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'66 Rearend...what have you all done?

A

AzNick

Member
I am thinking of overhauling the rearend of my 289-4bbl car (I promise to post pics soon). I was thinking of 3.50 or 3.55 gears...what else do you all recommend should be done to it? I have always had the inkling to get rid of the stock 2.80 gears. After I had the bottom of the car re-done...cleaned up and resprayed...the rear axle/housing looks awful. So, why not do it now...

Is there a kit or how do you go about it?
 
I have 3:55 Trac Lok with an AOD. Great in town but would be a bit much on the highway if not for the AOD. If you are just driving around town, I say go for the fun factor of the 3:55. I would not go lower than 3:25 no matter what tranny you use.
 
If you have not noticed any noise from the bearings, a gear swap should be all that is needed.

Do you plan on getting the tools to do it yourself?

There are kits out there that include everything you need to overhaul the rear in it's entirety and some that just include gaskets and seals.

Bare minimum you would need s pinion shim kit, outer axles seals, crush bearing, pinon seal, and the gears.


I have 3.50's with a four speed and the car sees some highway use and the 3.50's are the most I would go with the type of driving I do.
 
Ugh...sorry...C-4 with an 8" rear.

My car is just a cruiser, so some fun factor would be nice, but it might see some highway time...not much. I was just think preventative maintenance. I have always wanted to do a gear higher than the 2.80, and if I was going to be in there, what else needs to be done kind of thing.

My buddy is an Amsoil dealer, so I will probably use a nice synthetic in the there as well.

What is there between a 3.25 and a 3.55.....3.35? Worth it or just make the jump to the 3.50/55?

Where I am t right now:
-Underbody is sprayed
-FPA headers are installed
-Waldron Arvinode exhaust with H-pipe installed
-Opentracker front rebuild kit, rear spring kit, and steering kit almost installed. They found a small crack in the unibody near a suspension part of the right front side (the car was hit there in the distant past)...the body guy said that the unibody/engine comp panel does not need to be replaced, he can fix the crack. Once that is as new, the final assembly will be done.
-Rearend
-work on the interior a bit over the winter....paint in 2011
 
Go with the 3:55's and have fun.....no need for gas mileage when it is for fun.......
 
Hey Pete,

I found 3.40 and 3.55 here:

http://www.justrearends.com/Catalog.aspx?category=d2dc105f-d3c0-4c3a-b8e8-eb0a908bbfab&sub=24f2a948-0a5e-40c4-a53a-cfde2c03a876

And I found this kit:

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/8-Inch-Ford-Rear-End-Overhaul-Kit,28993.html

http://www.justrearends.com/ProductDisplay.aspx?ID=060479f7-4ca5-4722-8b93-6fe0e79f4e04

Any other recommended sources? Thanks

p.s. side note for Pete (no one else read): We talked before I went on vacation, and life has been c-r-a-z-y after that...I will call you soon. I need another vacation.
 
The difference in the 3:40 and the 3:55 is ot that much. I would go to the 3:55 myself. The other thing......have you thought about a trac lok (posi) setup. With the gears you are looking at, trac lok would really help......such as two black marks as opposed to one black mark....... This is so you don't have to rotate the rear tires from side to side for even wear.....lol

Vacations are way over rated......retirement is under rated........
 
I've got a mildly built 289 with c4 and am running 3.55 TL. If you're not doing a lot of highway driving this gear is good. Highway cruising speeds will turn 3000+ rpms. Up until October I was wishing I had went 3.25 for highway purposes. Now I just kinda wish I had. I took the car down to MB (5 hrs) and it wasn't that bad. Gas mileage wasn't as terrible as I thought it was gonna be either. If it's just gonna be for fun and mostly around town, the 3.55 REALLY wakes it up.
 
I think 3.55 TL might be the ticket....that is what I had always envisioned for the car. I will drive it about 10% highway and the rest of the time I will be cruising in my area...summer nights and weekends.

So should I just get the necessary rebuild kit and gear from the above links or do you like anyone in particular?
 
When I was looking at 8" options, I found pretty good deals on e-bay. Just look into the records of the seller. Getting a trac lok is more than just the gears you indicated above (unless I missed something). Look at these... http://www.currieenterprises.com/cestore/ProductsRE.aspx?id=3302 ....as an example(curriee seems normally high priced) of what you need along with the gears you pictured. I found prices around $800 for all the parts and then the install and setup. Do it once and do it right.
 
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