I found this and thought it was interesting.

Terry

The most popular rear end around is no doubt the Ford 9 inch unit, it is used by restorers, street rodders and racers alike, regardless of what brand of car the axle is going in. Many custom made axle housings for the GM boys utilize the 9 inch Ford, even though they hate to admit it. Ford used the axle from around the 1957 model year right up until the early 1980’s in cars and trucks. It was not the only axle used, but was by far one of the best. Variations by Ford exist in the size of the outer axle bearings in the housings and carriers both, as well as with the spline count on the axle shafts. Generally most cars received the small axle bearings and 28 spline axle shafts. Exceptions to this were the ultra Hi performance Boss 302’s, Boss 429’s, 427’s, 428 CJ/SCJ and the 429 cars which received the 31 spline carriers and axle shafts. Some of the heavier cars like the Galaxies,later Tbirds and mid 70's Torinos also received the larger wheel bearing housings.The trucks varied more, early half ton trucks got the 28 spline axles and carriers, while sometime in the early 70’s the switch was made to mostly 31 spline axles and carriers for trucks while some vans remained 28 spline. Most of the later trucks also received the larger axle bearings housings.One exception to this was the Bronco’s from 1966 to 1977, they stayed with the 28 spline units and in mainly small bearing housings, although some of the later 74-77 it seems started getting the heavier axle housing with large bearings. A small bearing housing can be differentiated from a large bearing housing by the size of the nuts and thread used to retain the brake backing plates to the housing, the small bearing housings use 9/16 socket size nuts with 3/8” fine thread, while the larger bearing use 3/4” socket size and 1/2” fine thread. Gross Vehicle Weight ( GVW ) would determine which axle housing many cars and trucks received.(*Note-See New bearing information under Housing Section Below-updated 12/04)
Because many one half ton trucks continued to utilize the 9 inch (both 2 wheel & 4 wheel drives) right up until about 1982 these housings are by far the most abundant(*Note:Some 1/2 ton Vans and Trucks used the 9 inch right up until about 1985/86 or so in limited quantities*), and with many 1973 to 1979 pickups to still be found on the road and in junk yards,these are very plentiful. And since the “Limited slip” or Locking rear end (often referred to as a “POSI”) came to be a popular option starting in the early 1970’s, many of the units found today at car swap meets and shows are the units pulled from trucks with the 31 spline carriers with the “Traction Loc” style posi unit. The actual car posi units which were primarily 28 spline carriers can be much more difficult to locate since the supply is limited to the few cars and early Broncos (and some early trucks) which received them.When it comes down to actual shafts as well, since the truck lug pattern in most cases differed from the car, and due to the bearing size differences, 28 spline car axle shafts are much more abundant than car 31 spline axle shafts, and often aftermarket shafts have to be purchased if one wants to use a truck 31 spline carrier in a car.
The carrier case I see frequently is the C7AW-E, it is the one commonly found in the trucks,vans and cars throughout the late 60's and the 1970's, right up until around 1985 in some truck applications. I am not sure if this “E” version of the case came into use in 1967 or in subsequent years, but it is by far the most abundant case being used in both full size Ford cars and trucks throughout the 1970’s. I have heard that it has a higher nodular iron content and better casting than the earlier single ribbed cases it replaced and that is why it remained in use so long, and the double ribbed N case was no longer needed for passenger car/truck applications (this also coincided with the demise of most performance engine options in the 70’s)- I have never seen this substantiated however. Most carriers I have seen for sale at swap meets/ car shows are this C7AW-E case which leads me to believe they were pulled from trucks and cars from the 1970’s.
Axle housings as noted in the examples below also evolved over the years, the earlier housings used in cars from 1957 to mid 1960’s tended to be the weakest and had abrupt ending butt welded carrier centers to tubes and a smooth backside. Later housings appeared in 1966 with the familiar “Hump” in the backside middle and stronger tubes.The later truck housings received even beefier center carrier housings and tubes and this style of center carrier housing is best suited for drag cars or narrowed rear ends in my opinion due to the added strength in the middle (have heard it referred to as the "Banjo style"). In general the early housings are ok for the average street performance cars. The popular early swap being the 57 to 59 Ford for the 65/66 Mustang - this will also be the narrowest stock Ford 9" application (about 52" housing flange to flange).I haven’t completed an axle housing width chart yet, but here is what I can tell you about some that I have seen, they often group Mustangs and Fairlane axle housings together as often it is true they are the same width, but I can tell you for a fact, the distance between spring perches is different between Mustangs and Fairlanes.Spring perches must be cut and re-welded inorder for the swap to be performed. The “rough" widths I keep in mind for Mustangs are the following: 52” for 1965 to 1966 (the same width as 64-65 Falcons and 62 to 65 Fairlanes)(as in the Mustang line, most however never received a factory 9 inch), 54” for 1967 to 1970 (same as 66 to 69 Fairlane,Torino,Comet & Cyclone non station wagons)*cars with 351 and up engines received 9 inch units-as did some 302 4V cars-(mainly GT's in 68 with optional gear ratios)* and 56” for the 1971 to 1973 Mustangs/Cougars- (cars with 351 engines and up receiving the 9” housings).Keep in mind as mentioned, the Fairlane spring perch distances were not the same as the Mustang. All the Galaxies I have seen from throughout the 1960’s used the 9 inch rear, regardless of engine size.

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2011 Ford F-150 XLT 4X4