Thread: What will a junk yard 9" rear end cost?

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I am looking for one and don't want to pay to much?Also from where should I measure the rear end to know it is a 9",and not a 8.5?Thanks

Depends on what it is out of, and where you get it. I've been seeing early Bronco 9 inch rearends on Ebay going for like $ 1000.00. Must be something special about them.

Obviously, the ones like '57 Ford Station Wagons are going to be high, because of supply and demand, but Ford luckily put 9 inchers under a lot of different cars.

Start with the width you want, and head to the local junkyard (Oh, I'm sorry, they are now called recycling centers) with a tape measure. Look under Fords of the 60's and early '70's, vans, pickups, station wagons, etc.

Mine in my '27 came from a '68 Mercury Montego, and I paid $ 100 but that was years ago. But I think at one of the pick and pull yards you could score one for not too much more than that. One I go to gets $ 100 for any rear axle assembly, and $ 200 if it is a posi. I'm thinking of starting to pull some rears and storing them, because those prices can't last forever.

Another thing, be careful because there were some rears that looked like 9 inchers but were actually like 9.25 or something like that. I don't know much about them, but they are out there.

Back to the cost question, I guess it is also dependant on where you live. Someone on here posted a few days ago that 350 Chevy's were scarce and expensive where he lived. WOW, Chevy made a zillion of these things, and I see them all the time like $ 100-$300, so I guess there are places where they are harder to find.

By the way, when you hit the junkyard, take a deepwell 9/16 socket with you. If it will not slip over the bottom pumkin mounting bolts, and you would need an open end wrench instead to get them off, it is a 9 inch. If it slips over them, it is an 8 inch. These would be the bolts that are all around the differential in a big circle. On a 9 inch, the pumpkin drops down there, so a socket won't go straight on.

Good luck.


Don

there should be a tin tag on the pig some say 9-L 3.50 or some thing like that 9 inch L limited slip and 3.50 gear if you find one you hit the ford 9 inch lotto .i would get all mine from one yard and they are hard to find with Limited slip but have seen them in trucks 31 spine and limited and bonco s ford vans sometimes have them to but are 28 spine. they sell them to me at $75.each but not no more they now crush them

JUst a bit more input, I see your in Dallas so you might have access to some yards with the older 50-60's stuff.

If the rear end hasn't been swapped out the tag on the rear end is probable the best way to the find out what ratio is in there.

The easy way (again if the rear hasn't been changed) is to look at the vin tag on the drivers door or door pillar. There is a block there marked axel with a code that breaks back to tell what ratio and if it's a posi or not. You might want to do a web search to see if you can come up with a list of the codes. I think they may also be in the back of some catalogs like Carpenters.

At least through 64 Ford put the 9" in all the fullsized cars no matter what engine was in it.

6 Cyl and stick cars generally had lower ratios (my 64 with a 6 and 3 speed came stock with 3.50 ). Overdrive cars also usually had good gears to (generally in the 3.70 area).

One thing to be carefull of in the old passenger car rear ends are brake drums. Ford had many one year only rear brake drums (61, 62 and 63 T Birds for instance were all different), and brake drums for 57-59 Fords are very hard to come by and expensive when you do.

I recently sold one ( clutch-disc type limited slip ) for 150$, and help swapping it out.

Look for a deal like that.

I've got a whopping $25 in mine. Bought the truck for $200, sold the front clip for $100, and the motor(JUNK) and tranny sold for $75. Not sure what I'll get for the rest as scrap, so I might even have a free 9inch!