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Looking for a 9 inch

  • Thread starter Thread starter garrett66
  • Start date Start date Jan 7, 2010

garrett66

New Member
Jul 2, 2009
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1
SE, Colorado
Jan 7, 2010
#1
  • Jan 7, 2010
  • #1
I've been looking for a 9 inch rear to swap into my 66 lately and I know the 57-59 rancheros are supposed to fit in well but how about a 1960-ish ranchero? I'm thinking the donor is the second generation of the ranchero. I crawled underneath and it measured out at like 52 1/2 for just the bare housing. For the life of me I couldn't distinguish if it was a 9 inch or not. Anybody know if the 1960 ranchero came with a 9 inch?
 

shoguun

New Member
Jul 28, 2009
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Jan 7, 2010
#2
  • Jan 7, 2010
  • #2
not sure about the ranchero but the way to tell the difference between an 8 and a 9 is a nine is circle shaped and a 8 is more oval shaped

Ford nine inch differential cases +
 
C

chromedog

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Jan 13, 2006
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worlds center for speed
Jan 7, 2010
#3
  • Jan 7, 2010
  • #3
60ish? not 100 percent sure when the change took place, but the ranchero went to a falcon platform around that time. for the 57-59 rear, it doesnt have to be a ranchero.. fairlanes, galaxies, mercurys, and even the lowly edsel should be looked at as a donor...mine came from a 292 galaxie (2.90 open carrier) 6 cylinder cars will yeild a better gear ratio. btw, if a 9/16 socket fits onto the bottom 2 nuts, its an 8".
 

garrett66

New Member
Jul 2, 2009
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SE, Colorado
Jan 11, 2010
#4
  • Jan 11, 2010
  • #4
Hey, thanks. I'm pretty sure its an 8 inch. I can use a 9/16 socket on the bottom 2 nuts and its more oval shaped than it is round. I don;t know the exact year of the car but i found the axle tag. Its a WDW-J 8MD
2.79 8 530A
I would assume that the lone "8" means its for sure an 8".
 

shoguun

New Member
Jul 28, 2009
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Jan 11, 2010
#5
  • Jan 11, 2010
  • #5
check the junkyard for them. i was there today and i must have seen at least 5 or 6. Not sure if they are mustang compatible but you can at least get a 3rd member
 
Z

zigmont

Member
Mar 2, 2009
81
0
6
Jan 11, 2010
#6
  • Jan 11, 2010
  • #6
9 inch housing

For what it's worth, I recently purchased a custom 9 inch housing on eBay that fits my 65 Stang for about $275. It allowed me to use my 8 inch backing plates, drums, axles, emergency brake cables, etc. Granted, the axles are 28 spline, but unless you plan to launch with slicks, the 28 spline axles should be OK. Also, you can still upgrade to disc brakes if you really want to. If anyone is interested, I can probably find the link to the eBay auction that sells these housings.
 
9

96 DOHC Cobra

Founding Member
Oct 14, 2001
542
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Cerritos, CA
Jan 12, 2010
#7
  • Jan 12, 2010
  • #7
Thwe "8MD" part of the ID tag is the assembly date. It tells you the rear is from a 69. Assembled 1968 (8), December (M), fourth week (D).
 
R

rebel65

Member
Feb 1, 2004
363
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17
SF Bay Area
Jan 12, 2010
#8
  • Jan 12, 2010
  • #8
chromedog said:
60ish? not 100 percent sure when the change took place, but the ranchero went to a falcon platform around that time. for the 57-59 rear, it doesnt have to be a ranchero.. fairlanes, galaxies, mercurys, and even the lowly edsel should be looked at as a donor...mine came from a 292 galaxie (2.90 open carrier) 6 cylinder cars will yeild a better gear ratio. btw, if a 9/16 socket fits onto the bottom 2 nuts, its an 8".
Click to expand...

the whole point of the 57-9 ranchero 9's is that it fits exact.
 

garrett66

New Member
Jul 2, 2009
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1
SE, Colorado
Jan 12, 2010
#9
  • Jan 12, 2010
  • #9
Thanks. The ranchero's definitely not a '69 so it must have been swapped at some point. It was the right width and all but its no upgrade over what I have now.
 
C

chromedog

New Member
Jan 13, 2006
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worlds center for speed
Jan 12, 2010
#10
  • Jan 12, 2010
  • #10
ALL the 57-59 fairlane, galaxie rears are a direct bolt in for the 65,66 mustang. the only difference are the u bolts, and shock plates(been there, done that) why would a ranchero be any different than a passenger car, anyway? they were nothing more than a topless wagon, which was a 4 door with a tailgate, right?
 
G

gjz30075

Member
Aug 30, 2004
250
0
17
Roswell, Ga
Jan 12, 2010
#11
  • Jan 12, 2010
  • #11
garrett66 said:
Its a WDW-J 8MD
2.79 8 530A
I would assume that the lone "8" means its for sure an 8".
Click to expand...

I know the 2.79 refers to the ratio, ie, 2.79 to 1, commonly refered to as 2.8 to 1.
 

ultrastang

Founding Member
Feb 26, 2002
1,092
2
37
Arkansas
Jan 15, 2010
#12
  • Jan 15, 2010
  • #12
'57-'59 Ford passenger car 9-inch rear ends and '57-'59 Ranchero/Station wagon 9-inch rear ends are the same width as a '65/'66 Mustang's rear end [52¼" wide bare housing width].

Only difference between '57-'59 big car 9-inch and '57-'59 Ranchero/station wagon 9-inch housings are the housing's end flanges. Regular big car rears have small axle bearings just like the '65-'73 Mustang 8- & 9-inch rear ends. Ranchero/station wagons had large axle bearings.

'65/'66 Mustang rear end U-bolts are 2½". '57-'59 Ford big car 9-inch rear U-bolts are 3".

Some '75-'80 Granadas/Monarchs also had optional 9-inch drum or 9-inch disc brake rear ends. These also have a bare housing width of 52¼" wide. The 9-inch drum brake version used 2¾" U-bolts [same as '67-'73 Mustangs]. The 9-inch disc brake rear ends used 3" U-bolts.
 
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