[Purcell69]

I'm starting to get an idea that may move the rear tires and wheels in a bit. With the bed sitting in place, the outside edge of the rear tires stick out past the fenders about 1.5" on either side. Some of that will be addressed with the steel wheels and a lot of offset, but that will only get me so far, as I recall either 5/8" or 7/8", about the same difference as the stock Dodge wheels compared to the stock Ford wheels. Last night, the idea crept into my head that I have a perfectly good Ford 9" rear axle sitting under a pickup bed trailer out by where the shop is under construction. That truck was originally a 1978 F150 4wd with a NP435, and if I remember right, the gear set in it is 3.50. The gear set in the Dana 44 on the front of my build is 3.55, so not far off. Richmond Gear makes a 3.55 set for the Ford 9".

Here's the thing...I just took some very rough measurements between the two, the stock AAM Dodge rear axle and the 9" under the trailer. It appears the 9" is about 5" narrower than the Dodge unit comparing outside edges of the tires. Granted, the stock Dodge wheels are mounted on the trailer and the stock Ford steel wheels are mounted on the '57 project, ( yes, they are the same 5x5.5" bolt pattern ). The spring centerline is only 1" wider on the Dodge rear end, so moving the perches out a half inch on the Ford axle would be no big deal. So far, about the only real drawback is I would loose the rear wheel ABS using the Ford axle, which isn't a deal breaker.

Like I said, this is just a consideration at this point. The only reason I am wanting to do this is to pull my rear wheels in under the fenders a bit more. It seems that with the steel wheels from Vintiques and the Ford axle, I may be able to have them completely inside the fenders.

-Joe