ford usually has a metal tag hangin off one of the diff cover bolts. if its a 9" its pass side front. if its a newer 8.8 (like mustang, beware of the 7.5 ford go for the 8.8 or 9). its hangin on the rear cover it will have a series of numbers and letters on it something like this.. 9 3L75 that would be a 9" rear with 3.75 ratio and locking diff if theres no "L" between the numbers it has an open diff. EX 9 3 00 is an open diff 3.0 gear (grandma gear) check out this site for 9" ID http://www.maliburacing.com/ford_9_inch/ford_nine_inch.htm
but all for rears will have a metal tag on them (unless some bone head removed it) so go to your junk yard with a tape measure to get the right width and find a good one.. good luck

 

Thank you so much /I was born and raised in OK
bristow ok/I'm partial to an okie
I went to the junk yard and looked at the numbers on the tag of this rear end
it is under an explorer
the first row of numbers on the tag was S6298
the second row was 3L73-88-OE23
to test for locking I lifted one wheel off the ground (dirve shaft is disconnected) and spun it
it turned while the other was stationary
was that test invalid? does the locking only work when torque is applied thru the driver shaft?
one more question
3.73 is higher than I wanted..it wanted something around the 3.25-3.35.
is that going to be an expensive change?

 

I just bought a Ford 9" center chunk C7AW E, trac loc 4 pinion 31 spline with 350 gears. for $237 shipped to my door, guy said it had new bearings and it does, plus it looks like it has new hub side gears too, ring gear looks real good too. I might not need rebuilt it. but since everything else in the car will be new/rebuilt i wil probably rebuild it, new clutches, shims, bearings, crush sleeve ect. unless I put a Detroit locker in it. I have a big bearing housing, i'm going to narrow for a ladder bar pro street 63 Nova project. my plan is to do it only once, so i'm going with a 9" rear. i'm not sure what your wanting a ford rear end for, but I think you can do a 9" for about the same money as a 8.8. unless your just going to pull a 8,8 outa a junk yard and run it.

 

It's my understanding that there is not a great deal of difference in a 9 and an 8.8
I found this explorer in a junk yard for a 1953 plymouth and the length of the rear end is right ($175.00).
That was what aroused my interest. I want a posi and I want to be geared around 3.25-3.35. don't have to have it completly rebuilt unless it looks really worn but I don't want 3.73. Willl I be able to use anything in this rearend or will I have to buy everything new to get that ratio?

 

an 8.8 with disc brakes the right length for $175 ? take it ! (you might see if a mustang GT is the right length, cause there 327s) I think theres a big difference in the 8.8 and the 9" rear, I know that the 8.8 is strong, (probably a lot stronger than given credit for) as the 99 to 01 or 02 maybe or 03 Mustang GTs ford lighting, crown vic ect. had / has the 8.8 rears. those mustangs yrs run the 327 gear ratio. the 8.8 will prob hold up to most bad a** weekend cruisers and a few trips a yr even to the drag strip. I want an old school look, so the 9 works 4 me, and I want between 14 & 16" of rubber on the ground, so if it hooks up, I want a drivetrain to take it. and I thought if I snagged another 9 center chunk, I would set it up as a 411 detroit locker, for the strip. butt I don't think I would be scared of putting the 8.8 thro hell. I put a GM 10 bolt thur way more than they said was possibly. plus the 8.8 has a disc set up on em. you can buy a 8.8 with discs at the right price. I'm still looking for a used 84 to 90 MRK VII 8.8 rear to rob the disc set up off to adapt to my 9"









Mustangsaly

 

my other car (wifes car) ha ha she said "cant i just get a v6" "if we buy a mustang it has to be a GT i said" anyway its an 03 GT mustang and it has a 8.8 with 3.27 gear, the MACH 1 has a 3.55 gear ive seen plenty of cobras running in the 12s at the track with this rear(8.8) and their pushing over 500 hp supercharged(modified). but ive heard the old 7.5 is a weakling, from what ive seen and heard the 8.8 can take a whoopin as well as a 9" if youve found a 9" with a tag that has the L "3L73" and only one tire spins forward the tracloc clutches are probably just worn out. i hear they wear out especially after 10+ years of abuse. its not very likely that some idiot would replace the locker with an open and put the tag back on. check out the sites for ford 9" and compare the visual ID of the traclok VS open diff.

 

the obvious difference would be the 9" complete 3rd member (ring, pinion, and diff is one piece out the front) and 8.8 just has a rear cover like a GM

 

$80 for any rear end at "pull a part" okc

 

the old method of turning one wheel.. its not always true, parts wareout fords have clutches it the traklok thingy that wareout....

 

8.8 Fords are pretty close to being 12 bolt Chevys. Some of the parts even interchange. That will give you some strength indication. Remember the 8.8 does not have the pinion shaft support bearing.

A 3.73 gear is "lower" than a 3.25.... Like "low gear" in a transmission makes more rpm. "High gear" makes less rpm. This is the way it has been for at least 6 decades.

Low gear= deep gears= short legs= etc

High gear= shallow gears = long legs = highway gear, etc.

 

9" info

Will a disc brake from a 84 to 90 Mrk Vll 8.8 rearend really fit a 9".. If so, is it a bolt on? If not, is there much to do?
I have a 9" in my streetrod and would like to have disc brakes.. Please email me a rsafreed@verizon.net if you know for sure..
onestreetrodder...

 

rear end ID tag

My ID tag reads WDW-C and under that is 3.25 6EA 8.30. What does this indicate? Thanks.

 

My ID tag reads WDW-C and under that is 3.25 6EA 8.30. What does this indicate? Thanks.

WELCOME :welcome: to this hotrodders site. Glad to have you. You will find lots of good help and information here. :thumbup:
We Ford guys have to stick together... :mwink:

WDW-C is an eight inch:

3.25 open gear (a "posi" would say 3L25, L meaning limited-slip/ and the suffix would be different)
6 is '66 or '76 which would coordinate with the WDW- suffix C
E is April
A is first week
8 is 8 inch ring gear
.30....not sure... some gears are are rumored to be 8.3 diameter.

http://www.woodyg.com/fairlane/finfo/fordrears.html

http://www.mustangii.org/decoder/axle/


check the "knowledge base" top of page on this hotrodders site for great information....... :thumbup:

 

Rearend

Also the 3.25 is gear ratio...

 

9" Ford ID

Thanks for the info fellow Ford fans. I am a little new at this and thought I might have lucked out and got a Fairlane with a 9 in it already.

"MASH THE GAS"