The banjo I put together for my A pickup, I used a 42-48 open drive center section/ge****t/carrier with 37-41 bells/axles/spiders. I wanted a spring behind setup. Works like a charm and all bolted together without a hitch. My brother is building a 31 roadster and we are putting a ch***is together, he wants to go spring over. My question is can we put Model A bells/axles/spiders and a 42-48 open drive center section/ge****t/carrier together? Will it bolt together or are there differences that make them incompatible? I'm thinking it would be easier to get 37-41 bells/axles/spiders and cut the spring hangers off and weld Model A style hangers on them, but we have a line on some really clean A bells/axles with juice brake backing plates already installed. Before anyone suggests it, we're not looking to go the S-10, 10 or 12 bolt GM or 8"-9" Ford route. Banjo only.
"I'm thinking it would be easier to get 37-41 bells/axles/spiders and cut the spring hangers off and weld Model A style hangers on them" Do this. The A bells won't bolt to the later center.
No fit for '28-32 housings on late banjo, lots of issues with '32-34, all later swap with proper sets of spider gears for whatever axles are used. This ad thread http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/spring-over-mounts.947166/ shows some neat fabricated hangers, essentially the same as some folks have cut from A parts.
So Bruce, is the piece on the left cut from an A axle tube? Looks as if they could be bolted to the existing backing plate flange and if so will maybe give you a little extra room in the wheel cylinder area.
Left one is a cutting from the Ford part, right is fabricated. Neat piece either way! Most originals have damaged bores from being run 20 years past bushing failure... Note that the link and the picture are from someone selling these. Now, how about a three-holer sideways version meant to convert late banjos to '32 spring??
The A perch bolts up and kinda clears the brake line. I used '35 bells and '41 axles on mine. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/automotive-a-d-d-the-28-tudor.753531/#post-9515062
Hey Bruce: Since I'm in the middle of a bunch of 32 rear end imagineering (late Columbia, 34 center section, 28 spline axles, etc) - was wondering exactly what you mean? As I have a bunch of stuff apart, could take dimensions and design a 3D CAD model to work from. Are you talking about something that welds to the axle tubes . . . OR bolts to the backing plate holes? If one was using late bells (which are wider), then I think I'd design something that welded to the axle tubes - along with a radius rod bracket option (separate pieces) - so one could run either 32 or 33/34 rear radius rods. Just thinking out loud . . .
Thanks for that link Bruce. A pair of those would go a long way on the banjo rear I have in the shed that someone tried to set up for a T bucket at one time.
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