A '72 Ranchero would've had an 8" rearend under it, right? And the center section should fit a Mav? I know of one that I can probably get at, and I know how to read the tag on it... Did they every put limited slip and/or better than 3.0 gear in these crucks? Is it worth the trouble of going to check it out?
Hmm... Anybody know if the spring perch width matches up to that of a Mav? I know it's probably too wide, but that's okay since I'm already running wheel adapters...
I don't know about that. My 71 was an 8" with 3.25 gears. Traction lock was optional in the optional 9" rear for sure, I don't know if the TL was available in the standard equipment 8"... probably so though. That said, jmgford might be right about 72s... I am just going by the 71 Ranchero and some 70-71 Torinos I have had. I'll check my 73 Ford ordering guide and get back. Between knowing what was done in 71 and in 73, we should be able to figure out 72.
Faceless... Many year models of the Ranchero had unique spring perch spacings compared to the same passenger car models. I don't know about the 72 specifically, but if other years are an indication, the spring perches will be spaced oddly. The rear itself is narrower than the car counterparts some years as well. Rancheros are a strange animal when it comes to parts interchange. If you are already using spacers, you could get rid of them by going to a 71-73 Stang 9". That is also the widest Stang rear, as well as the easiest and cheapest to find. It will add roughly 5" or so to the axle width on our cars IIRC.
Alright then, so if it's a coil spring rear I'll pass it by unless it does happen to be an 8" with good gears and/or Trac-Lok. So 8" was standard and 9" was optional? Or is that only on older ones?
i recently tore into a 73 ranchero, i believe they are the same as the 72's just with the large bumpers and the different grill.... Anyhow, it had a 9" open diff, took it anyway (free), but they don't use leave springs, they have a coil springs and shocks with 2 bars on each side going forward to the frame... the blue flame wrench worked wonders... so to use in a mav, you would have to grind off all the brackets, weld on new spring perches and shorten the rear. i don't know by how much though, but it is wider than the mavs
I have a 72 Ranchero, thinking from the factory with a 6 banger. For Sure it has a 8 in rear under it! Not sure if they could be had with posi
