help I need a 9" third member

If you can't find it in a yard call Currie.

Good Luck!!! (you'll need it). I had a 9" in my '82 F-150 if this helps.

Nine inch rears have been seen in up to around 1987 Pickups. But as for finding a 3.50 geared 31 spline, that will be a mite harder to find. Best bet for that is a 70's pickup.Or better yet a full size Bronco.

...or even an Econoline 150/250. 31s are failry rare in stock vehicles and are overkill for a restomod unless you are into the very low 10s.

31 spline 9" are stock in all trucks and vans so your choices are quite numerous. If you want a 3.50 gear then you need to be looking in a 6 cylinder Econoline Van....you might even find a 3.70 or 3.90 gear in a van but finding a trac-Loc is going to be fairly difficult. I have been going to junkyards for many years and have only found 1 trac-loc and it was an 8"....I bought it even though I don't own a vehicle with an 8"

From my experience, 87 was the last year in a van and about 83 was the last year in a pickup. Most pickups from 73 up were 31 spline. All vans from 80 up were 31 spline. Most of the 80-up vans that I see have 3.50s in them, mostly opens but an occasional traction lok can be found. The engine and trans combo doesn't matter that much. I've seen these gears behind 300ci six cylinders and behind 460s. A 4 X 4 whether a F150 or a Bronco will be your best chance. 90% of them had 3.50s and a lot of those had traction loks. There are a lot of options for finding the setup you want. There are lots of suppliers of both new and used parts out there. I have a couple of used takeouts in good condition for $300 plus shipping. Shop around and see what you can find.

I saw this on another board if you are interested. http://www.network54.com/Forum/thread?forumid=237168&messageid=1084890137&lp=1084890137 You could probably sell the housing to get back some of your money or maybe they would sell you just the center section.

[QUOTE="REPLIMOD" #17]Thanks everybody for all the help. I might just settle for an open rear and drop an after market locker in myself...thanks again[/QUOTE]

There are gobs of aftermarket 3rd members available. For one like you are looking for, you need to look into trucks that are bigger than 1/2 ton. They put a 31 spline axle in the F150 (4x4) starting in 78, other than that your best bet is pick one up off of E-bay or a forum classified section.

They are pretty common in the off road world, and as for the factory trac loc, don't waste your time, it's crap. Look at Currie, Strange and others like that. There are Al members available, but I can't testify to their strength, they'd be a dead duck on the trail in no time. Nodular iron is the only choice for me. There are high pinion offerings available also, they aren't a good idea, poor oiling, and the torque being applied to the coast side of the ring gear.

For all things 9" check out:
New 9" which is by Currie

For the 9" buildup masters, check out Sunray They will build up a 9" that really is bombproof

For a great source of axle parts, online classifieds - Pirate 4x4 You'll have to sift through the winners and losers, but you can find 9" parts on there every day.