I realize you want to stay with the original rear axle but being how the hamb is a hot rod & custom site and I am not a restorer I will echo Rocky's advice of using a Maverick rear axle, it's almost like they were designed for the shoebox Ford. My 1950 had a Maverick rear axle and it fit like a glove. HRP
Early ford Rangers ( 83-92 ) have the right width ( 56.5 inches ) but require the spring perches to be flipped from top to bottom. they come in 7.5 and 8.8 ( 8.8 being the better choice )
Yeah I made a mistake there for sure. I was using the green book and referenced something incorrect in it for the station wagon rear end. It’s all down to inexperience. Education is always expensive
My guess is that you probably didn't really damage anything, that wasn't already screwed up. cut yourself some slack
You might have already tried them, but Randy’s Worldwide aka Randy’s Ring and Pinion seems to have a lot of knowledge and sometimes parts they don’t list on the site. They’re down in Everett WA. Probably worth a phone call. https://www.randysworldwide.com/rin...qBsDIlLKasS2Ivu2A22DBHAuFGm5mulkaAlOEEALw_wcB
I’ll look into that thank you. I’m trying to hobble this car together in time for October 26th because it’s our 26th wedding anniversary and during the pandemic the beautiful restaurant that we would have our dinner at every year burned down. It was a big tragedy for the locals because it was so wonderful. Well this year it’s going to be ready and rebuilt for our anniversary so I wanted the car ready to take there with my sweetie. We have taken many classic cars there over our marriage and this is likely going to be the last one I build, not because I’m too old or anything like that, but because the car is so special and has a cool story about how we found it and I love straight sixes and shoeboxes. I had a ‘50 with a 350 in it and it kind of didn’t do it for me. This is why I’m trying to just get it back working for that one trip in the fall. It’s only about three blocks away lol
Back when I taught rear axle rebuild, we had maybe 20 assemblies that got disassembled and reassembled every term. Since schools don't have unlimited budgets, we used crush sleeves over and over. When going back together we would have the students tap the bulge in the sleeve down a bit. That allowed the student to pull the pinion nut down to get the proper pinion bearing pre-load. We re-used them until they were used up. I never tried this on a car that was going to be put on the road, but I thing it would work fine for a one time thing. Also, the torque on the pinion nut doesn't mean anything. What you tighten the nut down for it to get the proper pinion bearing pre-load. New crush sleeves take a lot of torque to start crushing down, so pinion nut torque is whatever it takes. It takes a lot.
Thank you for this well thought out response, it’s very helpful. I might just try tapping that bulge down around a mandrel if worse comes to worse.
On the Van Pelt web sight it shows the crush sleeve but I can't get it to pull a price. There's a single part number and a number for both races and crushwasher as a set. For sure worth the call. 513-724-9486 Excellent people to deal with.
Crush sleeves suck, they take alot of power to start crushing them all while hoping you have not gone too far. But after i get it crushing I would just set them based on rotational torque and feel. So like one guy said just make a shim and it will get you close and then check. Ive also put the old sleeve on wrist pin and hit it all the way around to try and expand it back out a bit. Its hokey but it worked once for me. Fix that thing and keep driving, dont waste your time changing the whole rearend out, modifying shit always creates more work than just fixing the initial problem.....usually...
Yeah I feel the same. Every change seems to snowball into issues. I just want this thing on the road asap and the entire gear set is mint so I feel wrong about ditching it for a tiny part like that sleeve
Personally I believe you can get away with reusing the crush sleeve, currantly I’m running a 9” composed of 2 rearends. Swapped the crown and pinion out of a 4 pinion rear to the 2 pinion rear I had, spent some time messing with shims but it’s quiet and runs 48degrees c , only bearing changed was the pinion support bearing, these are a 62 and 68 rears, running the 62, all you really need is bearing preload for the carrier and pinion, well and gears that are not worn through the hard facing . Buzz the pinion nut on and check the preload, I find the best tool is a 36” pipe wrench to hold the yoke while tourquing the nut, adjust as nesessary to achieve pinion tourque . A crush sleeve will crush some more, just takes a little more effort. Works for me, done this several times.
Follow your Gut instinct and you'll be fine. I subscribe to the KISS method, not that I haven't taken the Difficult route more than once.
Thanks for the ideas, I have a couple emails out to some of the places fellas have mentioned in this thread that may have parts. Short of that it’s going to be a machined sleeve and shims, and if I can’t get that happening, I’ll reuse the crush sleeve. Either way this car is going to be on the road asap
I have squeezed a crush sleeve or three using an old pinion for a mandrel and the vice when desperate, will get you some length but weakened. IIRC you had access to a lathe? Pretty simple then, set it up with new bearings and races, and the cheated old crush sleeve, carefully crushing to spec, then pull it apart and measure the sleeve and make a solid spacer to match, done
Have you tried Canada's leading differential specialist. Huge parts inventory and same day differential service. Call the experts today. (iwerearendsonly.com) There in Burnaby been around for years
Yep, I have a 4' Ridgid pipe wrench, and a 3' Snap-on 3/4 breaker bar, makes things a lot easier- the 4' version is heavy enough to sit still on the floor while you draw the nut down
my problem is my first car, a '53 ford, would break an axle without really trying. in 1965, junkyards were full of '49-'56 fords, so a replacement axle cost about a sawbuck. i just got tired of replacing them!
Yup, me too. Hell, I once snapped one [left side] going from 3rd to 2nd...chirp-BANG. The end of the stupid shaft ballooned out and had a terrible time getting it out of the housing...Had to remove the 3rd member to get the busted-off piece out. No more old ford rear ends for me.
5 lugs...it might work be sure to get video of you stealing the rear end from it. I mean, let us know how much you had to pay for the car.
Will do, my daily is a 1973 J10 with a winch. That thing does a nice high speed extraction Pharaohs style
If you get the Mav rear, I'd suggest you get the drive shaft also, for future use if you do an engine/trans swap.
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