On this diff you can get to all the nuts with a socket... This is a 66 or older 8" that almost fooled me into buying it... 57.5" axle to axle and 38" center to center on the spring perches, he said it came out of a mustang but I thought the perches were 44" apart on them...
ALl Ford leaf sprung cars had a 43" ctr to ctr perch distance. Except some of the Rancheros, that's what your 8" came from.
Good to know, but I didn't buy this because it was a 8" I'm looking for a 9"... Looks like I just need to buy and narrow one, I can't see myself investing the same amount of money in my factory 8"...
a socket will fit on a gm drop out, the 9-3/8 is way to wide to even consider the hassle to put in a small passenger car
It's common knowledge and it happens to be true for Mavs, Comets, Mustangs, Granadas, Versailles, 57-59 fords. All these I have had in hand and measured.
The 9" weights 24 more pounds than an 8". Both 8" and 9" use the same axle. The area around the caps on a 9" is a lot stronger than the 8".
Damn, where're you shopping ? There are far lower cost alternatives out there. And with the total you've got here, you've spent $1150 for an 8" and $1200 for a 9. If you're going to fork over that kind of cash, what's an extra $50 gonna hurt ?
Nope, they use the exact same axles. If there is a difference, it's due to the bearing housing ends, which are interchangeable between 8 and 9's. You can even use 9" axles in an 8.8, if you use 8 or 9" style bearing housings. You saved $50 on a $1150 purchase and still have a weaker rearend. Try to sell that complete 8" vs a compareable 9". You won't get half as much for the 8". And have a hell of a long wait to sell it vs a 9". When Ford built the 289 Hi-Po Mustangs in 65-66, they used 8" axle tubes welded to a 9" center stamping. Those same "small bearing" 9" rears were used in many other applications. All 8" rears were small bearing equipped (as far as I know) Not all 9's had the same bearing style, there were three bearing styles: Small, (which is the same as an 8"), Large, and "Torino".
