I must say I am a little confused. I retired back in 1998 that is when I started fooling with old cars so I am on a steep learning curve or just slow, but trying. There is a guy in my home town that has a 1975 Bronco rear end for sale fort $800 and it has the 5 by 5 1/2" bolt pattern. I probably should just get it? Jerry
Should work the '75 was still first generation. I have never paid 800 bucks for a 9" rear but I guess that's a fair price if its the right gear and in good shape.
I don't want to pay $800 either but it is local and he says he went through it and rebuilt it and it is like new?????Jerry
LV rears are way over priced, have highway gears, look big and bulky and are heavy, parts are not available and brake adjustment requires that you get all the OEM e-brake set up. Plus, they are wide and old. Google: "Why not to use a Lincoln Versailles rear" and plenty of reading material appears.
albjerryg: Give the guys at HOT ROD WORKS about their kit and other options they offer. Be sure to discuss when to use a torque arm. www.hotrodworks.com Also, post your question on www.fordbarn.com for even more valuable info.
I will give them a call. May I ask why can't you run the original transmission with an open drive shaft conversion? Thanks Jerry
The open Drive shaft conversion you were looking at in an earlier post only takes care of the rear axle. There is way more involved than just changing to and open drive shaft. First, The torque tube you are wanting to replace is part of the rear suspension. Once you remove it, you don't have anything to tie the wish bones to anymore since they bolt to the torque tube and the entire rear suspension pivots of the back of the transmission where the torque tube attaches. DO NOT listen to anyone that tells you that you can put joints or rod ends into the wish bones and attach them to the frame. They are not strong enough to take the forces applied to them as a suspension link without the torque tube, they will bend and break. this is not a model A its way heavier. If you really want to do that, you need to install a set a ladder pars to hold the rear in place properly or put it on paralell leaf springs. Second, if you remove the rear axle and replace it with another or put the open drive conversion, the output shaft of your existing transmission has no provison for a yoke for an open driveshaft. you would need the output shaft and rear mount ***emble from a 42 to 52 ford F1. those came with an open driveshaft and have the provision for an external yoke and seal for an open driveshaft. I Know everyone will tell you to go buy a 9 inch, in reality, its over kill. you can use a rear from an early mustang, an 8" ford rear and it will work fine, you will have no problems with it and can probly get one for 100 bucks. if you want to keep the same bolt pattern, you can get replacement axles for the 8" rear for around 200 bucks that have the right bolt pattern in them. I'm pretty sure you can buy early bronco replacement axles and the will fit the 8"inch no problem as long as they are a 28 spline axle. Pick out what trans you want, I would recomend a T5. Since you already have small block with an adapter to the ford trans, you can get an adapter for a T5 to a flathead, that will then effectively make up your bell housing between the 2 adapters, and it will let all you factory clutch linkage work as it should. If you want an auto trans, be prepared to do some cutting on the cross member to make it fit. Do your self a favor. Get another rear, and a leaf spring kit, pick out what trans you want to use, and swap it all at once. There is no real way to do this in small steps. It needs to be done in one big shot. you will be glad you did it that way if you do. Jason
You said in post three that you wanted to end up with a t-350 trans behind you Chevy engine. As previously advised; the only reasonable way to accomplish this project is to gather your parts and do the job all at once. T-350 trans mount and wishbone split kit is pretty easy install. Maybe need to consider how your motor is mounted too. Parallel leaf kit is the easiest way to mount an open drive rear. Retaining the cross spring with ladder bars works to; but requires a lot more fabrication and welding. Lot of rear end options have been recommended; but to get one the right width, 5 on 5-1/2" bolt pattern, and the correct ratio to work good with an auto and tall tires might take a little doing. Lots of moving parts to plan for.
Yes I would rather a automatic transmission if the C4 is able to fit in the space I have. Thanks for the input Jerry
C4 will fit. My good friend has one in his 40 Ford behind his flatty. You have to split the wishbones and remove the center "X" member brace. The rivets are a bear to remove as they are swedged in. Leave the rivets use a laser cutter to cut out the rest of the brace. Best if you could actually talk with someone who has done this before you begin. There may be a kit available that includes a bottom plate to reinforce the frame. Look at this: https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Flathead-V8-to-Ford-C4-Auto-Transmission-Conversion-Kit,8947.html and also https://www.google.com/search?q=how...ome..69i57.16047j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 Here's another opinion. https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=77155&highlight=install+c4+transmission+41+ford Check this out: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/anyone-with-a-flat-o-matic-starter-issue.575956/
I think If I were you I would look for an 8' out of a Granda or Mavrick it does have a 5 on 4.5 bolt circle but if your going to get into this thing then you should think about upgrading the front brakes to disk. Or you could go the Chevy 10 bolt out of a nova route this would be a 5 on 4.75 bolt pattern, You can get disk brake kits in either bolt pattern. My first project when I was 19 years old was a 47 coupe, I went the 10 bolt route. If a 19 year old kid can do it you can also.
A T-350 will fit both Jerry's Chevy engine and '41 Ford just fine. Why is everybody bringing up a Ford C4?
I have already converted the front to Disc brake and power steering. The rest is getting a little more complicated, I am older and work alone maybe I should just sell it and buy something completed?? I don't know?? Thanks for the input Jerry
Jerry, First, decide exactly what you want to do. Then, take your time and do your research so you will know exactly what you need to do and the total cost. It will always cost more than anticipated and require more work tan expected. Put together a Plan of Action and follow it with a realistic budget. Your initial post said: I have a 1941 Ford coupe with a 350 Chevy engine and the original 3 speed transmission and the original rear end with torque tube. I wanted to remove the rear end and torque tube and replace it with a rear end with the same dimensions and a regular drive shaft? Is there any great problems other than removal of the torque tube and rear end? In 1963 I had a 40 Ford with a 265 Chevy engine mated to the original 3 speed transmission with the original driveline. It ran fine for normal driving. Unless you do power shifts and burnouts yours will work fine also. Today banjo rears are considered nostalgia. Unless you really want an automatic, consider keeping what you have if it runs good. Today, old is gold.
I think you are correct I need to take close look at what the cost are and time involved in the conversion. I have already done the power steering and front disc brakes and changed out the interior. So it runs really good with no problems. My wife is bugging me about auto transmission. maybe I should get her to do the conversion???? Thanks for all the help and suggestions. Jerry
Not trying to be a smarty pants, but your wife would be the coolest gal on her block knowing how to drive a stick. It's a lost art.
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