• We have upgraded our forum software! See here for details.

Rearend Width For Modified Pickup

S

slugbug

Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2006
Messages
74
Reaction score
0
Location
Seattle, WA
Well, I've stumbled upon a nice 9" Ford rearend with disc brakes. Not really my original intention, but it may work perfectly and the price is oh-so-right. :cool:

Anyway, it measures 65". Now, I'm not sure how to fit this in the pickup. I want the truck to have 8" wide wheels with 4-5" of backspacing. The original was 61". The truck (by the book) is 74.5" wide at the rear fenders, so if I want the wheels about 1" from the top fender lip this rearend would fit the bill. Am I looking at this the wrong way? Anyone have any advice for figuring out how wide a rearend you need?

By the way, this is a modified pickup, so no thought to being stock is needed. Thanks in advance.

Andy
 
differential

What size tires are you going to run? Also, how low will it be? I run 16 x 8 rims, with 4 inch backspace, on a 1981 camaro 10 bolt. Where are you measuring at, as I can check mine in the same way for you. Mine is a 1950 3100......Mike
 
Another Lincoln Bites The Dust

Sounds like a good deal to me ~ I'd think that you could make up for any tire clearance issues by using wheels with different offset.... :confused:

Those disc brake Lincoln rear ends are the hot ticket , now that the cars are getting old and worn out , there's more of them popping up .
 
Really???? Lincoln you say...and disc brakes.... A 52/54 GMC Lincoln truck. I believe I'll have to call my truck "The Melting Pot." Is that Lincoln rear posi?
 
Last edited:
The back spacing of 4-5 in. will be correct and give you the clearance you need, but the down side in my eyes is this limits you to what wheel to put on the truck. Most truck rims are a little deeper dished in the face of the rim. So finding a rim with 4-5 in. of backspace can really be tough. If you already have found a rim that will fit by all means do it because the ford nine inch is a GREAT rearend. But if you find a rim that you just can't live without then find someone to narrow the rearend. I know that sounds like a big deal, but any machine shop that deals with hot rods will know how to narrow this rear because this is a super popular rear end for any drag car/street rod. Dad has several of these rear ends, only one shortend though. Another reason I say it's not a big deal is because of the axle tubes (from diff to backing plate) is the same size without any taper, so it can be cut and welded fairly easily. Also you can buy shortened axles for these rears. Sounds like to me it's going to be a great fit. Also another rear end that is 61 in. is the 1999 and up S-10 blazer 4wd and I know for sure it is a posi (4:11 gear if I'm not mistaken). Buy the ford rear even if you don't use it. They are worth money and in my parts hard to come by. Just my thoughts........
 
Well, it's out of a Mercury of some sort. Doesn't matter, it's still a disc brake 9". 3.00 gears, no limited slip (which doesn't matter much at this point, it will be treated to an overhaul once I figure out the tranny issues). I was hoping for 5" of backspacing (Stockton wheel in Stockton Calif will make any wheel any way you like it). I'd like to go 8" rims all the way around, and keeping the wheels pushed out to about 1" off the fender lip gives it a good wide stance. 8" wheels (to me) aren't overkill on this kind of truck. Of course 10"ers could fit with a different rearend... :cool:

Anyone ever heard of 5 on 4 3/4 wheel pattern disc brakes for a 9". They wouldn't match up to my current front spindles and I'd like to keep that for rotating tires.

I'll have to write the guy back and see if he still has it...

Oh, and probably go for a 3-4" drop in the rear. I like my trucks low and my cars lower. :D
 
Yes , Lincoln and as you see , also some Mercury products . the tip off is : these cars also have air bag suspensions so they're for sale all over America needing new air bags ($!) for about $500.00 ~ $800.00 , the trick is to convince the seller to let you have the car for $300.00 or so as most junkyards sell this rear end for $350.00 complete .

I was given one of these cars but I have no place to break it for parts sad to say and the car is _worthless_ once you pull the rear end out .

The F**d 9" rear end is a real world beater design . cheap , dependable and easy to modify & repair . having factory disc brakes is the cherry on top .

-Nate
Zig said:
Really???? Lincoln you say...and disc brakes.... A 52/54 GMC Lincoln truck. I believe I'll have to call my truck "The Melting Pot." Is that Lincoln rear posi?
Click to expand...
 
Did find a blazer rearend for $175 complete at the junkyard. Down side is it's only a 10-bolt 7.675". Not the strongest thing out there. We'll see, the 9" was going for $200. Either way they both have disc brakes. The blazer rear was a 3.42 posi. Trying to hedge knowledge over money. Its probably a losing battle!!! :rolleyes:

Decisions decisions...

Andy
 
Andy, rear drums brakes will work fine on your truck, even with a bigger engine, etc. It will give you more options when finding a diff. I am using rear discs from a 1998 Camaro on my 1981 chevy 10 bolt. They are a bolt on. The only real issue is that the parking brake cables mount completely different. You will need to modify for them, and run new brake lines.. I went with the rear discs only because I had them for free. These trucks are so light in the back, that for the most part they are overkill. They do look cool with the right rims though. Also I am running 16 x 8 rally rims, with 285/60/16 tires in back. They clear the fenders, but barely. There are 4 inch bolt on mini tubs for these trucks if you want wider. Just depends on what you are after......Mike
 
Andy, we are asked this question at the shop many times and here is one of the better ways to get very close to what will work. Put the rear of the frame on a floor jack where it can be raised or lowered. Now put the tires and wheels (stock back spacing) under the fender in the position that you like the looks of. Once this is done slide under the truck and measure from one tire mounting flange to the other. This is the width of rear end you need. If you do need to have it narrowed use Moser (www.moserengineering.com), they are much less pricey than Currie or Strange. If you can shorten your own axle tubes then they shorten and respine your axles for $85. Just be sure to tell how you made your measurement since many measure in different ways. Since your truck is modified and you are goung to run alot of rubber there is a chance that resplined axles could be a problem. One plus of using this method is you can use the standard 3 1/2" back spacing and have an endless choice of wheels. Good luck
 
I'll have to look a little more into some measuring when I go back home to see the truck over turkey-day. I've got a fab guy down the street, he may offer more info as well, or have rearends just sitting there.

The disc brakes on the rear are certainly overkill. I only mention them since I've located rearends with them. I personally like drum brakes, but if I find discs even better, right? :)

Andy
 
Picked up the 9" tonight for $175. Looks to be in ok shape. Of course everything needs some freshening. I've got a bit of the ol' 'cart before the horse' on this one, but I think the parts I could use from the rear will make it at least worth it in the end. Going to do some measuring next week to see if I need to narrow it or not. Kind of hard to do when the truck isn't in the same time-zone even. Just too much fun!

Andy
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top