Very curious about these 2 speed axles used in Fords/ I know of some nearby. I know that some years are more preferable than others, the late ones (40s) used an electric switch. How strong are these axles? Has anyone adapted one to Hotchkiss rear suspension ( live axle, parallel dual leaf springs)? Did they all use a closed driveshaft?
Vetteson, Let me see if I can answer some of your questions. I run a Columbia on both of my cars. Columbia internals used on Fords are basically the same from 1933 through 1948. The difference is the axle housings and axle lengths depending on the year, but the rest of the internals are interchangeable. I have converted a 1948 Columbia to use on my 1936 car by using the 36 axles and cutting the axle housings on the Columbia and the 36 stock axle housing and had them professionally welded together. The axles are no stronger than original Ford axle however the original Columbia does have an inherent weaknesses that can be resolved by going through the internals to have them modified and “bullet proofed”. Columbia Two Speed Parts has information about this process of bullet proofing, axle housing modifications as well as what to look for when buying one. http://www.columbiatwospeedparts.com/ I have been running a bullet proofed Columbia for over 40 years behind a 300hp Chevy engine and have put over 100K miles on it and never had an issue with it. I don’t baby it when I dive but I do treat it with respect. Columbia’s used on Fords were closed driveshafts. That being said, I imagine it could be converted to a open drive by using a 42 to 53 Ford truck setup. Speedway sells a kit to do this. Driving the a car with a Columbia gives you the best of both worlds around town acceleration and highway cruising depending on the gear ratio. Mine Runs 4:11 in standard drive and 2:94 in overdrive. Sure makes driving on the highway pleasurable. Hope this answers your questions, keep us posted if you plan to proceed.
3 pages that may answer your question https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/columbia-2-speed-for-bonneville.1241269/
I have a Columbia that was dealer installed in a new 46 Ford ½ ton truck, it's open drive and is parallel leaf spring equipped.
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