I am sure this has been asked before

But, What 9 inch housings are you guys using under your Mavs/comets.

 

Mine came out of a 66 mustang. Shh actually it was in a shelby that was burnt to a crisp dont tell the muttang guys.Also got the 289 out of the same car cheap. If memory serves mine is just a tad shorter then the stock 8 inch but it works.

 

OK, where is this '66 Shelby that was burnt to a crisp. I want to make an offer!
Seth

 

I had Currie build mine. It probably cost about $450-$500 more than I could do it myself but I was in a time crunch and this was bolt in.

 

57 Ford works. I think it is a tiny bit wider, but not sure.
65-66 Stangs work, slightly wider, not enough to worry about, unless your wheel size is maxed now.
67-70 Stangs work, about 2" wider. Again, not a big worry, but new wheels with more backspacing out back would be best.
75-81 Granada/Monarchs work. They are slighty wider. Almost 3/4" each side. No big worry unless your wheels are close to the fender lip now.
Some ice cream and mail trucks! Believe it or not, but the 9" was used in some of those tiny delivery style trucks until the late 70s. I don't know too many details, but I do know that they were proper spring spacing and very narrow. At least Maverick narrow. I know where one is laying in the bushes right now. The owner won't sell, I guess he is going to start an ice cream route one day... He'll have to cut the tree down growing through it though!

There is a company that you can send your 8" housing to, and they graft in a 9" center. Then you use 28 spline stuff to match your axles and your brakes.
I might go this route, but do it myself.

Dave

 

I have one out of a '77 Lincoln Versailles, disk brakes. Fits perfect, but yes it is a little wider.
Jason

 

mine is out of a 64 t-bird, yes it has been narrowed. One thing to keep in mind, especially if you are going with a high horse motor,,, pinion angle. That is why I started from scratch.
Dan

 

66 shelby

southern Pa Bought the motor, trans and rear out of it before the old guy did whatever withit. I got a phone call when my dad and I used to haul scrap cars and this guy said he had an old mustang that was his son's. It was in a barn on his farm that had burnt and they werent going to try to fix it so ...well right place right time.

 

Mines from a '69 Mustang. 2 inches wider than the stock Mav rear so I got wheels that have more back space.

 

The 9" rear ends out of '66-'77 Broncos are 58" wheel mounting surface to wheel mounting surface. That's about 1.5 inches longer than the stock Maverick 8" rear. You will have to move the spring perches and have the axles changedd to a 5 x 4.5 pattern. They seem to be semi-plentiful. Search E-bay.

 

'71 Econoline Van

 

Hawkco:Weren't all of those 31 spline?
LS or Locker would not be out of the question either I suppose.
Nice low gears too!
That is a good idea for a STOUT rear.
Get one with gears and LS/Locker and all you would have to do is order up a set of new 31 spline axles and relocate the spring pads...
What do custom street axles run nowadays? Used to be 2-3 hundred bux.
But talk about a bullet-proof rear.

Dave

 

Dave, actually the 9" rear end in the '66-'77 Broncos (the small one before they got Expedition size in 1978) were 28 spline. Some were small bearing and some were large bearing. Some were limited-slip and some weren't. The two I have came with axles only - no punkin'. You can go to your favorite pull-it-yourself yard and get all the 31 spline, 9" punkins you want out of most of the F-100 and F-150 trucks.

I'm buying a rebuilt 9" center unit, traction-loc, 28 spline, 3.50 gears for about $350 to go in one of my housings. The other housing has a unit out of a F-150 that is 31-spline and will have a spool with 4.11 or lower gearing.

 

I have had good luck finding gears out of pickups...
3.50, 3.70, and 3.89s are common. They are all 31 spline though.
I am still pretty set on either another Granada rear with a gear change, or swapping housing centers with my 8" and using 28 spline stuff.
Regular cases and 28 splines are supposed to be good to almost 500 hp without slicks.
I was getting excited about the thought of being able to get a narrow truck rear with steep gears and 31 splines. Then even redrilling the bolt pattern on the axles would okay.

If I was lucky enough to stumble on a truck rear with 28 spline/Locker/3.70 gears, I suppose I would have to cut the ends off, trim a little off each side, weld the ends back, and use my Mav axles...
Wishfull thinking

Dave

 

Why would you consider it lucky to find 28 spline axles?