The BIG Nine Inch!

The Ford 9 inch rear has earned it's reputation as one of the strongest differentials for the dollar. That's why there are so many aftermarket parts for them, even Bow-Tie boys run them, and drag cars run HD versions of the design.

Here is the typical rear-load style 6 cyl rearend used in falcon chasis throghout the 60's behind inline six engines. However, it is a relatively simple task to swap a 9" rearend into an early Mustang. I aquired mine from a 1980 Mercury Monarch. The spring perch-spring perch distance was EXACT. Some of these cars were equiped with rear disk brakes but I prefer the large rear drums. A case may be made for either position as to use the Granada disks. If you must have rear disks then in my opinion it would be best to pull them from a late model Ford Explorer with an 8.8" rear. The flange pattern is the same.

Note the clear view of the 200's exhaust system. Yup, true duals split from primary tubes 1-3-6 and 2-4-5 running into a pair of 18" slip fit Purple Honie mufflers. Has a very deep, unique, and curious sound to it.

If done correctly the driveshaft will not have to be removed. By utilizing a shorter yoke than what the Granada uses you can eliminate the need to have driveshaft work done. I found a yoke from a c. 1968 Ford F-100 and was able to use the u-joint caps for the Ford truck on the actual u-joint for a 6 cylinder Mustang with the rear-load style rearend. The rear brake line feeding the back axle had to be bent slightly and reflared with a differnt flare fitting but it connected nicely to the Monarch/Granada/Versaille 9" brake hose. After everything was said and done the largest expense were the new brake drums for the back. They can be had from AutoZone for under $60 a piece.

The carrier was assembled with new gears and a Trac-Lock differential was freshened up and installed with a set of new 3.50 gears from Motive Gear.

The Traction Lock was purchased from a yard for only $25 with s whole spare 3rd member. I'll most likey set up another carrier with my spare open differential and a set of 3.00 gears for highway trips.



Here you can see the final product after wear pattern inspection. All new bearings, new ring and pinion, and a T-lock with good clutch packs should provide 2 wheel-peel fun for many miles to come.



Note the short yoke from a '68 Ford F-100 in order to maintain the proper distance between pinion and the tailhousing on the C4. The stock 6 cylinder driveshaft was neither modified nor removed for this swap.



In order to make fluid changes less of a hassle a drain plug was installed into the bottom of the housing by drilling a hole and tapping a pipe plug into the housing. Instead of using a pump to remove the fluid all that is required are a few turns of an allen head screw.
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