Hey guys been a couple decades since I’ve been on here but I recently pulled my Camaro out of the barn and got the itch to work on it again. I found a 9” rear end in there as well, I have no clue where it came from. It appears to be in good shape . I am thinking of trying to make it work in my car. Just curious if anyone has any input if it would be worthwhile to mess with or just throw it in the scrap pile. Looking to stay to a budget due to my wife controlling every aspect of my finances.

i did a quick search and came up with not a lot of info , if anyone has a good thread to reference I would appreciate it.

 

Don't bother. A factory Frod 9" is a POS. In fact, the ONLY vehicle I've ever seen get set on fire by its rear end, it was a Frod 9".

What makes the 9" platform so popular ISN'T the factory thing. It's the PLATFORM. Kinda like, the top fuel guys don't run stock Chrysler hemi motors; butt the motors they DO run, are on that PLATFORM.

As far as what it came from, practically EVERY Frod vehicle back in the 60s and up into the mid 70s came with one. Cars and trucks. It was their "standard" go-to. Could be from anything from back then. For all I can remember the Pinto might even have come with it.

Consider this your "thread".

 

Not trying to get into a pissin' contest or anything, but the Ford 9-inch is one of the best rear-ends ever made...PERIOD.

 

:shrug:

In my experience it's just typical Frod s***. It's BIG and HEAVY butt not particularly "good" in any way beyond that. The bearings wear out the same as a GM 8.2" or other similar POS (other than the axle ones since that's completely different), and that's what takes em off the road, not gears or axles wearing out.

 

So is there anything I could do to improve this axle ? Would the parts needed to make it hold up outweigh the cost of an aftermarket? Seems parts that were so readily available from cars are becoming hard to find , not that it would be much of an upgrade but a 4th gen rear seems harder to find nowadays.

 

I have a moser 9 in my car. It's awesome. It was a total pain to get in and set up well. If it's a drop in unit w brackets for a third gen then maybe. If it's a generic leaf spring axle toss it or sell it. The work it's gonna take to get it to fit isn't worth it. Between suspension/brakes and axle width it's not worth the time/money or effort. Especially w a stock-ish car. If you have an above 400 hp then it's a different deal. Then get a drop in like moser or strange etc.

 

VERY different from a factory one. Same shape internals, everything else different.

It's the PLATFORM that's popular, and for good reason; NOT the original thing.

 

Measure the width of your 9" and compare it to the Camaro rear width. If it's close you can cut the brackets off of the Camaro rear for the LCA and buy a torque arm kit and make it work. Mine is from a Torino and it's close to what a factory Camaro rear is.

 

Almost 30yr old moser housing and axles. Moser thru bolt aluminum case, lightened gears etc.

when i 1st got it together, i used a regular 9" pig from a truck with 370 gear or something. I had upgraded the guts to a Detroit locker. After a few hits with the M&H tires, i had cracked the factory pig. Started talking with the ford guys and they said the N pig was strongest factory part.
I spent a few bucks on one and it held up to a lot of abuse. Now they are big bux for resto guys, and i wanted to lighten things up, so i went aluminum.

 

That's the same setup I have, I got it in 2000 (ish). It was a pain in the *** getting it dialed in but once it was I've been super happy w it since. It's really taken quite a beating also!

 

How many times do I have to say this before it sinks in...

NOT THE SAME AS SOME RANDOM FACTORY ONE YOU FIND IN A BARN

It's NOT A Good Idea in any manner way shape form or fashion to consider using a FACTORY Frod 9", even if it can be made to fit. Moser, Strange, Currie, WHOEVER ELSE, yeah. Stock Frod POS, NO. Not no actually, HELL NO. It's a POS.

 

dude, I don't think anyone is claiming they're the same in any way, shape or form. That's kind of the point. They obviously share a couple of parts and obviously it's a doable swap but that's really it.

 

Getting your car going? Is it apart? Does the stock rear function? Are you doing the work?

i know it seems like a good idea to use it if you have it. When it comes to a any parts needing modded, like a rear axle, start adding up what needs done. Brackets, brakes, narrowing, axles, gears, carrier. I am not going to put effort into an open carrier 3.25 rear that needs narrowing, has the wrong bolt pattern, drum brakes, would need a driveline, exhaust mods to clear the driveline, etc. unless there are some features that make it worth it.

Make a list of what needs changed to fit. Tally up costs. "I have a 9" I got to fot for $2500" makes less sense when an all new unit is $3500 these days.

Another major tip when getting things back together is pick a task and get it done. Order all the stuff Friday. Get it all done the following weekend. That's works especially well with brake upgrades.

Re: budget, put money aside each check for transportation Some people do best putting cash aside. Some, savings. Do what works for you.

 

Indeed.

Reminds me of people who post "I found this old Oldsmobile [or whatever] with some big motor in grandpa's barn after he left it to me, what would it take to put that motor I got for free in my 88 Firebird 305 TBI?" And then all the cheerleaders pile in about "free" motor and "back in the day a Toronado made more torque than a 426 Hemi" and "all you have to do is" and stuff like that; without realizing that d00d is gonna spend twice as much putting some "foreign" motor into his car, and in the rare instance that it actually works enough to the point that the car EVER drives again, discovers that it's a grandpa cruiser land barge pusher-arounder and NOT "high performance" in any manner way shape form or fashion, and he coulda just gone out and BOUGHT a whole Chevy motor that would FIT and BOLT UP and CAUSE NO TROUBLE and MAKE MORE FUN for half of the time effort money and grief that the giant turd cost him.

Kinda like this one here; you got the cheerleaders who are all "look at my pretty Moser 9" " and posting up all these pictures and telling him how great their Moser rear is, AS IF any of that has ANYTHING to do with the turd in his barn that might have come out of a Granada, or a truck, or a Lincoln Mk 3, or a Falcon, or ANYTHING ELSE Frod built in the 60s & 70s; might have 2.xx gears in it, probably doesn't have a posi, CERTAINLY has brakes that are a TOTAL JOKE in 2025 aka drums, probably needs bearings and leeeeeeeks like a sieve, and so on. USELESS. No matter how pretty somebody else's Moser rear is or how long it's been in their car, the stock Frod POS in d00d's barn is STILL a stock Frod POS and is USELESS unless he has whatever kind of an old Frod that needs that exact rear.

 

I do have a very, very pretty moser. I'll look for some pics of it to post up.

 

I am regretting coming out of the shadows and posting on here again.

 

Agreed. You should be getting work done.

 

All Sofa is really saying is that it's not practical to try to put that rear-end in your thirdgen. It would cost a fortune.
If you have that kind of budget, just buy one from Quick Performance and bolt it in. Last I checked, they were $3,700, but everything (not just eggs) has gone up since then...

 

Thank you so much for the info.

 

There's been guys on ls1 tech that have fit an f150 8.8 into 3rd and 4th Gen cars. The suspension mounts are fairly cheap to buy but then you've got to invest your time into getting it just right etc etc.

In my opinion I'd steer way way clear of quick performance for a 9" rear end. Horrible fitment to say the least. That torque arm bracket is the wildest thing I've ever seen.

If you really want to go 9" but don't wanna break the bank I'd buy either a Midwest Chassis 9" housing and axle package or a Moser M9 package they both use their own 2 piece torque arm that's light years ahead of anything else

 

I've been doing a lot of research on aftermarket rear ends and I've read some scary stuff concerning the Quick Performance 9" rears. I can't remember the details but I read enough negativity to conclude that I'm just going to say, "no" to a QP 9".

 

Yea exactly. I bought one and got it all set up and in the car and saw first hand just how bad it actually was. Some guys have good luck but most don't. I pulled it out and sold it then called Midwest Chassis and bought one of their fabricated 9" units. The level of quality and craftsmanship was hands down the best I've ever seen. They actually care about the products they produce and there were ZERO fitment issues. It bolted in the car the same way the stock rear end would. I'm beyond happy with it

 

I was just using QP as an example. Wasn't necessarily recommending them.
My whole point was the impracticallity of trying to set up some random 9-inch for a thirdgen as opposed to one that has been professionally set up...

 

Yup... all of which has NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with d00d's barn find. "Oh you found this random old 9" in your barn; so QP is no good, go buy a Moser / Currie / Strange / whoever instead". Highly logical, even for a human.

 

To be honest, I'm super thrilled w the fact that since I installed my 9in I'm not in a constant state of worry about when my rear is gonna blow. But at this point there are so many bolt in options there's little need to fab up a rear. All the Bolt in 9 in units have their ups and downs. They're larger, they have a tighter fit. The torque arm mount is a bit of a PITA. Hawks bolt in 8.8 seems like a reasonable option also. I'd save the fab skills for other projects.

 

Yeah, I think if I found some random old STOCK (not "Bolt in" for whatever foreign chassis, as far as old STOCK random Frod 9" rears go) Frod 9" in my grandpa's garage, that'd be my VERY FIRST thoughts too. Yeah sure.

Great ideas, as far as they go; butt NOT applicable to finding a random old Frod 9" of totally unknown source in some random old garage.

 

You're getting worked up about this **** for no reason. What does it matter to you if they want to use what they got and fit it into the car??

It's not the hardest task in the world to put a random Ford 9 inch into these cars.

 

I couldn't care less what "they" want to do to their car. If the OP wants to put that random unknown Frod POS in his car he can go right ahead, it's his car, more power to him. Frankly I doubt it's any good particularly, or that it'll fit, or that it'll be "worth it" in the end if he does, but as said, that's up to him, it's his car, he can do what he likes with it. While I think it's a fool's errand and AHELLUVALOTTA maze in exchange for very little cheeeze, it's his choice, not mine.

What annoys me is the "d00d found a random old stock Frod rear in his barn look at my shiny Moser he should buy that instead of a QP because that's what I bought and I like it and it's all shiny" kind of crap while OP is saying "Looking to stay to a budget ...". Moser and QP and all of that have NOTHING WHATGSOEVER to do with whatever d00d found in his barn. Doesn't do him a DAMN BIT OF GOOD to spank off about Moser and all the rest of that. Not the least bit helpful to him in any manner way shape form or fashion.

 

If we're gonna help him, let's help him. Let's tell him how to cut the springs perches and whatnot off his stock rear and weld them to the other (or make new ones), how to make & attach a torque arm bracket, how to hook up his brakes, where he's likely to have interference or other issues, where to get gears and posi units the cheeeeepest, etc. etc. etc. (I know basically none of that myself, so I'll let those who have done it tell him how); and lay off the "look at my shiny Moser buy one of those don't buy a QP" which is NOT helpful. It'd also be nice if the OP would share with us what benefits he hopes this thing in his barn will bring his car, what he uses it for, etc. etc. Maybe even if he'll tell us what gears it has, how long it is, how off-center (or not... it varies) the pinion is, and stuff like that, that will help us help him figure out if this is even practical at all, let alone A Good Idea.

 

Yelling at people because you "think" you're right doesn't help one bit either. Jus saying.........

 

He's not wrong though. Can someone take that old trash and make it "as good" as a Moser ford 9"? Sure, but unless you have the skills, access to a machine shop, free materials and your personal time isn't worth **** you aren't going to save a damn cent.

It's the same thing that happens when someone finds a "chebby tree fitty" in a barn and thinks some poorly built smogger trash from 1975 is going to be an improvement over whatever they currently have in the car.

Sure you could spend a **** load of time and money making that garbage into something "good", but 99% of people would be better off time and money wise just buying something that isn't **** in the first place.

 

The members are just telling you that modifying a Ford 9" out of some car/truck can be done but will require allot of work. You will probably have to shorten the axle tubes and weld on a new flange. The axles will need to be shortened and re-splined. Then new brackets will need to be welded on, without warping the tubes, that will allow the rear to fit your suspension including the panhard bar. That is allot or work and can only be cost effective if you do it yourself or have a friend who can. If not done properly, you will have a rear end that makes noise, and breaks axles.

Good Luck,

Fred

 

you never mentioned, or was asked, how do you intend to drive the vehicle?
you can add new axle and stronger parts to your stock axle and most likely be fine.

I had 480hp in my s10 and everyone told me id break the stock 4 cylinder rear end in it the first time i drove it.
Well, three years, and about 50 set of rear tires later it never broke. I even welded the spiders for that budget spook action.
It never had traction, therefor it never broke.
If you're not bolting on sticky tires, you'll most likely have the same with your axle.
The 9 inch center is big, if i remember correclty, if on big bumps or lowered it can hit the floor of the car.
But i could be thinking of something else.
For the time involved, it'd be easier to buy a ready to install complete rear end.
But, if you have the means to do it, making a 'pos frod' rear end work in your car isnt a very hard task. Probably not even a full weekend. -if you have the ability.

Also, don't let one duckhead cuase you not to post anymore. There is plenty of decent poeple in here, and lot's of good knowledge..

oorah

 

Definitely. Exactly.

Find out what you've got; what gears, does it have posi, how long is it, what it came out of if possible, etc. etc. etc. Ignore the crap about Moser and proceed on with investigating whatever you're gonna do (or not, once you know) with what you've actually got. A BIG part of that is, figuring out what actual BENEFIT this will provide you; is the rear you have now broken in some way, do you need to spend money on it anyway and would rather spend money on this other instead, will it make your car faster, will putting an extra 150 lbs (or whatever it turns out to be) of unsprung weight under the rear of your car get it to corner better, etc. Answer those kinds of questions honestly. If all this is, is just "I wanna see if I can do it", well, that's your business, butt be warned that you can pretty seriously screw up your car in the process.

Putting a foreign rear in a car is often not all that hard. Butt that's in the way that brain surgery is often not all that hard for a brain surgeon. If you don't have the time, space, eqpt, knowledge, experience, etc., you could just end up with a giant mess on your hands.

 

Do you have a well-equipped shop? Welding equipment? Skilled at suspension fabrication? A jig to shorten the axle tubes if required?

If so, have at it, but start a build thread here so we can all follow along.