Invert spring perches rear

[wt4speed#2]

Hey all

During my first week at new jobs one of the counter guys had a buddies 9" in for a re-build.The counter guy Eugene is a old hot rodder from way back (used to have a machine shop in "Po-dunkville Tx)<hehe> I crack me up.He said he had swapped the spring perched on 9" allot the old fashion way cutting the off and resetting the on the bottom.I got to asking and we looked at it briefly cause the guys in the gear shop finished and shipped it out before we could actually put a tape and mics to it .But just looking at it with the chunk out the housing seems centered , the backing plates unbolt ,and the perchs have no angel to them .the flanges on some are round with one flat side where the backing plates go on ,mine are not mine are squared. other than the drilled and tapped area where the vent goes and serves as as anchor point for the brake line and such, why could i not remove the chunk unbolt the backing plates, plug the exsisting vent access flip the housing putting the perches on the bottom,drill and tap a new vent hole on the other side replace backing plates and chunk.
I realize this sound like a lot although if I ordered the kit the rear end has to be almost remove to install the inverted perch kit any way,to change the center bolts .So whit access to a gear shop why not be out the price of a couple tubes of silicon and 2 or 3 pints of gear lube ,a drill and a tap rather than the $85 bucks for the kit , u-bolts and labor to remove old perches and have the new ones welded

Any ideas or feed back on this , would it work?tapping fingers waiting patently

Thanks
Tony B

[willowbilly3]

Because your car would go backwards if you did that. Unless you could make the ring gear stay on the same side of the vehicle when you flipped the housing.
This isn't just theory, we flipped a rear end once, intentionally to make a hay bucker ftom a 53 International pickup

[wt4speed#2]

Let me clarify Willow ,I would be removing everything from housing as if replacing the housing only

Tony B

[FORDification]

The term 'axle flip' is kind of misleading....you don't actually flip the housing over, for it would cause the vehicle to have 4 reverse speeds and one forward speed, as willowbilly suggested. The 'axle flip' kits you see offered for sale are actually the parts necessary to relocate the axle below the springs, and include new spring pads, U-bolts, etc.

If the whole idea is to lower the back end of the truck, you're going to have to weld pads on the bottom of the housing. It's really not overly difficult if you have welding experience and plan it out right. There's an article here on the site which goes through some of the fundamentals on just that:

Welding Leaf Spring Perches

There are some other options available for lowering your truck HERE.

[GT-Racer]

Guys I understand what he is saying. I'll try to explain what he means before stating an opinion.

Picture leaving the drive shaft hooked to gears and unbolting them from rearend housing, now pull housing out flip it, and slide it back over the gears. Gears in same location still.

Good thought but it still wont work due to the housing having the hump for ring gear clearance. It would be on the wrong side and center chunk would never go back in.

Clear as mud I think.

[wt4speed#2]

Thanks GT

That is one aspect I failed to consider ... but one could hope

Tony B

[Nefarious67]

Ya I got confused on that one for a minute but I finally see your idea there. Good thinking I have to say. As posted the relief for the ring gear wont allow it but I wonder if the mouting for the chunk is symetrical to allow it to be flipped if it were possible?