What type of rear axle does 1956 Thunderbird have?

[zuburg]

What type of axle does 1956 Thunderbird have? The red 1956 Ford shop manual says the banjo housing hypoid rear axle is used on all cars except Wagons, Courier, Thunderbirds and Police Interceptors. Then it goes into how to remove the axle for the cars but not for the Thunderbirds, wagons and Interceptors.

From what I read, the differentials for the cars have a removable carrier and you can easily remove the axles from the differential. But the Thunderbirds use the Dana 44 with a "integral carrier housing". I assume that means you have to drain the oil and open up the differential to remove a clip before you can remove the axle to replace the bearing?

If so, can anyone point me to instructions for the 1956 Thunderbird? Is it difficult to open up the diff and remove the clip?

[rotorwrench]

Dana 44 as far as I know. Dana axles bolt in with the bearing retainer. The gear carrier bolts into the housing.

[KULTULZ]

Yeah, you are thinking much later DANA designs that use C-CLIPS to hold the axles in. Yours is like the non-integral rear, the axles being held in by bearing retainer plates.

R&R should be described under the NON-INTEGRAL DIFFERENTIAL in the SHOP MANUAL.

... wait a minute ...

ANOTHER KULTULZ EDIT -

INTEGRAL REAR - NOT NON-INTEGRAL REAR

And I never understood the description BANJO HOUSING as the rear housing has two handles as where an actual banjo has one handle. Now if it takes two hands to operate the strings on the two handles, how does one 'pick and grin' ...

[zuburg]

Oh great. I was hoping it used the bearing retainer plate as if not I was going to have to have help from a friend. I was not looking forward to opening the diff.

Sorry I didn’t take the wheel off to look but I was just trying to research what I had so I could line up some help if needed. Now I hope I can remove the axles myself and just take them to a friend who has a press.

[KULTULZ]

Originally Posted by zuburg

Sorry I didn’t take the wheel off to look but I was just trying to research what I had so I could line up some help if needed. Now I hope I can remove the axles myself and just take them to a friend who has a press.

No need to be sorry. You needed to know and you asked. That is why the FORUM is here.

[zuburg]

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I looked at the shop manual and found the instructions for the Tbird on page 152 under “Integral Housing Hypoid Rear Axle”. It does talk about unbolting the retainer plate. Looks like I’m good to go.

[miker98038]

FWIW. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, I’ve heard so many versions I don’t know what the truth is. The birds used smaller axles than the truck. The bearings are therefore different. I don’t know about the wagons. I learned this the hard way. Ordered the bird bearing, when we pulled the axles the bearing were too small. Fortunately I had a parts guy who knew what he was doing. Took one look and said “those are truck bearings”. So somewhere along the line my bird got a 4:11 truck rearend put in it. They were pretty common in wrecking yards. Probably explains why the spring perch welds looked like a morning job after a 3 day weekend.

Some people will tell you this is actually a 45, or a 43, not a Dana 44. I don’t know.

Most parts are available if you find the old timer who knows what’s what. Randy’s Worldwide (Randy’s ring and pinion) has been able to supply everything I’ve need.

[zuburg]

So now, I’m worried I don’t know what kind of rear end is in my Tbird. First because of all the stories of owners that found their rear axles weren’t what they thought they were, and also because so many things on the one I bought did not have 1956 Tbird parts, such as it had a 239 engine instead of the 292 the previous owner said it was. The Fordomatic appeared to be a mixture of parts from an old passenger car and a truck.

So I took a picture of the rear end in case anyone can ID it. From some other reading I have done, I think this looks like a 9 inch, probably from a truck since I doubt the PO used a rear end from a 1957 bird. I think the rear end from a 1956 Tbird would have had the small dimples versus the shape of this one. Since I need to buy some new wheel bearings I would like to order the right parts.

[56sedandelivery]

It’s not a 9 inch.

[Alaska Jim]

from what I can see, it looks correct for a 56 Bird

[KULTULZ]

Originally Posted by zuburg

So I took a picture of the rear end in case anyone can ID it. From some other reading I have done, I think this looks like a 9 inch, probably from a truck since I doubt the PO used a rear end from a 1957 bird. I think the rear end from a 1956 Tbird would have had the small dimples versus the shape of this one. Since I need to buy some new wheel bearings I would like to order the right parts.

What CASTING ID is at the right axle tube (shown on the first attachment)?

[paul2748]

The oic you posted looks exactly the one in my 56. Dana.

[rotorwrench]

The little 44 there on the web under the bulls eye tells the story. 13/43 is the ratio 3.31:1 for the one in the photo on post #11. Just divide 43 by 13 and you have it. That's a typical ratio for an automatic transmission application.

[paul2748]

3.31 is the ratio for all automatic 1956 Tbird transmissions. I believe the sedans were the same

Originally Posted by rotorwrench

The little 44 there on the web under the bulls eye tells the story. 13/43 is the ratio 3.31:1 for the one in the photo on post #11. Just divide 43 by 13 and you have it. That's a typical ratio or an automatic transmission application.

[37 Coupe]

I restored a '53 F-100 back in the eighties and rebuilt the rear axle.I was told at the time every part or about every part was exactly the same as the '55-'57 Thunderbird,everything but the price.This was told to me by a very well known Ford truck parts supplier in Tom's River New Jersey,often wonder if he is still in business. The last time I orde
red anything from him or talked to him was the morning of 9-11 it had just started in New York as I was talking to him.

[KULTULZ]

- 1955/56 BIRD REAR AXLE RATIOS - DANA 44 -

[rotorwrench]

8BA era 1/2 ton pickups, Mercury cars, Police cars, and station wagons all used the Dana 41 and then the 44 begining in 1950. It was FoMoCos heavy duty axle until the 9-inch came out in 1957. Mercury went to the Dana 45 for a year or so but it also disappeared after that. Lincoln used the big Dana 53 but they are not common. The Dana 44 was used a very long time. Lighter duty Ford pickups stuck with them for the longest time. There are differences in spring mounts and widths in some applications. There are different axle spline counts so not all are the same but a lot of parts are still available.

[55blacktie]

37 Coupe, the rear end in your 53 F-100 can't be exactly the same as 55-57 Thunderbird. Although 55 and 56 came with a Dana 44, 57 was the first year for the Ford 9-inch. Unlike the Dana 44, which has an inspection/access cover on the back of the axle housing, the 9-inch does not. The 9-inch has a "pumpkin" which is bolted to the axle housing from the front.

3.31 is the OEM ratio for 55-56 Tbirds/w Fordomatic. Cars/w manual transmissions had more gear-ratio options.

[KULTULZ]

Originally Posted by 37 Coupe

I restored a '53 F-100 back in the eighties and rebuilt the rear axle.I was told at the time every part or about every part was exactly the same as the '55-'57 Thunderbird,everything but the price.This was told to me by a very well known Ford truck parts supplier in Tom's River New Jersey ...

It indeed was a DANA 44. FORD used them in LT well before BIRD.



https://sep.yimg.com/ty/cdn/motobook...?t=1644877409&

[paul2748]

Trucks, sedan deliveries and station wagons used the same rear as the 55-56 Tbirds (or a good facsimile) Sedans used a completely different rear.

Originally Posted by 37 Coupe

I restored a '53 F-100 back in the eighties and rebuilt the rear axle.I was told at the time every part or about every part was exactly the same as the '55-'57 Thunderbird,everything but the price.This was told to me by a very well known Ford truck parts supplier in Tom's River New Jersey,often wonder if he is still in business. The last time I orde
red anything from him or talked to him was the morning of 9-11 it had just started in New York as I was talking to him.