Today I picked up a complete ch***is for a 47 Ford pickup that I plan to use for my 31 Studebaker project. This thing has a full floater style banjo rear end. Other weird thing is that the rear end has an open driveshaft, no torque tube. The wheels are 17" and have a fairly large 5 lug pattern. My guess would be 5 x 5.5" The stock driveshaft looks awfully small. My real question is how strong is this rear end?? Im not looking to do John Force style burnouts with it. I would like to use this rear end because it fits the theme of the car perfectly. The driveline is a bone stock 460/c6. I plan on using the same 17 rims, they cant be more than 5.5" wide. I just want to know if it will be reliable enough to cruise around town with out mishap.
If you're using even a stock 460 you are going to break it. Probably very quickly. The banjo rear end is not designed for the kind of torque that a modern V8 will produce. I may be wrong, but I don't think it'll last very long.
Im almost positive its 3 pieces (left and right axle tubes and center section) I would have to go look at it to double check though
here's the two different types. The one in the car is a V8 type banjo, the one in the gr*** is the Timken 3/4 ton type
The first and only years of the open drive banjo rearend were the 42-47 Ford 1/2 ton Pickups. These and other banjo rears were used behind most any large powerful V8s and hot 6s over the first 5 decades they were around. And a good many of them were rebuilt weekly or racely or more often, but a lot of them survived the abuse. I wouldn't put my trust in one that wasn't done with all new components in this day and age and behind a modern big block maybe not even then..
I looked at it closer today, it is the two pieces Timken style. Im torn, I love the look of this thing, it will fit the car perfectly. I love the way it looks, but I dont want to be blowing it up either. I guess I could have wheel adapters made to run the rims. I measured the bolt spacing and they are 5x 6.5" Its HUGE. I dont know of any other rear that can hold some power with this size bolt spacing. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Opher
Skidmarks, Thanks for the advice. I thin I will attempt to run it as it sits. The car should have no weight to it. Its a 31 Studebaker 4 door body, and basically a 460/c6 combo. Like I said before I know the rear has limits, I will not be doing burnouts at everystoplight, and beating the **** out of it. If it holds for a year or so that would be great.
you might want to figure out the ratio...those big trucks usually came with 6.6 or the "high speed" 5.4 gears. not too hot for cruising or milage
the Timken rear is PLENTY strong enough to handle that stock 460. They were the roundy-round racer's choice at one time, at least around here. I've heard a bunch of stories of at least one car- a 60's T-Bird, with a 430 Lincoln, that never hurt that rear. They were the platform on which the champ size quickchange is built. I have heard that reasonable ring and pinion ratios are available new, thanks to their racing popularity.
And just to make you feel even better, the Timken was used in 3/4 ton Studebaker trucks as well as Fords.
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