to worry about breakage you'll be happy.

If you road race or don't hook well you can get away with an 8"