rearends

does anyone know if the rearend out of a 68 coupe will swap into a 65 both are 8" ?  i own both and am  doing the 65.  i read the 68 rearend is stronger.  thanks boxnbubble@yahoo.com    objo  

if both are 8" ford rear ends.. the strength is considerable..

are you going to drag race the 65??  installing a strong motor???

what about the 8 inch in the earlier model did it say was weak??  now i am curious.. as i have an 8" rear end in my ranchero.  

both units are 8" wondering about mounting and total length, .  i do not want to modify the unit. I  read in hotrod magazine that 68's and later had stronger 8" installed. i will be running 325-400 horse thru C-4 . i have owned many small blocks , but all my hotrodding has been with big blocks and 9" rearends. which is better cooling 3 row  copper or 3 row aluminum radiator   this will be a street car drive every now and then. this is my last project  i am 60 . the car will have a/c.  thanks objo  

I'll add my two cents, my understanding is that the center section of the later 8" Ford differentials had rectangular ribs cast into the housing, rather than the early centers with more radial ribs and no perpendicular ribs. The extra cast iron helps the integrity. So, the '68 center should be stronger than the '65 center if the casting style is different as I had described. The steel housing for the '65 is narrower, so I've been told. Not even sure if it would mate with the Spring perches on the '65. Good luck with it, I recently installed a 3.25:1 posi in our '65 Coupe, much nicer than the open 2.79:1 setup that came in the car!  

thanks for the input. i'll put a tape measure to them and find out; where did you get posi unit for 8" ?  what horse power do think you are putting to rear wheels  are you running auto or 4 speed ? i'm a little concerned about how much an 8" will take i plan on running 325-400 hp  what did you think ?   objo  

if the reinforcing ribs are different..  then is not a swap the housing..

its just swap the center section...

that was easy...  i knew there were variations on the 9 inch versions.. never crossed my mind that the 8 inch versions would be different also...  

thanks for the input  , objo  

The difference between a '65-'66 Mustang axle housing and a '67-'70 housing (aside from width) is the axle tube size. The '65-'66 axle tube tapers toward the flange. On the '67-and-up, it's a straight tube

1965-1978 Mustangs leaf-spring perch locations have a 43-inch distance center-to-center.

REAR END HOUSING WIDTHS OF VARIOUS FORD VEHICLES:
Measured from the inside of one axle tube end flange, to the inside of the opposite axle tube end flange --(where the brake backing plates bolt to the ends of the housing, and NOT taken from the wheel-flange-to-wheel-flange distance, --where the back of the wheel would mate up to the face of the drum/disk).  

1. 1965-1966 Mustang 8 & 9-inch housing width: 52¼".  

2. 1967-1970 Mustang 8 & 9-inch housing width: 54¼".  

3. 1971-1973 Mustang 8 & 9-inch housing width: 56".  

4. 1957-1959 Ford big-cars 9-inch housing width: 52¼".  

5. 1960 model T-Bird 9-inch housing width: 52¾".  

6. 1975-1980 Granada/Monarch 8 & 9-inch housing width: 52¼"  

7. 1977-1980 Lincoln Versailles 9-inch housing width: 52¼"  

8. *1957-1972 Ford pickup 9-inch housing width: 56"  

9. 1973-1979 Ford pickup 9-inch housing width: 59¾"  

10. 1980-1985 Ford pickup 9-inch housing width:??  

11. 1966-1977 Ford Bronco housing width: 52¼"  

12. 1978-1985 Ford Bronco housing width:??  

i am building 331 stroker for 65 fastback . what needs to be done to the block to use roller lifters and cam.  are rollers rockers needed ? in 1969 my last build  using rollers was for drag only. i am a retired heavy equipment mechanic.i am building my last toy with my sons. i don't what to ask my nephews all round track boy's because i hav'nt kept up for the last 20 years.   please advise . thanks objo  

there are a bunch of various small block ford builds around the many magazines on this site..

what needs to be done to the block varies with what brand roller lifters...

most drop in...  some MAY need to have the top of the lifter bore machined down to clear the alignment bars...  but most are just DROP in...  

http://www.mustangandfords.com/techarticles/engine/mdmp_1204_331ci_ford_small_block_engine_build_power_stroke/index.html