[djohnson308]

i have a 1986 el camino that had a 7.5 rear end... looking to go with the ford 9''... this may seem like a dumb question but attempting to take a budget build i found the 9'' housing on ebay for under 400, could I simply get axles from moser or something then just buy a 3ed member out of an explorer and run with it?

[68NovaSS]

I don't see why not, as long as the width is correct for your El Camino, yoiu'll have to fabricate spring mounting, etc. Keep in mind 9 inch housings aren't necessarily alike, i.e. some will have the large Torino ends, make sure you get the right axles, bearings, seals and brake assemblies for that housing. Also check the pinion offset.

[1957plymouthhemi]

Is the 9" already set up for a G Body with all the brackets and the correct width?

Yes, you can get custom axels and a third member from almost anything else with a 9" (you have to make sure the spline count of the axels matches the spline count of the side gears in the third member). Then you need brakes, emergency brakes and a drive shaft.

If it just a plain Ford housing with no brackets it will likely have to be narrowed so figure that cost too. By the time you get done you're still going to be spending some money.

You probably want to add up the cost of what the other parts will run then check out complete/semi complete units from Currie, Mosier, and Quick Performance before you jump into this.

I built my own 9" for my 83 El Camino from a junk yard 9" and did a run down of what it takes here:

http://gbodyforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=25389

[djohnson308]

yeah it says direct bolt in I just need the internals... 300 more comes with axles

[matts37chev]

Originally Posted by djohnson308

i have a 1986 el camino that had a 7.5 rear end... looking to go with the ford 9''...

then just buy a 3ed member out of an explorer and run with it?

explorer rears are 8.8" not 9"
you will need to find an older pick-up rear or something else

i would get the center section before you buy the axles
so you will know what spline count you will need

[66GMC]

Originally Posted by djohnson308

yeah it says direct bolt in I just need the internals... 300 more comes with axles

Yep, I'd buy it complete if I could for $300 more. That price probably includes the bearings, retainer, seals, and bearing flanges ... stuff that might otherwise drive you crazy. Ford used at least 3 different brg/seal/retainer combination on the 9".

As already mentioned, there are two different axle-spline counts as well.
IIRC, the 31-spline axles were also had a larger axle-shaft diameter.

(3300 lb and 3600 lb axle capacities, I think, was the parts book designation.)

If you end up with a center section with the "wrong" spline count, you can buy the correct side gears to match your axle shafts.

Here are a couple of other sources of information:

Woody's Fairlane
Ford Differential Tags
KevinStangs which is quite comprehensive and informative.

MUCH more in our very own "Crankshaft Coalition"

[pontiacjosh]

im not sure where your from but theres a guy on craigslist in indianapolis indiana that sets them up with axels and open cariers to fit any car really cheap and it may be worth finding the add and giving him a call to see if he ships.

[pontiacjosh]

here is the link to his posting http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/pts/2707747235.html