9" Ford Rear question

[Clsccmro]

Hey all,

I am going to purchase a new rear for my 69 camaro. I have been looking forever at different setups and have decided that there are just too many choices to get it perfect the first time. My biggest problem is, like always, I can't blow a ton of money on it. I can spend no more than $1800 on the entire setup (housing, axles, center section, gears, spindle, all the hardware, etc.). I also think I am going to purchase the Hotchkis rear leaf springs. Anyways, I am really thinking about getting a 9" rear, I don't have a ton of Horsepower, but I can get the rear for about $1500 and all the other rears I have seen are about that same price + or - a little. I just wanted to get some input before I made a large purchase and decision like that. Also, the guys out there with 9" rears, is it definitely worth the extra cost to get the Strange aftermarket center section? The guy I can get the rear from will set it up with either a Strange Nodular Iron center or just a plain ol' ford 9" center. It will cost me about $400 more to go with the Strange center.

My car currently has a lame-o stock 10 bolt with a really pathetic gear ration. The engine is only pushing somewhere around 325 horsepower, but that is most likely soon to change also. It also has a TH350 tranny and stock driveshaft.

Ok, well any input would be greatly appreciated.

[indyjps]

look @ factory rears, you can get one for a mustang and it will drop in, one just sold on ebay complete for under $200, it was an open with a highway gear but well worth it. you could even go with a slightly wider rear than the mustang if you watch your wheel backspacing, the wider rears are cheaper and generally have large bearings and 31 spline axles. dont know much about your setup but for most cases the aftermarket axles and center is overkill if youre not racing. i used a factory non nodular center with a factory trac lok 31 spline with new clutch packs and a daytona pinion support in my 69 when it was a drag car. ran low 12's consistently launching hard on slicks.
i think a lot of people go overboard on the rear ends.
do a search on the web there are a lot of sites that list the dimensions of 9" out of different vehicles and find one that is comparable or a little wider than the camaro, have the perches welded on by someone with a fixture (think circle track guys) and weld the tubes in fully.

[indyjps]

http://www.dfwmotorsport.com/Fairlane/9inchrearends.htm

[Jagarang]

when your STrrraannnngg! Great song...and good parts.

As far as whether you need it I think about it this way. The 9-inch has been one of the strongest rear ends, by reputation, through years and years of soda fountain drive thrus, roller skates, short skirts, and real FULL service gas station conversations and experiences. It suffers a higher amount of parasitic loss due to its lower pinion gear placement, but is notoriously bulletproof. It's gained it's reputation on it's own and not by who has re-made it in the aftermarket. The aftermarket has made it stronger perhaps, by tweaking this and changing that, but it's always been a tough, racers friend of a rear end on it's own merits.

Do you need one? I'd say that given your intended purpose and power levels, a stock, factory 9inch would be as bullet proof as you'd need, without spending the extra cash. In fact, that extra $400 could perhaps be spent on some extra horsepower, durability, or safety component (brakes/seatbelt belts/susp) elsewhere in car, so you could really put the screws to a stock unit. Even if you blow it up (unlikely), IMHO it's a better and cheaper failure that to have something that might have benefited from the extra $400 cut lose in the tranny, motor, or brakes, not to mention health if you spent the cash on 3 point seatbelts.


The Strange center is purdy and I've got one, but I'm a fanatic and an empoverished one at that, since I can't just do what NEEDS to be done, NO I have to OVER DO everything! My wife can vouch for the rediculous sums of $$$ I've thrown away on my project, on parts like these....

I don't regret my purchases since I have a sickness that prevents me from suffering from financial hardship greif and guilt. In fact I have come to relish me poverty just so I can supply my habit! Oh, I also hope to have north of 600 horsepower, so at least I'm not installing a Strange unit into my stock six cylinder Poncho, even I'm not that sick YET, but the doctors say it's only a matter of time.

[Einstein1]

I would get a aluminum currie center section with axles thats going to cost you about 950 dollars and then get a center section off ebay. I picked up a 3.89 gear center section with detroit locker that was just rebuilt for 550 dollars check ebay for the center section

[Clsccmro]

Thanks guys for your help, so far I think I will go with the plain ol' center section, my car isn't pushing enough horsepower to spend the extra money, and when it does have enough horsepower, I will just have to switch out the center section.

Like Jagarang said, I'll be able to spend the extra $400 on something else for the car.

[indyjps]

no knocks on anyone here about going overboard, i just see cars with 350 hp with a rearend built to handle 800 the $ could have been spent somewhere else if youre on a tight budget.

[OHCbird]

Kevin- What's wrong with a 6-banger Poncho???

[eville]

no knocks on anyone here about going overboard, i just see cars with 350 hp with a rearend built to handle 800 the $ could have been spent somewhere else if youre on a tight budget.

I agree, but no sense in doing things twice either. If it's time for a gear change and in a couple of years you're going to put a 750hp motor in then I think everyone here will say "do it right the first time"
My $0.02 anyway

[Jagarang]

Kevin- What's wrong with a 6-banger Poncho???

Not a thing unless your sick enough. like me, to spend $3000 on a 9-inch rearend to put in it when it's stock.

[OHCbird]

OK- consider me sick.

I concur on the overkill- also one of my bad habits.

[Mean 69]

The Strange center section in the picture is the unit that we recommend (based upon lengthy discussion with Strange Engineering, and many other suppliers) for all of our customers using their cars on the track, street, drags, etc with "modest" horsepower. It is plenty strong, and several pounds lighter than the heavy duty unit they offer. Plus, it is not terribly expensive at all, the bare case is just over $230 (Jeg's has it for this price, others too most likely). It is stronger than a factory Ford case, a really nice piece. Even if you have the budget, I'd stay away from an aluminum third member for reasons described by Strange, they don't like a lot of the transitional changes from throttle to brake, etc, that you see on a street car or road race application. Still, we plan on trying one, they are a LOT lighter, still really strong, and look really nice to boot.

Can't offer too much on the housing side other than to say that all of the aftermarket pieces are expensive. Again, in our opinion based upon a lot of research, we like Strange. Their housing center sections are terrific, really strong, and very consistent. We use them as the basis for our three link housings in our rear suspension kit. If you go with a used setup, I'd have someone check it to insure it is straight, you be surprised at how easy they can bend, and the result can be some funny handling (which you would probably not see too dramatically on a street application, to be honest).

Mark

[Stupidnewbie]

I'm planning on purchasing from www.9inchfloater.com as it seems to be an awesome setup for the price. They are a full floater setup that includes everything but the center section and brake calipers and they'll make them to any dimensions you request or weld on perches for whatever car you specify. Not bad for $799.

[Kenova]

..... Even if you have the budget, I'd stay away from an aluminum third member for reasons described by Strange, they don't like a lot of the transitional changes from throttle to brake, etc, that you see on a street car or road race application. Still, we plan on trying one, they are a LOT lighter, still really strong, and look really nice to boot.

Mark

Can you give us any info on the strength and reliabillity of the 12 bolt drop out for the ford 9" housing? Curious more than anything else.
Ken

[Mean 69]

Can you give us any info on the strength and reliabillity of the 12 bolt drop out for the ford 9" housing? Curious more than anything else.

Not exactly certain what you mean about the twelve bolt dropout, do you mean the stock type Ford unit?
M

[indyjps]

gotta take use into account, if racing with serious power step up to the aftermarket rear, if youre building a street car and on a budget the $ can be spent somewhere else. the $3000 set up is nice piece of mind. im sure if you put together a nice stock type set up and wanted to step up later you could unload the rear or center section.

[airrj1]

Stange offers an Aluminum Center Section for the 9-inch with 12-bolt internals. It is mostly used in Comp. Eliminator I belive.

http://www.strangeengineering.net/catalog/075.html

[Mean 69]

Ahhh, I recall seeing that at one time, totally forgotten about it. I have no experience with them, seems like a neat idea for folks that already have a 12 bolt center section, the overall housing weight (independent of the fact that it is aluminum) is probably lighter.

M

[Clsccmro]

Hey guys, I do have one more question to ask.

My car has about 350 horsepower, with a TH350 trans, and will hopefully get some small upgrades in the near future.

Since I'm getting a 9" rear, what would you guys suggest for a gear ratio. I was thinking somewhere between 3.50 and 3.75, but I'm not really sure. It will be almost all street drivin, very little track time. I want to make sure that all the horsepower my engine has makes it to the ground, but I also don't want to overdo it. What happens when you put too high of a gear ratio in a mild horsepower engine?