'Guess I should have included the 9-inch as well since they're the same width. With all the talk I've seen here about Granada rearends, someone must be running one in their Maverick.
My initial thought when I saw the title is why would you run a Granada 8", you aren't gaining anything. After some thought it occurred to me that a Granada would be a good donor for 5 lug pieces. I have the Versailles rear in mine but it's just sitting on crappy old 14" Centerline wanna-bes from the 80's.
You're gaining 1-1/2" of width and wider brakes, as well as larger axle stubs that match the front disc hubs.
Your gaining 1/4" wider brake shoe and extra weight from the heavier 53 rib brake drum and the longer axle shaft on each side. But you will pickup some of this weight from the 1/2" smaller axle tubes and bearings...although the tubes are longer and this might cancel out the tube weight savings.
I have thought about this swap and it should give a lot better clearance for old school wheels and fat tires out back. Should be just about perfect. The stock Mav rear places them too far inboard. I doubt that 275s would be a problem with the right wheels, not too much offset. The down side is the anemic gears that typically came in Granadas... somewhere in the range of 2.50s. But those can always be changed ...
Are you comparing to the 9-inch? The axles & bearings are the same size as the Maverick 8-inch (except for the axles being 3/4" longer). The brake drums are not all that much heavier.
Your main concern was axle width and tire size, correct? If you add a 9 inch into the mix, I seem to recall that the center chunk is quite a bit heavier. (I think 30 lbs ... but don't quote me).
The Granada rear I have laying in the backyard has 2-3/4" tubes, my '74 Maverick has 3-1/4" tubes, the '71 Maverick rear laying next to the Granada rear also has 3-1/4" tubes. According to the parts catalog a '75-up Maverick has 2-3/4" tubes. Also according to the parts catalog the Maverick also had different size bearings and axles. It depends what code you have on your tag . See http://dixiemaverick.com/DMaxlecode.html
That may not be a Granada rear you have, or at least not an 8-inch. The tubes and bearings are the same size as a '73 Maverick rearend. Same part number for the bearings as well.
The tag on top, 0MB, decodes as 1970, December, 2nd week of the month. This will be a 71 production date since the 71’s hit the streets sometime in September of 1970. The 9HA decodes as 1979, August, 1st week of the month. The codes at the bottom right are plant codes. If you notice the Car Line in the chart…G stands for Granada and P is for Maverick. In the Wheel Bearing section you will see that the Mavericks took a medium bearing and the Granadas take a small wheel bearing. I was wrong about the U-bolt size. They are the same. But the axle tube ends do look smaller around the bearing area on the Granada rearend. I can’t get to them to measure without moving a bunch of heavy junk. It was a bear getting to the tag to remove it. I do have a pic of the Granada rear when I brought it home. Like I said earlier, it is according to the info on the tag will determine the bearing size and from what I’m seeing Granadas got the small bearing. But on the other hand we both know never say never when it comes to Ford parts. That is why we should always take the old part with us when buying new parts to compare.
You're talking about axle bearings, right? They are the same for my '73 Maverick rear and my '75 Granada rear (RW207CCRA). I wonder if something changed in '79. Like you said; never say "never" when it comes to this stuff.
