49 rear end

[mrtexas]

Not flathead but 49 Ford. Supposed to be an 8 inch rear. Car has 94 mustang 302 v8. I'd like to get some seals/gaskets to fix the leaks. Can any of you ID this rear end on my 49 hot rod?

Also a picture of the rear spring hangers. Looks like this on both sides. I replaced the rear springs. I didn't get the alignment correct?

[TJ]

It's definitely an 8 inch Ford rear. The third member gaskets for the 8 inch are all the same. Pull the axles and then pull the seals(check your bearings at the same time). The seals will have a number on them and your parts store can cross reference the number for the new seals. You spring hangers are in a bind because the spring mounts on the rear end are not the same width as the original. If you look on line you might be able to use some early Chevy shackles. They used some off set shackles that may work for you.
Why the use of the thick wheel adapters? If the rear is under a shoe box Ford they use a narrow rear end and the 8" Maverick which is the narrowest 8" fits just fine. It's basically the same width as the '49 rear. Just curious.

[mrtexas]

Originally Posted by TJ

It's definitely an 8 inch Ford rear. The third member gaskets for the 8 inch are all the same. Pull the axles and then pull the seals(check your bearings at the same time). The seals will have a number on them and your parts store can cross reference the number for the new seals. You spring hangers are in a bind because the spring mounts on the rear end are not the same width as the original. If you look on line you might be able to use some early Chevy shackles. They used some off set shackles that may work for you.
Why the use of the thick wheel adapters? If the rear is under a shoe box Ford they use a narrow rear end and the 8" Maverick which is the narrowest 8" fits just fine. It's basically the same width as the '49 rear. Just curious.

I'm thinking drop the rear end and replace the gaskets and seals on the front of the member where the drive shaft goes in. Have a part number for one of the gaskets. Think that would fix the leaks?

Don't know about the wheel spacers. I didn't build it, I bought it "finished."

[Mart]

Measure the distance between the front spring hangers side to side. Measure the distance between the rear spring hanger locations at the rear. The spring pads need to be exactly on a line drawn between the two.

Without knowing the dimensions, if front and rear are equal, and if the axle sits central along the length of the spring I can't say what the dimension should be.

You will probably have to cut the spring pads off and weld them back on at the right position.

I'd be worried about using such wide wheel spacers. Are the wheels like a front wheel drive type with lots of offset (hub to the outside).

Mart.

[cas3]

got to agree with mart, them spacers are wide! never seen them any wider than about an inch before. kinda scary, wonder what else the builder engineered on the car

[TJ]

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Changing the front pinion seal should be done by a shop. It's not just a matter of changing the seal. There's a crush washer in there and a preload has to be set on the bearing. Hard to say if a new seal will cure the leak. The yoke need to be inspected for wear, etc.

[runewilliam_merc]

Originally Posted by TJ

Changing the front pinion seal should be done by a shop. It's not just a matter of changing the seal. There's a crush washer in there and a preload has to be set on the bearing. Hard to say if a new seal will cure the leak. The yoke need to be inspected for wear, etc.

To crush the crush washer more than it already is, requires a lot of force. More than the specified torque. Find the right torque spec and change the seal yourself.

Rune from Norway

[Frank Miller]

Originally Posted by runewilliam_merc

To crush the crush washer more than it already is, requires a lot of force. More than the specified torque. Find the right torque spec and change the seal yourself.

Rune from Norway

Agree. Mark the location of the nut in reference to the pinion by scratching a line across both. Tighten until the scratch marks line up.

[grumppyoldman]

My 55 Fairlane has an 8 inch rear end in it ant yours doesn't look like it. Mine is a round housing and yours is kinda flat om the bottom. Also the pinion on mine does not have the two piece housing like yours/ The research I did when I overhauled mine shows yours is probably an 8.8 or 9 inch which are better rear ends than the 8 inch. Al

[Scotty's 52 F3]

I can't tell for sure from the picture but, will those rear shackles even swing? The one side looks like a piece of flat bar that extends up and not actually a side shackle plate.

If they cant swing, they are going to bend and eventually break off. I've seen a few people mount leaf springs to non moving hangers on BOTH sides. They will break off.

I hope I'm just looking at it wrong. If they do swing, it looks like they would hit the cross member.

[JSeery]

Originally Posted by grumppyoldman

My 55 Fairlane has an 8 inch rear end in it ant yours doesn't look like it. Mine is a round housing and yours is kinda flat om the bottom. Also the pinion on mine does not have the two piece housing like yours/ The research I did when I overhauled mine shows yours is probably an 8.8 or 9 inch which are better rear ends than the 8 inch. Al

Ford Axle ID charts. The 8.8 has a removable rear cover, the 8.0 and 9.0 have removable 3rd members. The one shown in the original post is an 8.0 axle.