Noisy mercury rear end

B

Bruce Compton Canada

Senior Member
My '54 Merc has a sloppy and howling rear end (108,000 miles) and is a 4.10 ratio as the car has an overdrive. What can I use as a replacement?? I'm guessing that '52-'56 Ford or Merc will interchange, is this a correct assumption, and how low can I go on the ratio as 3.78 and 3.54 may be available ratio choices. Thanks : Bruce
 
I'm not sure if the rear axle widths are the same between Ford and Mercury, but the Dana 44 style rear end in your '54 Merc was used in all Mercury's from 1949 thru 1956 and all ford Station Wagons during the same years. It's stronger than the '49 thru '56 Ford passenger car rear ends. Should be a lot out there with all different ratios. Sal Cicala
 
The widths are the same, the Dana 44 is the stronger of the two and you would be ahead of the game for highway cruising with the Merc-O-Matic rear gear ratio you will want to swap to the matching speedo gear.
 
Correct. No center section that can be removed as one piece on a Dana 44. It has a back cover to access the gears.
Not like the '49 - '56 Ford pass car axle. Sal Cicala
 
Thank again guys. The centre section on the rear end in the car now does come out from the front (like an 8" or 9"). Must have been changed sometime in it's life. Thanks : Bruce
 
bruce my 52 merc comes out just like yours from the front, pull the axels then the diff head..bruce i have a question for you,,when you are in o/d and the car slows to about 25/30mph do you hear a click as the o/d solenoid disengages thanks trev
 
Hi Trev : I think that the governor would be cutting in or out around 27 mph, but don't think you could hear it, but you might be hearing the relay. The rear end in my Merc is loud enough that I don't hear much else. Cheers : Bruce
 
I had a 54 Ford back a few years ago with a 3 speed stick and the rear gears from a automatic, was great on the road but I was more into spinning the tires then and That rear gear ruined many cluster gears in the trans. I was to stubborn to change the rearend so after the first couple I had holes in the floor so I could get the top trans bolts out quicker. Live and learn the hard way.
 
Boy that brings back memories.. back in "the day" of eating cluster gears I could swap a trans in my old Merc in under a half hour, and that included jacking it up and letting it down..

Geeze.. what was I thining
 
Bruce you can use the rear center section from any 49 thru 56 Ford or Mercury. I had a 3:31 rear in my 53 Merc with MercOmatic and it cruised at 75 all day.
 
You're right Bossy. I got a mid-50s Ford 3.90 ratio centre section,and it fit and works fine, although the pinion seal leaks a bit. It's 10% lower than the 4.10 it replaced. Thanks : Bruce
 
You guys are really confusing me. '49 thru '56 Mercury's came with Dana 44's and no center section that can be removed from the front. The Mercury's refered too in this section that had front loading rear axles, must have had an axle assembly swap along the way somewhere. Don't know why, because the Dana 44 is a stronger axle, unless they were swapping in a Ford 9 inch rear axle.
 
To my knowledge the only '55 and '56 Fords with no center section is the Wagons and T-Birds. All other cars had a removable center section. I don't think the OP ever mentioned he had a Dana 44.
 
I totally agree that 55 -56 Ford Wagons (also earlier Ford wagons) and T-Birds from 55-56 had rear cover plates only (Dana 44's). I was saying that so do Mercury's from 49 thru 56 including Mercury wagons. That's why it's confusing, because on this forum everyone is talking about Mercury's with a front center section on the rear axles, and they didn't leave the assembly line with that rear axle.
 
I hear ya. Notice the posters that say that are either Canadian or from New Zealand?? Maybe they came with the smaller drop out center section?? Just thinking out loud.
 
My '54 Merc. came from California, and sure looks untouched with it's removeable centre section. However it's almost 60 years old and who knows how many transplants it may have undergone. Bruce
 
had a 53 merc a few years ago that I parted out. I still have the front drop out center section out in the shed. don't remember the ratio. car was original one owner rust bucket.
 
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