8-3/4 or Ford 9 inch???

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mshred

mshred

The Green Manalishi
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Hey guys,

I have been looking for a 8-3/4 suregrip rearend for my 71 scamp and have come across an amazing deal from a member on the site. However, i have heard alot about guys using Ford 9 inchers on their cars and was wondering what its benefits are? I am not that keen on sticking some Ford stuff under my ***, but I am on a really tight budget to build a quick street car, and with the rising prices of 8-3/4's i have seriously been considering using the Ford. Anybody here use the Ford 9 inch? Are they cheaper and easier to come by? if so, what vehicles can i find posi ones in (hopefully ones that won't need narrowing to fit under my 71)? Any help on this would be great guys

thanks8)
 
mshred said:
Hey guys,

I have been looking for a 8-3/4 suregrip rearend for my 71 scamp and have come across an amazing deal from a member on the site. However, i have heard alot about guys using Ford 9 inchers on their cars and was wondering what its benefits are? I am not that keen on sticking some Ford stuff under my ***, but I am on a really tight budget to build a quick street car, and with the rising prices of 8-3/4's i have seriously been considering using the Ford. Anybody here use the Ford 9 inch? Are they cheaper and easier to come by? if so, what vehicles can i find posi ones in (hopefully ones that won't need narrowing to fit under my 71)? Any help on this would be great guys

thanks8)
Click to expand...

I would stick wiht 8.75 if you can find a good deal. ford 9s are easier to find but you would have to have it narrowed to put it under your a body. If i remember correctly the mopar 8.75 is rated for 50 more hp than the ford 9 is. (I think axles were a bad weak spot for the 9 inch). By the time you rework, shorten, get a new set of axles that can handle more power, youd be better off cost wise with the mopar rear anyway. You wouldnt want to put inferior blue oval parts under your mopower anyway lol
 
In a choice between the 8.75 Mopar

& the Ford 9-inch for an a-body Mopar,

we'll take an a-body 8.75 all-day long.



BUT----------In a choice between building up a 8.75

or simply just starting out with a Dana 60,

it's the Dana hands-down.
 
I am not sure of the power capability difference between the 8.75 and the 9 inch but I would think that the 9 could potentially hold more power. The big arguement if it were me, is how much f*cking heavier a 9 inch is in comparison.

The only 9 inch's that could work as a bolt in would be from Comets or Falcons I guess and that would mean being lucky enough to find one. Even at that you might still need to adjust the perch spacing in or out an inch or two. If you are considering a 9 inch, you might as well consider a Dana 60 while you're at it.

Don't get me wrong, I would swear by a 9 inch if I had a Mullet.

Stick with the 8.75. Power to weight is one of the reasons we have these cars, besides curb appeal.
 
My main reason for even considering to go with a 9 inch is that they are much more plentiful...finding an 8-3/4 that doesnt cost an arm and a leg is almost impossible these days, and most need to thoroughly be rebuilt...dont get me wrong, i dont want anything but fine mopar *** under the rear of my car, but like i said im concerned with price and availability...are the ford's cheaper, and if so what cars would have a 9 inch posi in them that i can easily find and narrow to my needs?
 
The cost is about the same really, unless you get an Abody 8 3/4. Both will need to be narrowed, new axles, seals, bearings...etc. Even brakes can be had for relatively the same cost.

Budget wise...Explorer rear discs on the 9" or a 8 3/4 disc kit from Dr Diff....close to the same right??
 
mshred said:
I have been looking for a

8-3/4 suregrip rearend

and have come across

an amazing deal

from a member on the site.
Click to expand...


Take the amazing deal on the

8.75 w/Suregrip from the sitemember

that you've already found.


That seems to be the logical conclusion. --- 8)
------------------------------------------------------------------


You might find a "cheap" 9-inch, but what would

you wind-up in it ready to install is the point, and

for what? Ford 9-inch rears "eat" around 10-15

horsepower in parasitic drivetrain "drag", so that's

no plus for ET or MPG, eh?


In addition to our Mopar cars, we also have Fords,

and our preferences for any potent Ford vehicles are

the Ford 8.8s and the Mopar Dana 60s.


So, we would not put a Ford 9-inch in *any* vehicle,

unless it came from Dearborn with one. -----------------HTH
 
well the reason i was also considering the 9 inch against the 8-3/4 is the strength...alot of guys run narrowed 9 inch fords and it seems like for good reason...and as great as any deal is, it never hurts to try to find a better one, especially when building on a tight budget
 
Dont think a 9" is any stronger than a 8 3/4........especially on a budget. If you wanted to throw the budget out, then maybe there is enough aftermarket stuff for 9" to be stronger

If you are making 600hp on slicks....get a Dana60
 
The Ford 9" came with two different axle spline counts. A good 9" with the greater splines is considerably stronger then the 8-3/4", which is why vertually all NASCAR teams (regardless of make) run a version of it (often by Currie). Note that there are a few different 9"ers, some better then others.
 
Which axle spline count is the better one? in what vehicles can you find those 9 inchers?
 
I dont know this foresure but I hear that 9 inch fords have more gear options than do the Mopar 8 3/4.

At the local drag strips I have seen plenty 8 3/4 rearends pushing 3500+ pound mopars in the 10 & 11 sec qtr bracket with no problems! You might check your local salvage yards for a complete rearend out of a van or truck. I just bought one for $100.00 out of a 69 C-body, I believe it has 11inch brakes which will be used in my 71 dart!
 
polkat said:
The Ford 9" came with two different axle spline counts. A good 9" with the greater splines is considerably stronger then the 8-3/4", which is why vertually all NASCAR teams (regardless of make) run a version of it (often by Currie). Note that there are a few different 9"ers, some better then others.
Click to expand...

Not nesessarily so, the two axle splines are 28 and 31, But they use the same crappy Ford type posi that break the carriers in half. Pinion diameter on a 9" is 1.313, the smallest Mopar the 741 is 1.375. Yeah you'll say but the 9" has a third pinion bearing? They have to!!!! the inner and outer bearings are only .250 apart! The third nose bearing is to keep the pinion stable. Just like the 9" with good after market parts you can make the 8 3/4 just as strong. Bottom line, KEEP YOUR MOPAR ALL MOPAR! Or buy a Mustang to put the 9" in. JMO
 
polkat said:
The Ford 9" came with two different axle spline counts. A good 9" with the greater splines is considerably stronger then the 8-3/4", which is why vertually all NASCAR teams (regardless of make) run a version of it (often by Currie). Note that there are a few different 9"ers, some better then others.
Click to expand...

They use Nodular iron cases, Daytona pinion supports and Detroit lockers, Aftermarket gears. What part of this is made by Ford?
 
Like the other have said, by the time you get the 9" ready to run in your a body, for a little more you could have a brand new DANA 60. I have been looking at some rear end options as well & have come to the conclusion that if & when my 8 3/4 gets to the point that its no longer rebuildable, i'll go for a DANA 60 & be done with it!
 
SGBARRACUDA said:
Not nesessarily so, the two axle splines are 28 and 31, But they use the same crappy Ford type posi that break the carriers in half. Pinion diameter on a 9" is 1.313, the smallest Mopar the 741 is 1.375. Yeah you'll say but the 9" has a third pinion bearing? They have to!!!! the inner and outer bearings are only .250 apart! The third nose bearing is to keep the pinion stable. Just like the 9" with good after market parts you can make the 8 3/4 just as strong. Bottom line, KEEP YOUR MOPAR ALL MOPAR! Or buy a Mustang to put the 9" in. JMO
Click to expand...

SG nailed it. I totally agree. Also Jack Armstrong was right about the Ford having more parasitic loss meaning eating up about 15 hp more just to spin it.
 
Put the crack pipe down and slowly back away from the bong. Good coments here but if your saving money get a GM 350 motor. They're cheap also. 8.75 and do it all mopar. Save your money and do the right thing. If nothing else get a c or b body unit and have it cut down.
 
any and all comments from you mopar purists i have no time for...thats not the type of response i was looking for, but thats really all i have gotten....Have heard many great things about the 9 inch in all sorts of cars, and wondering what opinions on its strength, usability and price were on this board...guess i couldnt really get that though...and crack jokes arent really that funny
 
Sorry shred for the unrully comments from some members. The Ford 9" rear has been used for years in drag cars due to it's strength and availibilty. Parts to make it even stronger are availible everywhere. It is bigger than the 8 3/4" rear and has more rotating mass, hence it eats power, just like the Dana 60. It also has the pinion positioned lower for better tooth contact at the expense of absorbing hp.

In short, if you're not planning on anything quicker than a 10 sec. car, I would stick with the 8 3/4. I know someone personally who is running a 8 3/4 in a 'Cuda behind a stroker big block and she just won E.T. class here last weekend. 10.46 @ 122. I asked her husband (who built the car) if he's had any problems with the 8 3/4 and he hadn't.

If you're going to go faster than very, very low tens than an all aftermarket 9" or Dana 60 should be in your future.

I hope this answers your question. :)
 
Thanks alot ramcharger, thats the info i was looking for...everyone makes the 9 inchs seem so beneficial, so i was just wondering what their benefits are if they have any without a mopar biased involved...My car will probably be a 13 second car, so im gonna try and land a 8-3/4 and keep some fina mopar *** under my rear.

thanks
 
I have an 8.75 in my Scamp but I'll admit I broke it a few times. I now have a pro gear but they only come in one ratio.

The Ford has the advantage of a full range of aftermarket parts to make it nearly bullet proof, and in any ratio your heart may desire The actual stock Ford stuff is NFG for any real race car use. The 8.75 needs the ultra expensive MP aluminum center section to live under any real horsepower though.

If I had it to do over again I would have just gotten a Dana 60 to start with. It would have been way cheaper in the long run.
 
Guitar Jones said:
The Ford has the advantage of a full range of aftermarket parts to make it nearly bullet proof, and in any ratio your heart may desire The actual stock Ford stuff is NFG for any real race car use. The 8.75 needs the ultra expensive MP aluminum center section to live under any real horsepower though.
Click to expand...

Agreed 100%!!
 
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