I have a Ford 9" rear end but I'm thinking of switching it out for a 36 Banjo rear end. I don't think the 9" looks right on a traditional hotrod. My question is should I go with the 36 banjo rear end. I'm going to be running a 241 baby hemi. About 180 horse power once finished is this the right choice. Thanks for the help!
180 hp would be inline with a really healthy flathead as far as horsepower goes. Are you looking at stock 36 axles, hubs, etc? If so you run into the twisted or broken axle issues. It depends on the type of tires you are planning on using and how you drive it. Somewhat normal driving or drag strip style side stepping the clutch? If you are running reasonable street tires and normal street driving there are things you can do to improve the axle keyway life. There are several people on the HAMB that can help with that. Wide and/or street slicks and aggressive driving, the stock axle most likely won't last long.
im not sure i read to use the 9 inch. axles you gota get sum machine work done i got the inch axle i was thinking of selling it know im thinking of holding it for a while>>>
Using 9 inch axles in a V8 style quickchange or stock banjo is fairly involved. It can be done (that's what I did) but you need a lot of machine work and someone who knows how to do it.
Cheesegrater said it best, it's all in how you handle the go pedal. There are so many myths and misconceptions out there it's silly. The general public believes that a T5 tranny won't hold up to a mild Hemi such as a baby dodge or DeSoto. Bullshit, the torque #'s are in the ballpark of a stock S10 engine The general public feels that you have to have some uber designed chassis to handle a hemi's weight? A stock larger Chrysler 392 is not much heavier than a BBC. Add a passenger into any car or total up the weight savings of a front clip removed on an unfendered Hotrod. A banjo rear end will break axles just as any other rearend if abused enough. I'm willing to bet that over 1/2 of the sheared keyway are due to improper seating of the axle taper to hub. If done properly you can literally drive without a keyway if desired.
it depends on how the car hooks up and weight lighter the car the less problems you'll have. my 40 ford with a 322 with 9.00 recaps sheared the keyway i was 20 and didn't know what i was doing, would it be any different today i don't know