I am thinking about using a Ford Explorer rear end in my 52 F-1. Being that I am not building a power house for a motor and I know wher I can find one what do you need to get when you aquire one. Do you need to get all the leaf springs as well? The specs say its 59 in hub to hub and that is 2 inches shorter than the 9 inch I was going to use, what do you have to do to make it fit? Any help would be great.

Adam

 

My memory is not as good as it use to be, but if I remember correctly the
8.8 I put under my 53 was 59 1/2" from backing plate to backing plate. It fit perfect. I just got everything from brake drum to brake drum. Couldn't find one with disk brakes at the local pull a parts place. Almost a direct replacement. I had to flip the spring perches over and re weld them. I used the leaf springs from my 53 but I did use the u bolts that came with the 8.8. Oh yeah I had to weld the shock mounts onto the axle tubes too. Pics are in my gallery. Lakota

 

Why go thru the trouble with the 8.8 when you can get a 9 inch from a f-100 from 57 to 72 thats basicly a bolt in?

 

I know nothing.

 

My understanding that this is a direct bolt in if your mounting below the springs and I forgot that not everyone is keeping the stock frontend and would want smaller wheel bolt pattern.

 

I have an old Classic Truck's magazine (Aug. 2006) that has an article in it about the 9". Seems the 1st ones weren't that good at all. What you will find in a parts yard isn't anything close to the NASCAR 9"ers. I have a 9" from an old 57 I used to have in my 54. It leaks like crazy, so its probably cracked in the usual places. The 9" wasn't any good until '68. And then only on high performance car and heavy duty truck applications. So much for my free 9".

The reason I had the 9" laying around is because I used a 8.8 out of the donor Lincoln in my old 57. I did have to buy some spring perches from a local spring shop in Memphis and get some shock mounts from a parts yard. It had much bigger brakes and it moved the wheels out closer to the edge of the fenders. And it matched the front end I was using. I never got it running before I got rid of it to go after the 54, so I don't know if it was that much better.

 

Is that true? I looked in the gallery and it does looks awfully close. So if you wanted to drop the rear 4" and explorer 8.8 looks to be a bolt in.

bob

 

I used the 8.8 however, I used the u-bolts and tie plates so I didn't have to weld shock brackets on, I did however, put new spring perches on the top. The pinion angle may not be correct for a bolt if it will with relocating the original perches

 

I know nothing.