1941 Plymouth p12. Need rear breaks and broke the drum/hub in one. Also bent the hub part. Is there a different fix besides buying a $400 one. I see disc conversions for the car for the front but not the rear. Do they make one?
Those rear drums have caused more complete axle swaps then nearly everything else. Any rear brake conversion will use the rear hubs from the original rear end. It would be more cost effective to replace the entire rear axle. I believe the modern Jeeps (the Jeeps are pretty easy to find in junk yards around here) have about the same wheel track (the width of the axle, wheel mounting surface to wheel mounting surface), and also have the same wheel bolt pattern (except the last few years). If your not making a ton of power, nearly any Jeep rear axle will work. If your going to make a lot of power, a different, or more heavy duty rear axle might be a better choice. Are you intending on running the original drive train? If you intend to modernize the drive train, you will likely need to modernize the rear axle at the same time because the e brake on your car is on the OEM transmission and modern stuff has the e brakes on the rear axles.
If you are located in and or around the Pittsburgh, PA. area, I have an entire complete rear axel from a P-12 Plymouth in one of my barns. No way could I ship it though. Maybe it is worth a road trip? Depending upon where you are.
From what I’ve been reading a ford 8.8 out of an explorer should work. Found a few around my area with disc brakes for $200 think I’m going to go that route
Yep! As original as you can get! All there, drum to drum. I am in AZ. but that assembly is just north of Pittsburgh on my other property. Obviously I can not get you photos, but it is exactly what you are looking for.
If you get the original for a replacement, you get another 2 shots at getting the drums off. I've heard that on the original rear ends, you can grind off the rivets then hold the drum to the hub and remove the drum and not have to deal with removing the hub. That same source said you can access the brakes around the hub to replace them. They said they used screw in wheel studs and slid the drums on before you put the wheel on and the wheels held the drum in place OK. I can't remember where that information source was, but it sounds logical to me. If your keeping the original drive train, the OEM rear axle and brakes work well as long as the brakes are properly adjusted. I have used an 8.8 Ford rear end before. You may have to weld on the spring perches to the axle housing, and you need to get the correct flange with the correct u joint size to match the u joints on your driveshaft. Some 8.8s came with leaf spring mounts, and some came with coil spring mounts. The coil spring mounts on the 8.8 axle need to be removed, and I don't think the leaf spring mounts are in the correct location, but they would be too wide for your springs anyway. The leaf springs on your Plymouth are 1 3/4" wide, most modern stuff is 2" wide. You can get the 1 3/4" wide spring perches most places that sell trailer springs because most trailer springs are also 1 3/4" wide. You just need to know the tube diameter of the axle you are using. Most modern car or light trucks have 3" diameter axle tubes. With nearly any modern rear end, expect to have to replace the leaf spring perches.
Eventually I’d like to put a different motor in. So I think it makes sense to go the rear swap route now rather then spend the money to fix the original then later spend it again on a different one. That way I’ll also be getting disc now which will be a lot less of a headache. This is my first time messing with a car and learning as I go. I know how to weld and have the idea how it all work. Guess it’ll make it that much more rewarding when it’s on the road
I had a '48 Plymouth, not a lot of differnce between them. When I bought it, it had a Cutlass front clip & a 12 bolt rear in it, drum brakes all the way around. They were fine. 8-9 years later the GM brake booster blew. replaced it & the '68 Olds M/C (originally had an Olds 455 but by then had put a 331 Hemi in it. Stopped fine after the work. A year or 2 later the car wasn't stopping w/o putting it in neutral. Turned out that when the previous owner matched the booster & M/C he had shortened the operating rod, not noticing that I hadn't so the rear brakes hadn't worked that whole time, was just stopping on the front brakes. When it got hard to stop the right from wheel cyl had took a dump. One drum brake wasn't adequate to stop the Hemi. basically you don't need 4 wheel disc brakes, front only will do, or modern drums all the way around. Millions of cars drove everywhere with 4 drum brakes.
A buddy of mine has a '41 Plym with that axle, said it's a direct bolt in except it moved the axle an inch, forward I think.
Around here, I have no idea where I could ever find a 65-68 Chrysler 8 3/4 rear end, and I'm a Mopar guy. If we can't direct someone towards parts they can actually find, the information is pretty useless. 2023 isn't far away, we can't keep sending peopl to look for parts that were becoming scarce in 2000.
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