i have a 9" rear im putting my brakets on to put in my car, however im stumped with the issue of a torque arm mount.

what are my options?

 

Buy an aftermarket torque arm mount, if it's still available, and weld it onto the diff housing.

Buy an aftermarket direct bolt in housing for a third gen.

Eliminate the torque arm by using ladder bars but this requires more fabrication work.

What housing are you using? Is it the same width as a third gen diff?

 

id like to use this one because it is my cheapest option. its 53 1/4" flange to flange. out of a bronco. large bearing housing, large bearing center. and i basicly got it for free.

 

Third gen axle flange to axle flange is around 61-1/4". Housing end to housing end is around 56-1/4" (back of the backing plates).

Either way, the Bronco diff will be very narrow.

Junkyard diffs are not easy to convert into a third gen. Even converting to ladders bars, it can eventually cost more than buying a direct bolt in housing.

My 9" is a junkyard diff. My original one was from a 1970 F100. All I used from it was the housing because it was close enough to the width of a third gen diff. I picked up a complete center section with 4.56 gears and a spool from a local racer and bought aftermarket axles with the Ford 5 on 4-1/2 bolt pattern. I then used Ford drum brakes. I was using Weld Draglite rims and they have a dual bolt pattern. I removed the torque arm and LCA and installed ladder bars as the easiest way to install the diff in the car but had to do some sectioning work to the floor for the ladder bars to pass through. I was lucky that my SFC easily allowed me to install a front crossmember between them for the ladder bars to attach to.

The narrowed 9" diff I currently have in my car also started out as a junkyard diff. Different gears and axles in it but the same brake package. I still use the Ford bolt pattern in the rims.

At least with a direct bolt in housing, you can still use the GM brakes and rims.

If you have little or no fabrication skills or equipment to do fabrication work, I'd recommend selling that diff and buying a bolt in housing to save yourself a lot of problems. Keep the center section and order a housing package which comes with axles. The Bronco probably uses 31 spline axles. Pop the Bronco center section into the new diff and bolt it in. Install factory brakes.

 

ok, so its 3" narrower. all id have to do is get differnet offset wheels from what i have now. 1 1/2" less BS.

im tryin to locate a stock 10bolt housing to steal the brackets off of.

welding and fab. is not issue.

i just need to know where to locate a torque arm mount.