Friend is doing a T5 in a 37 pickup using the stock rear end converted to open drive For the X member kit he used the parts from 40 Rag Top Down who sells on here. they fit perfectly. The T 5 kit was from Cornhusker which went right in. The rear end conversion was from Hot Rod Works. The open drive rear end kit came without the seal or setup instructions. He also bought the radius rod bracket and torque arm kit. When he installs the front radius rod bracket where it fits the stock radius rods are to short. I know Hot Rod Works has a new owner so growing pains happen. I recommended these companies and now am trying to help him get thru it. The new HRW owner was not very receptive the customers questions. Any body done this swap into a 37?
The new owner isn't new to hot rods by a long shot, I'm not sure if he is Ken Ryerson's son or Grandson but he grew up in a family of hard core car folk. That bracket to hook up the radius rods should be pretty well cut and dried unless there is something else going on. The housing piece and the full kit show a seal in the original kits on the website so somewhere in the archives there is / are seal numbers. There may be a difference in six spline and ten spline pieces though. It may be faster to go ID - OD _ thickness and type of seal lip and material and hit the seal catalog at the bearing house. Probably a less than fifteen minute thing if he walks into a good bearing house with the two pieces.
I purchased the open drive kit along with the torque arm kit from HRW when I did my '38 truck years ago. I ended up not use the torque arm mounting kit because it pulled the rear end down and bound up the springs. I made my own plate and mounted the heim joint vertically and everything lined up perfectly.
I'm not sure what this guy has for a rear end. The rear end he sent me a picture of has shorter rear bones. They'd never reach to the HRW front bracket. Sorry Don't suggest I post a picture. Dinosaur.
He probably has 42-48 wishbones. They are shorter. If so, it wasn’t HRW’s fault if he ordered the earlier kit. Missing a seal and instructions should be addressed though. Be aware the 42-48 rear is wider too, so you can’t just bolt on the earlier wishbones and expect them to reach the same length.
He just messaged me. Alchemy I think you are right. He said he found another rear in his stash with bones that appear to be the right length? He should be alright? I wasn't demeaning HRW works but the shortage of a part and no instruction needs to be addressed.
Is this the instruction sheet? https://hotrodworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/1105-1106-installation-instructions.pdf It looks like the seal number is in the instructions. OR I would think the owner could at least provide the seal part number, so builder could source the item at the local NAPA. I think this is the seal listed on the instructions linked above: https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NOS19832
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