Ford 9 Inch Rear End

Ford’s 9 inch rear axle was produced from 1957 through 1986. At one time or another, it was installed in nearly every Ford passenger car and truck. In racing and hot rodding today, you’ll find these rear ends and their aftermarket descendants in just about everything—not just Fords.

The Ford 9 inch rear end is one of the most popular axles in automotive history. It is also one of the most popular axles in drag racing history. Ford stopped 9 inch rear axle production in 1986. It was then replaced by the Ford 8.8 inch rear axle.

However, aftermarket companies like Stange Engineering still produce this rear axle for the drag racing and hot rod industry. The Ford 9 inch housing is a semi-floating, drop-out axle. Because of their strength, you will see these 9 inch rear ends in just about every make of car, not just Fords.

What makes Ford 9 inch axles different from other high performance rear ends is how the ring and pinion gear is accessed. It allows for the pinion side “Center Section” to be removed. The center section is the differential assembly. This includes the Center Case, the Pinion gear, the ring gear and the differential or spool. This is a major advantage compared to other rear axle systems because disassembly is faster and more convenient.

Why is the Ford 9 in so popular?

The Ford 9 inch housing has a vast amount of ford 9 inch gear ratios available. This combined with easy assembly make it popular for fine tuning your rear gear for any particular track.

Strange Engineering has designed improvements to the Ford 9 inch rear ends for the drag racing industry. Strange has increased the strength of the Ford 9 inch several different ways. The Strange 9 inch rear ends are constructed .141” mild steel with a heavy duty .282” face plate. The housing is slotted along the front to allow complete and secure welding for the housing tubes. Internal gussets provide extra support for the mild steel tubes resulting in a strong and rigid housing capable of handling most abusive applications.

The fabricated 9 in housings take it a step further with its triangulated design creates a more rigid housing tube support for more consistent and straighter launches. This fab 9 rear end is constructed of .125” alloy steel with a heavy duty .375” faceplate. When paired with a backbrace, this housing provides the ultimate in strength and reliability.

Strange Engineering provides a full line of bolt-in ford 9 inch housings for street/strip, as well as, 9 in drag race applications. Whether you are looking for a rear axle with stock mounts, leaf spring perches, or bare tube for ladder bar and 4 link applications, Strange can custom build the 9 inch housings to your specifications and needs. With a full complement of 9 inch centers and custom axles, the technicians at Strange can direct you into the best combination of parts for your vehicle.

Strange Engineering was chosen to provide the Ford 9 in rear axles as OEM equipment for Ford Motor Company in the late model Ford Cobra Jets, the Chevrolet COPO, and the Mopar Drag Pack production race cars. The unparalleled quality of the Strange driveline components made the choice an easy one in these highly competitive and collectible racecars.

In addition to Strange’s line of fabricated 9 inch housings, Strange also offers modular aluminum housings for sportsman dragsters, Pro Mods, Alcohol funny cars, Alcohol dragsters and more. These heavy duty pro units are fully machined to exacting tolerances and used by the fastest cars on the planet.

Strange Engineering is the most recognized name in the aftermarket industry when it comes to Ford 9 inch rears. From high performance street cars to top fuel, Strange Ford 9 inch housings are relied on by more racers than all other manufacturers combined.