Rear Differential questions.

I've been looking about on the web and just about anywhere else. I have seen or heard about some Hudson owners that have altered a Ford 9 inch differential by having it been shortened to fit under a step down car, or older cars or trucks.

I want to alter a Chrysler 8.75 rear differential to fit under my car. Does anyone have an opinion of using either a Chrysler rear differential or a Ford rear differential under a Hudson? I know that i will have to also shorten and re-spline the axles to fit the altered rear end.

Comments

  • Glowplug
    Glowplug Expert Adviser
    Jon Battle sent me a write up he did about Gus Sousa’s instructions to install Mopar rears in Hudsons.  I have yet to find where I put this information on my website?☹️? 

    There is also this this information that does not address your specific question but does address others rear end changes in Hudsons.
    https://openforum.hetclub.org/discussion/160026/pre-stepdown-modern-rear-end
     
  • ski4life65
    ski4life65 Expert Adviser
    I haven't done it, but pretty sure a Ford Granada/Lincoln Versailles is the correct width. The lincoln had disk brakes and was a 9". Getting hard to find though. 
  • Glowplug
    Glowplug Expert Adviser
    Don you are correct about the Lincoln... my son sold his 66 mustang and gave me the Lincoln rear end which has  disc brakes with emergency brakes as well as positrak he had planned to install.  
  • what are the lug on it? 4.5 by 5 or what?


  • Glowplug
    Glowplug Expert Adviser
    Same as Hudson
  • Just remember that 6 cyl Mustangs and Falcons in the 60s had four bolt wheel while the V8 cars were 5 on 4 3/4. Just in case you go that route. 
  • Jon B
    Jon B Administrator
    I do have Gus Souza's information sheet on using MoPar rearends, but I'm pretty sure he was speaking in terms of fitting these to pre-Stepdowns.

    I don't know much about StepDowns, but I was given to understand that -- the Dana/Spicer rearend (as used in post-1952 StepDowns) had lots of ratios that you could "plug in".  And these gears are pretty easy to lay one's hands on (or so I was told).  And I would assume that the "track" of the '52 Spicer axle would be the same as the Hudson-built rear axle of 1951.

    So, this would lead me to suggest that you simply lay your hands on a good '53-54 rear axle and install whatever Spicer ring and pinion suits your needs.

    (You are talking about installing this in a StepDown, right?  You hadn't specified the year, so I assumed '48-54.)