My '40 Ford Standard Tudor has the left rear axle housing/bearing surface bad where the hub bearing rides. I have a really nice '39 housing and I also have a '41 car rear end that has been gone through. I am****uming (I know, I know!) that the '39 is the same as the '40? The '41 is the same width but of course the driveshaft is longer. Can I swap driveshafts and torque tubes and run the fresh '41 rear end with '40 driveshaft? Are the spring perches in the same location? Of course I could try to find somewhere to get my original housing turned down and have a redi-sleeve installed but I don't know anyone that does that. What do you guys think? Dave
yes, just change the tube and shaft. check the bearing in the middle of the tube while its off, broom stick handle or something to see that it feels smooth. maybe time for a new seal in the front of the tube, and check that bearing too
@rusty valley Thanks. I just looked again at my '39 housing and unfortunately it too has a small spot developing on the bearing race surface. I did find '37-'40 is same housing part number and '41 is a new number. It will interchange as a complete axle****embly minus the driveshaft and tube? Dave
41 's are 2" longer wheel base, so longer tube and shaft. other than that, the tube and shaft will interchange
You didn't specify whether the '41 rear is from a car or pickup. If it's from a pickup, it'll be the same and you won't have to change anything. If it's from a car, you'll have to change out shaft, torque tube, and radius rods. Also see what the ratios are for the two rear ends. If the '41 has a different ratio, you'll need to grab the speedometer drive gear off the '41 shaft and the '41 speedo drive.
Were it me and my 39 housing end was also bad I'd put the repair sleeve on it and just change one housing end while the 40 unit was still in the Car. Then take the removed 40 unit, repair it and have the 39 back in good shape. This way the 40 is only apart long enough to change ends.
@38fordpickup Yes, I did say it was from a '41 car. Yes a '41 pickup would be the same as '40. I did find one 1 more thing about the '41 rear end. The spring perch is indeed different. They are about 46.5" apart and the '40 is about 48" The '41 has a second set of holes in the perch that appear to be the correct distance but would need drilled to the correct size, then trim the other holes/end off the perch. Plenty of work but doable. However, I found the passenger side race to have a small worn spot on it too. It does have nice shoes, drums, and wheel cylinders which my '40 needs. I looked again at the '39 housing and I now think what I see on it is pits from water/rust damage on the bottom side. I'm thinking it may be usable after all. Opinions? @Pist-n-Broke That was my thinking as well cuz I really hate to tear the whole dang thing apart and have it strewn everywhere. Where does one stop? Body would be off the frame before I knew it! Thanks, Dave
well dang, pardon me if spewing out incorrect info. i did not think the perches changed until 46. but.. i will not argue with your tape measure!!
Thanks @Blake 27 . I took a picture of the '41 perch and would have posted it but your info shows it well. No problem @rusty valley ! '41's are all by themselves in so many ways. Dave
We can turn down your housings and install new bearing races. Or we stock the good races and you can buy them and have someone there install them. Be aware that there are "soft" replacement sleeves out there that don't hold up. We did a side by side visual and hardness comparison a while ago. Here are the results (Hardness numbers denoted as Rockwell C): A "less expensive" aftermarket bearing race after 20,000 miles: Compared to an original Ford: Compared to the aftermarket race we stock:
So, obviously that cheap repair sleeve has WAAAY too much damage but on an original bearing race, how much wear is too much? Is it when they have grooves or are egg shaped or a divit out of it or what? How bad do they have to be to not run it? Fingernail size blemish too much? 1/4" rusty spot having tiny pits? I'm talking about a car that doesn't see all that many miles, not a regular daily driver. Dave
I didn’t know you guys were on here!!! Good to know! Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
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