Versailes 9" swap

golf4283

Active Member
May 30, 2003
1,253
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Orland Park, Illinois
Is the versailles 9 inch rear-end strong as far as 9 inchers are?? I wan't to swap a 9 inch in cause the explorer swap is too much of a pain. I also want disk brakes so it seems like the best thing to do. Is it a direct bolt-in and is the rear-end strong are my main questions.
 
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I wouldn't put it in front of that motor in your sig. Those rears are even heavier than other 9's. There are many other ways to get discs on a 9''. The reason for the another 9'' is when I was calling around to campanies, more than one of them said the axles taper down funny. I can't remember honestly why, but I remember telling him I wanted to drag race and he was strongly against the lincoln.
 
the versailles rear is a heavy duty housing, big axle tubes(3" ) and 'big bearing' ends. It is kinda heavy, and probably overkill for the power you're making. You might be better off getting a regular 9" housing and getting an aftermarket disc brake kit. I think Wilwood and Baer make kits that sell for $500 or so. I think its a solid rotor though(kinda thin), but it has aluminum calipers-so it should be lightweight if that is a concern. If you want durability you'll need to upgrade axles on any factory rearend, so don't hold that against the Versailles. Even though I think mine were the same as any other 9" axle, didn't notice any weird taper.

Personally, when I swapped form a 8" to the versailles with the same gear ratio I only lost .04 seconds(average) in the 1/8th mile, so no biggie. I'm thinking of getting mine narrowed a little and I'll probably switch to either Wilwood or Baer discs, but I don't drive it on the street much.

There are also several 'junkyard' rear disc conversions using Mark VII or Explorer parts, should save a little weight plus you'd have OEM reliability and parts availability.
 
if you want discs and find a good deal on a complete versailles unit- go for it! By good deal I mean less than $300. If the calipers and rotors are beyond repair, just keep looking. Parts are getting kinda pricey. You'll want to change gears in the diff too, they usually came with some crusin' gears-2.50. So figure that into your budget.
 
golf4283 said:
Is the versailles 9 inch rear-end strong as far as 9 inchers are?? I wan't to swap a 9 inch in cause the explorer swap is too much of a pain. I also want disk brakes so it seems like the best thing to do. Is it a direct bolt-in and is the rear-end strong are my main questions.
In your 66, the Versailles rear will be 1" wider than you now have. Plenty strong for what you have. I ran one behind my 427. Even with the 2.50's and traction loc. :D What a top-end :nice: The only thing that gave me a problem was the brake lines, had to go down to the local parts house and hunt for an adapter fitting to go from one size line to another. The E-Brake cables may be a different story, I never did hook mine up, didn't need them with a 4 speed and no hills around here.
 
We have a Versilles rear end in our '65 coup. It's 3/8" wider overall than the stock 8", 3/16 per side, not much at all. It does bolt right in. You can make e-brake adapters out of some cable and clamps. We got ours for $400 and then put a used 3.50 gear Detroit Locker in it for a total of $900. You can adapt a '70s Mustang front brake line to the Versilles caliper. Much cheaper than Versilles lines. It is a heavy rear end.

John
 
John, does your versailles rear sit off to one side? It seems like the spring perches on mine are off. It sticks out about 3/8" further on the driver's side. I've talked to quite a few people about this, some have this problem and some don't. I need to cut off the factory perches anyway so I can get the pinion angle right without having to use the factory wedges and isolators. I used braided stainless lines from Earl's, they were a few bucks cheaper than the stockers! I still haven't hooked up the e-brake, but it is important to do so to keep proper pad adjustment.
 
I have a 77 versailles rear in my 66. I did the swap about 5 years ago and the car has been in storage for almost two years now.

as I remember, the rearend was only 1/2 inch wider that the 66 6 cyl rear. It was a direct bolt in. I did have to have the diveshaft shortened 1 inch, but that as probably because I had a 6 cyl car(not an 8 inch) and put the V8 with a 4 speed and then the 9 inch rear. Parts for these (calipers, hoses, ebrake accesories) are getting very expensive. The rearend is beefy. I don't think you would have a problem with it. I have noticed a few guys warping the stock solid rotors from autocrossing them.

Mine is centered between the perches. Heard of this both way also. Also I had new springs put on it without and shims or spacers and the pinion angle was ok.

I have had three of these rearends and the lowest gear I have seen is a 2.79. the other two had 2.50 gears in them.

None of the ones I've had, had tapered axles. Never heard that one before.
 
golf4283 said:

For the price I've seen them go for at swap meets, yes. I'm fortunate enough to have a junk yard on base here in Hawaii. I picked up mine for $120 and it had a 3.00 trac lok in it. I had to pull it myself but it was worth it. Mine came out of a Monarch, but it is the same rear end. The one you are looking at is $450 including the 3rd member, not bad. If you can pick it up it'd be a decent deal.