Guys, Used the search function to learn what I could, but I could use some more of your expertise here. This Winters quick change is for sale locally for $150. Does this look like a good price? I would be putting it under a Bantam I am doing in a 60's drag theme. I see it has the wide 5 and ***ume it is geared wrong and has a spool as it is from under a roundy round car. Can anyone give me an approximate dollar figure on setting this up correctly to run 9" parts/drums for the street? thanks, Bantam
I would think. Heck, it you don't use it part if out. Seems like the big units are worth more in parts than an unit. good luck.
BANTAM...we're looking at a new WINTERS quick change, like $1,000.00 to $1,500.00. so how can you go wrong? but considering how many H.A.M.B. members have dragcars, i doubt if it's still there. can't blame them, son hotroders are like shark's. yea we smell the blood! HA! just kidding my friend...POP.
IMO, that is one of the very rare no lose situations. We all have plenty of experience with the no win situation (especially if you are married), but you have the much more coveted no lose situation. The center and bells are worth over the asking price, so you are guaranteed to be solvent on this deal via an eBay sale. You will likely need new tubes, as the snouts on the end for wide-5 won't work with what you are thinking of doing. The good news for you is that the aftermarket Ford 9 inch stuff uses the same size 3" OD tubes that you need for the QC rear. So all you need to do is find a Ford 9 inch builder, have them make up some tubes with the right ends, you cut them to length for your track width, then order the axles in the right width. You can probably find a place that knows how to compute the tube and axle lengths all in one step if you already know the final dimensions. The differential won't be particularly cheap if you decide to get away from the spool. I believe that the biggest market for the QC is circle track, and they just run stagger and a spool. This means diffs are expensive. However, I found a Tru-Trac (Torsen gear type ATB diff) used for $250. Not cheap, but you can probably recoup half that by selling those hubs and the spool. The gear sets go for $20-$30 each on eBay all day long. I have seen new ones on closeout for that much as well. Remember that each gear set has provides two ratios. Most of the time the roundy-round guys only list the low ratio because that is what they need. Thus, the 6.25s can be flipped to become 3.78s. Just make sure you know the ring and pinion ratio before you buy anything as that is the basis for the QC gears to change. Here is a file I created that incorporates all the numbered sets I could find: http://www.v8****rel.com/_i/QCGears.xlsx It only shows the 4.86 ring and pinion on the two print tabs because that is what I have, but the other ratios are listed on the All tab. I print those out and take them to swap meets or auctions as a lot of times only the set number or high ratio is listed and it allows me to know what I am buying and perhaps get a deal. Not quite as good as the one you have in front of you. Good luck.
Thanks for the replies, guys. I made arrangements to see it tonight. He said the brake on the one side is keeping it from turning, he's not sure what gear ratio it is, not sure if it has a spool, etc. He just wants ride of it and doesn't know much about it. Came in a deal with some parts he did want. So....what should I carefully check to verify condition? A few pointers would be helpful. thanks, Bantam
As fot the spool you can just convert it to 38-52 3/4 ton peg leg, that's what i'm doing, brake wise you can go wilwoods wide 5's, there are other options too,
You want to make sure that the castings aren't cracked or otherwise ******ed up. The bolt holes on the bells can crack when they are over-torqued, (just like any flange) but that isn't the biggest deal. The big deal is the same bolt holes in the center section. There are a lot of guys that use RTV to seal the bells to the center. The problem is that they overdo it, some RTV gets in one of the holes, and when they tighten down the bolt, it hydraulic locks, cracking the casting. IMO, even at this price, that is a deal breaker. The cost to repair is high and it is a sign of a previous owner who was careless on at least one occasion. The holes that are used to bolt the rear cover to the back of the center are subject to a lot of wear. Gear changes when the axle is hot involves a long, steel bolt going into a blind tapped hole in an aluminum casting. Recipe for disaster? You bet. Check these holes carefully. Look for heli-coils (good) or epoxy threads (bad) since the threads pull out quite often. As a result, many people convert it to a stud. If the rear cover is stud mounted, IMO, that is a very good sign. Anyone who sees a problem with a blind tapped hole in an aluminum casting and takes the time to convert it to a stud is the kind of person who takes care of their stuff. Also look carefully at the bottom of the center section. The circle track guys run their cars and usually the fuel cell is in the very back. This means that to have the ride-height they want at the end of the race when the cell is almost empty, they run lower than optimal when it is full. This often puts the center section perilously close to the asphalt. If the team didn't run the right bump stops or are just unlucky enough to find a piece of uneven track at the wrong time, the center can hit the ground. If the bottom is flattened down significantly, you have a weakened unit. It isn't impossible to have someone weld material back on to restore thickness, so this isn't a deal breaker, but it is something to be aware of. Beyond those three things, the rest is really just like looking at any other axle, with a little bit of transmission stuff thrown in for fun. Check for odd wear on the ring and pinion gears like normal. There are a couple of shafts that a regular axle won't have that shouldn't be pitted or chipped up; treat them transmission parts as that is essentially what they are. Spend 90% of your time on the center. Not only are you planning on replacing most of the other stuff, but it is also the most expensive. If the center is bad, forget it. Bells are cheap and the rest of the stuff is junk to you anyway.
The Jalopy Journal
