Building a 9-Inch Ford Rear - Ford Power For Chevy Performance

We had Currie weld up the suspension brackets after we took the rear back to the tech center, set up the suspension, and tacked them into place.

The reason for this was two-fold. One, Currie’s welders do these types of jobs all day, every day and their machines are setup to yield a perfect weld. And two, they can check the rear for any deflection or warpage that may have been caused during the welding process and straighten it out before they slide in the axles and third member components.

To fill the innards of the 9-inch, we’re using a 31-spline Traction Lock posi unit coupled with a 3.55:1 ring-and-pinion. A nodular iron yoke, pinion support, and gearcase, bearings, and hardware complete the unit.

The Trac Lock third member carrier uses a clutch pack to lock the rear tires together when torque is applied.

Carrier bearing preload and third member backlash is checked and adjusted…

…as is the gear tooth contact pattern on every rearend Currie builds. To adjust the gear tooth contact pattern, shims are used between the pinion support and the gear case.

Locking tabs on both sides of the third member ensures the backlash adjusters stay in place.

To ensure that excess pressure in the axlehousings can be relieved, Currie installs a breather in the housing.

Among the myriad of options that Currie offers is to add an oil fill cap and drain plug, two worthwhile additions when it comes to maintaining your rearend down the road.

Forged alloy 31-spline axles are more than enough to handle the stresses of a street-driven truck.

Big disc brakes courtesy of Wilwood are also one of of the options available to stop that hauler. Check out the rear four-bar story elsewhere in this issue for more info on these big binders.

And there you have it! One burly rearend good for years of use and abuse, made to last, right here in the good ol’ USA.