Rear end too narrow now.

[66camperspecial]

Just got done with the 1/2 ton conversion on my 66 F 250 and the 69 9 inch is just too narrow for my liking,does anyone know if a 65/66 9 inch is wider then a 67 to 72 or is that just the way they all are pre 73. I am satisfied on how it turned out except for the too narrow rear end,the only reason I went with that rear end was the brakes are wider then a 65/66 but I need to do something before I start driving it.

[slixtyfive]

My understanding is that all 65-72 1/2 ton 9" are the same width.

[banjopicker66]

Correct, the rear axle dimensions are the same from '57 or '58 to '72. I know for sure you can swap '61 - '72 axles as a direct replacements. This includes all axles for F-100s and F-250s.
(Note that if you change from a Ford 9" to a Dana or vice versa, the length of the differential gear housing is different, so the driveshafts will need to be altered, but the width of the axles is the same.)
In '73 Ford widened the rear axle, partly (as I have been told) because the earlier trucks look goofy from the rear with a rear axle narrower than the front wheels.

[66camperspecial]

I am thinking I should have used a 73 to 79 9 inch and had the perches and shock mounts relocated,I did not notice the Dana 60 being as narrow as the 9 inch.

[Toyz]

I can't think of any reason your setup would differ from the original F100 arrangements. I don't have a single wheel Dana around to measure, but I would not be surprised if the track width proved to be a little wider, either from a wider wheel flange to wheel flange dimension, different wheel off-set, or both.
Paul

[66camperspecial]

The tire store would not put the 31-10.5 tires I really wanted on my 6 inch rims so I had to settle for some 30-9.5s,I did some measuring of the rims and if my figures are correct I need a 5 1/2 offset or 1 1/4 backspaced rims. I am going to call monday about a pair of custom made rims to get it to look alot better,I wish I would have looked at the 65 to 72 1/2 tons a little closer to see how the tires fit before deciding on which 9 inch to use. The dana 60s must be a little wider since the 3/4 tons look more normal.

[Toyz]

Since the D60 hubs set the wheel centerline between bearings, it is probably wider. The custom offset rims should work well, although, like any change in wheel centerline, bearing load will be increased. Chrome reverse wheels have been around for a long time, so I would think the increase would be minimal and of little concern.
Paul

[66camperspecial]

I also notice the rear is sitting a little lower since I removed some leaves from the springs so I am going to look into some 3/4 or one inch spacers to get it back up,would like to lower it in the front a little but no money for dropped beams at this time.

[slixtyfive]

Did you retain the original 250 rear springs? How many leaves did you remove and how does it ride (if you had it out for test drive yet)?

I'm trying to decide the best way to soften the ride a bit in my '67 F250 and am considering either removing leaves or possibly swapping in a set of F100 springs.

[66camperspecial]

I removed 3 leaves and retained the factory overload leaf on the bottom,I put about 10 miles on it yesterday but not enough to tell if it is any smoother,I have a feeling those trucks will not ride anything close to the modern trucks but any help is better then none. I was worried that the 2.75 gears would hurt the performance but I think that 460 likes it better as it was just as quick and possibly a little better,still have to take it down the highway but I think I am going to like it. The C-6 was shifting into 3rd around 20 with the 3.54 gears but is getting closer to normal with the 2.75 gears and I might adjust the modulator valve some too to see if it will improve more.

[slixtyfive]

Yes, I think it is nearly impossible to get them to ride like modern trucks without major revisions. I just know that my '67 F250 is much more harsh than the '72 F100 i used to have. Since i don't really plan to load it like a 250 I'm thinking some spring revisions will make it more enjoyable to drive.