Forgive me if there is already a post on this but I couldn't find one. So I have my Model A frame and a 37-38 rear end I want to use. I've been looking thru the Bishop-Tardel book and see that they say to mount the rear spring perches at 12 o'clock on top of the axle housing. And, they step the frame in the rear. My question is, since I have the '37-'38 rear that has the spring mounted behind it, couldn't I just use those existing perches with a Model A rear spring? This way I wouldn't have to step the frame. I guess it would shorten the wheelbase for one thing. Anything else?
not really they are further apart than a model a i believe different width shackles it will shorten the wheel base(like you already said) i guess you could just move the crossmember back and use the 37 spring tk
Right on. I wasn't sure what the measurement was eye to eye on the spring but I thought it might be possible. I forgot about the actual width of the frame and shackles though. Thanks.
Mayday, you can put your model A spring on the 37-38 rear that you have and extend your model A frame back i think its 7 3/8, since you are going to Z the frame it wouldnt be a big deal to extend it. Im actually running a model T rear spring on the spring behind setup for a 39 rear and Z'd my rame 1 inch and extended it 7 3/8 i think, I had DCRoadsters to build my frame and he is helping with the build.
Hey Bob. I saw in another post you had a Model A spring and a T spring. You still have the A? Wanna sell it? And what is the width of it? Like Tub said, the shackles for that spring may be different that the ones for the 37-38.
You could bring your crew for HAMB Sammich on Sunday and find out! Of course it would still probably be just me that showed up from around here so I will just tell you. Just trying to gather parts, build a little hot rod, selling the Caddy. How's your project coming.? I saw pix. F-ing sweet dude. And how about the lil Lord?
Yea still have the A spring, the widthe for the shackl and the spring was a .25" difference, i just strimed my bushing I had and pressed it i flush into the spring and then installed the shacke if that makes sense? Let me make sure thes T spring is going to work and if it does then ill sale the A spring
Since a Model A frame is basically a rectangle, I would mount the Model A Spring onto the 1937/'38 rear and put it up into the frame. Then put the body onto the frame, center up the rear wheels and see how much space you've got between the firewall and the front cross member. This will let you know how much you need to lengthen the frame to make it all work. Usually you want at least 32 inches if you're gonna put a V8 in there.
Mayday, This is a post I put up some time ago, it might help. I would like to see more info on this subject. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=379751
And I guess another consideration would be where the wheels sit in relation to the body. SInce I don't have a body yet, I didn't think about it. But, I guess you would want the wheels to line up with the fenders (or where the fenders were)
Trying to build a car without all of the parts is just going to leave you frustrated, and having to redo a lot of stuff once you get all of the parts and realize that what you thought would fit, doesn't. My suggestion would be to decide the type of car you want to build, make a list of the parts you need, and start hunting those parts down. If you get an itchy finger, you can always spend time cleaning up the parts you have and want to use. . . this way, once you've gotten everything you need you'll be working with nice, clean, stripped parts.
/\/\/\ Brian is making a lot of sense here... especially concerning something as visually important as rear wheel position. Also, a model A spring will fit just fine on a later rear, shackles will interchange, done it a few times. Model T springs are not as wide and require modification to the hangers.
I used a 36 banjo as it is a little less beefy looking in the axle housings (smaller carrier bearings). Mine is converted from rear hung spring to top hung using weld on perches and a T rear spring, no step in the frame as a low car is not my agenda. 34 driveshaft and torque tube with 40 Ford front shocks on the rear and 46/48 radius rods that have been tweaked with heat. It all looks like it was put together in a factory. J...
Nice work. I think I saw a post of yours about those spring perches. Are they Pete and Jakes? I'm trying to hunt some down. And it looked like some pix showed perches that just welded to the top, and others that fit around the housing? Is that correct? Which is better?
I have a long sad story about using cast spring perches and NOT welding all the way around the tube. On the second try (after finding new axle housings) I used Pete/Jake perches but I did pie cut and pinched each leg so as to tighten up the arc to fit the smaller diameter banjo housing.
Yes, it will work fine...Another common reason was to put an A spring on to clear a quick change..A T spring will work also.
The spring perches on a 37-40 Ford rear end are not wide enough to put a Model A spring under the correct pretension. The shackles will hang straight down. The ride will be harsh and the rear end will sway. The fix is a narrowed spring. Any good spring shop can do this and reverse the main leaf eyes at the same time. Some of the secondary springs will need to be trimmed as well.
Running a 40 rear end and a 40 rear spring. The model a spring made my pickup sit too high in the rear end. I also had to add a few inches to the frame to make the wheels sit in the wheel wells properly
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