Tomorrow Im going to look through a pile or two of banjo rear ends and torque tubes. I plan on making a set or two of headers and need to find some 36 or 37 drive shafts. I know anything 39 or later will have hydraulic brakes but how can I tell the earlier rear ends apart with out tearing them a part? Any help would be appreciated. Also a little off topic are the manual brake rears worth anything? I think I can get them pretty cheap and if I could sell a few for a profit it would help to further my project. Thanks again.
The 35 and 36 rearends have the spring hanger on the radius rods. And the radius rods bolt onto a little flange on the axle tubes. I don't have any pictures,someone else does I'm sure....
There won't be a grease fitting where the tube shafts are, the solid shafts need the bearing. Course that's not fool proof, you never know what's been done to them http://www.parts123.com/parts123/yb.dll?Parta~ShowPicTxt~Z5Z5Z50000021d~Z5Z5Z511580~Z5Z5Z51
I was searching this forum and found a "how to identify banjo rearends" post. I should have saved the link, but you'll be able to find it. Come to think about it, It may have been in the tech Archive forum.
already been touched upon... 35/36: wishbones are attached near the center of the rear alxe, on the bottom side housings.....rather than out on the ends of the axle housing where the bolts hold the wishbones, backing plates to the tapered axle housings.....clear as mud! shouldn't be a grease fitting in the center of the torque tube
VAPHEAD has given you the correct way to easily id the rears having the driveshafts you want. I just picked up a 36 Ford rear end yesterday for $20, and I checked the driveshaft --- it is the right one for making the headers. By the way, there was a how-to article in R&C or SR mag on how to do to make these headers. I've been searching thru my mags without much luck trying to find that how-to article. Do you happen to know the month/year/mag of that article? Manual brake rears would have to be in pretty good shape for them to have a market, and because they are heavy, it's usually only a local (and therefor limited) market.
Here are some pictures of the different rear axle housings to help you identify them. The tubular drive shaft is typically found in 35-36 rearends. Checking for the grease zerk in the torque tube is also a good idea. http://www.hotrodworks.com/project_vehicles_view.asp?carid=39
Rod and Custom March '06 had the article you are talking about. That article is what inspired me give it a try myself, I figure I don't really have a shot at making a set that nice but they might turn out ok. Here is a digital copy: http://www.rodandcustommagazine.com/featuredvehicles/0603rc_custom_headers/index.html
that's a great article.....i must have missed it....jimmy does great work! here's a cheapo tech i did......i didn't get into how i did the connections but there's some pretty detailed info on the driveshaft it's self.....you have to make the ends symetrical.....one end has a longer taper than the other.....nothing a tape measure and chop saw can't fix.. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123944&highlight=lake+header
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