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[FastDEW]

Wow! This is a long one...

Bob, thanks for your faith in my ability to answer this question .... but 1989 is a little before my time (Was in the aerospace industry back then). I will try though.

First off .... Are you sure it is a DRW axle? It is more likely a SRW Full Float Axle. The DRW axle is much wider than the SRW and will not fit under the regular van body. Ford made vans with two axles in the rear. The light duty E250 used a semi-float axle (Stearling, I believe) and the E250HD and E350 used a full-float axle. The axle being full-float does not mean that it is a DRW axle. The wheel studs on the SRW full-float axle will appear long for a SRW but this also does not mean that it is a DRW axle. The drum on the DRW axle is larger than on the SRW, this will not allow the wheel from a SRW to bolt on to the DRW axle. The brake is a 12x3.5 on both units but the drum on the DRW is much deeper than the SRW. Also, the studs on the DRW axle use a nut with a spin washer for clamp load on the outer circumference of the wheel stud hole. The wheel centers on the hub itself. The SRW uses a coned type nut that centers on the stud itself. All DRW and SRW axles are the Dana 60 except for the E450 (SuperDuty) which is a Dana 70. There was a short time where Ford sourced Stearling for the axles but I believe your van is too old for that to have been the case. In any case, if the axle was on the vehicle from the factory it will be rated to hold 15 passengers. We go through hundreds of requirements to certify a vehicle for sale. The vehicle will have to pass FMVSS testing to be legal and all Ford vehicles typicaly exceed the FMVSS requirements set forth by the feds. As for the seals not fitting ... well all manufacturers make changes in suppliers and design due to many conciderations. Over time Dana may have changed suppliers or the prints may have been updated for the part as problems were found and improvements made. There are many reasons that components change over time, also ... I know we would like to believe that the manuals and documentation always keep pace with the part but that is not always the case. Even in forward model engineering we sometimes find that the documents do not agree with the part. Hope this helps. Please shoot back any questions you may have and I will try to answer them.

Dan

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99 PSD E350 VAN 3.55LS Club Wagon Chateau with Factory Rear Seat/Bed and Aluminum Wheels.
"Drive it like you stole it!"