Slick 60's

i have a 63 ford f1oo. it is a 223 4spd. the main bearing and/or shaft is going bad and making some noise. i have a good 302 and auto trani i was thinking of putting in it. it has a 9inch rear with 3.89 gears someone told me that the old rear ends would not hold up to very much horsepower. i was wondering if someone could tell me if that is true and if so what year i would need to switch to. thank you

if its basically a stock 302, that 9 inch well easily handle it.
i had a 302 in a 61 uni and never had any trouble.
they are a nice compact good amount of hp engine.
good luck with that swap 8)

As long as the rear is in good shape you will not have a problem. The Ford 9" rear end is the strongest rear going. With some mods it is being used in top fuel racing. It is the rear end of choice for most racing classes.

that is a 9 inch rear. they can handle your 302 with ease. if you want high horsepower then go with the 31 spline axles. i haven't ripped out a 29 spline yet. they would put the same setup behind a granny car with a 390 or 428 cj.

bab85 wrote:i have a 63 ford f1oo. it is a 223 4spd. the main bearing and/or shaft is going bad and making some noise. i have a good 302 and auto trani i was thinking of putting in it. it has a 9inch rear with 3.89 gears someone told me that the old rear ends would not hold up to very much horsepower. i was wondering if someone could tell me if that is true and if so what year i would need to switch to. thank you

does anyone have an opinion an what they think is cooler and more practical, should i find another 4spd or go with the auto, i want to actually drive and use the truck a little. would anyone know where i could get a good 4spd at?

http://www.4speedtoploaders.com/
If you plan to drive it alot you might consider a M5OD from a 90s F 150 (make sure the shifter seal is good though), or a Mustang T-5 with a tailshaft housing form a S-10 T-5 (moves the shifter to the right place for our trucks). An AOD automatic isn't bad either, just get one from a 5.0 Mustang or from behind a 5.8, they have more clutches.
Unless you already have a 5.0 get one of those from a Mustang also, they have a roller cam and the HO heads so the torque is better for heavier vehicles, another option is a 5.0 from an Explorer, roller cam engine also with GT-40 heads. The extra torque will give you better efficiency because the engine won't work as hard to move the truck. The headers on these engines should also work in your slick.

the 3.89 is a wicked rear end with a V8. I put a 390 in front of mine, and it scorched the tires easy, and chirped rubber when it hit second.

THe 9 inches are seriously the best thing ever created. I just wish mine was a posi trac/locker


I wonder what your buddy thought you should get??? A C#@^Y 10 bolt?? ha probably. lots of idiots like them! and they'll blow chunks easy!

hes probably talking bout how the pre 65 9 inch rear tended to snap where the axle tubes were butt welded to the pumpkin housing.

most chevy guys (like me) know that the 10 bolt isn't worth much... For a play around toy with 300 or so HP they are fine.

bab85 wrote:someone told me that the old rear ends would not hold up to very much horsepower.

You were obviously talking to some goofy cheXXy numbskull.
9" FORD rear end is the drag racer's choice by 15 country miles.

One of the funniest thing I ever saw was, at the hundred footer drags they have here every July, some twit in a belly button Nova's rear end go kaflooey when the lights turned. I damn near peed meself ...and so did he.

Ford 9" is "bulletproof" for that type use.
unless your hauling weight or have a 4x4 and need or want a 4.10 or 4.56 then the Dana 60 or 70 is my choice.

61ford wrote:hes probably talking bout how the pre 65 9 inch rear tended to snap where the axle tubes were butt welded to the pumpkin housing.

so it sounds like a little reinforcement might be an order? I think I may do that before I add any more power to aggie!!!