9 Inch Ford Rear End
#1
This site is fading as it has been around for awhile, but I wanted to make sure I grabed it, since some information is sometimes better than none. This article just seems to be missing photos.

Ford 9" rear end identification page

The most popular rear end around is no doubt the Ford 9 inch unit, it is used by restorers, street rodders and racers alike, regardless of what brand of car the axle is going in. Many custom made axle housings for the GM boys utilize the 9 inch Ford, even though they hate to admit it. Ford used the axle from around the 1957 model year right up until the early 1980’s in cars and trucks. It was not the only axle used, but was by far one of the best. Variations by Ford exist in the size of the outer axle bearings in the housings and carriers both, as well as with the spline count on the axle shafts. Generally most cars received the small axle bearings and 28 spline axle shafts. Exceptions to this were the ultra Hi performance Boss 302’s, Boss 429’s, 427’s, 428 CJ/SCJ and the 429 cars which received the 31 spline carriers and axle shafts. Some of the heavier cars like the Galaxies,later Tbirds and mid 70's Torinos also received the larger wheel bearing housings.The trucks varied more, early half ton trucks got the 28 spline axles and carriers, while sometime in the early 70’s the switch was made to mostly 31 spline axles and carriers for trucks while some vans remained 28 spline. Most of the later trucks also received the larger axle bearings housings.One exception to this was the Bronco’s from 1966 to 1977, they stayed with the 28 spline units and in mainly small bearing housings, although some of the later 74-77 it seems started getting the heavier axle housing with large bearings. A small bearing housing can be differentiated from a large bearing housing by the size of the nuts and thread used to retain the brake backing plates to the housing, the small bearing housings use 9/16 socket size nuts with 3/8” fine thread, while the larger bearing use 3/4” socket size and 1/2” fine thread. Gross Vehicle Weight ( GVW ) would determine which axle housing many cars and trucks received
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#2
Thank you for sharing. Agree the Ford 9" is the most popular rear-end out there. Speaking of, I tucked a 57 Ford 9 inch rear perfectly into my 66 Mustang and my friend put the same in his 64 Falcon with absolutely no modifications!
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#3
somewhere I heard that Dodge put the 9 under the Viper for a while because theirs wouldn't hang.
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#4
The Ford 9" is a great diff, no doubt...but GM and Chrysler have also had excellent, near-indestructable diffs for years.
Why the universal love for the Ford niner? Simple: the unique design allows the entire carrier to be removed as a single unit in a matter of minutes while thd housing is still on the vehicle. It is far easier to remove quickly in a competition scenario that other styles of diffs. That is primarily why most competition cars use Ford 9" style diffs.
Of course, over the years many have assumed and promoted the idea that it is popular solely because its durability over other brands.

I love the Ford 9"-er...but I have had GM 12-bolts as well as Chrysler 11.75's over the years in some serious muscle, and they all held together well.

The statement that some Vipers used Ford 9s because the Chrysler units "couldn't hang" sounds a little rumour-ized to me. Chrysler may have used a 9" on test mules because the Ford unit can have its gear ratios changed so quickly and easily, allowing fast testing, but I cant see why they would have made any production vehicle with one.
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#5
It was on a car show on TV and it was a test mule, I think it was the hot rod mag show. I know it wouldn't be production.
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#6
That makes sense to me. Not taking anything away from the Ford diff, but there are a lot of good diffs out there from many different brands.
But...since I'm a Ford guy, I'll take an "N"- case 9-inch Ford every time!
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#7
I agree with everyone's comments. Certainly Ford was not the only manufacturer who got it right. Like Kit pointed out, the ease of swapping out the pumpkin made the Ford rear-end very popular. However, they are not indestructible by any means. I have seen quite a few cracked cases on Ford 9 inch rears. Their weak spot tends to be in the case where the pilot bearing is installed. Whenever you are looking to purchase a used 9 inch rear be sure to examine this area very closely for a hairline crack especially the non-nodular cases.

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