61 econoline rear end ?

I was told that I could change out the rear end on my 61 econoline with a rear end from a ford ranger . Has anybody done this and what all is involved doing it ?

Yes and no. You can mod it to bolt in but the spring mounts will have to be cut and relocated. The brakes are smaller and are a different bolt pattern then your van. The drive shaft is a flat flange and not a yoke so more mods to shaft/flange. You have a 7in. gear and the ranger is 7.5in. so not much of an gain here. So, yes it can be done but that is a lot of work.

Is there different rear ends of the econoline s I could change out ? The van I'm looking at getting the owner says top speed is 60mph . What are the rear ends that come on econoline s ? I've heard there is a 9 inch rear end does that give it more speed ? I really don't know much on rear ends so any info will help . Thanks

Yes there is a 9in that came in the heavy duty vans. Keep in mind that the 170 engine won't go much over 60 no matter what rear you run. Top speed is determined by gear ratio and not by 7 or 9 inch rear end.
My 61 had a 144 and it wouldn't get above 45 on any grade and on some I had to use 2nd gear. The 61 is not a hot rod, for sure! It can , still, be a lot of fun.

Thanks for the info

See the Econoline Axle specs here

http://www.econolineid.com/axle.php?s=code

You can find your gear ratio by the code on the data plate on the door, or by the tag on the axle.

Higher gear ratio (4.00, 4.11) will mean more power to get the van moving with a heavy load. Low ratio (3.50) will mean better gas mileage, less pulling power. For higher speed, you want a 3.00 or 3.50. A larger engine will help too. If you have a 144 or 170, you need to look at swapping in a 200.

If you swap your engine to a V8, then you want the 9" rear axle, which was an option in the Econolines starting in 1963. Any 9" rear from 1963 to 1967 will bolt up to your Econoline. Emergency brake cables are a little different.

The 7.25" axle (what you have) has a removable cover on the rear of the axle. The 9" axle has the removable carrier (looks like a cover) on the front side of the axle.

It is easy to change the gear ratio in the 9". Not as easy in the 7.25"

The Econolines have a very unique axle width that is not found on any other Ford.

BTW, the Ranger bolt pattern is the same. I have Ranger rims on one of my Econolines.