What axle is this? It has a 5X4.5 bolt pattern. I need to replace a brake drum that I busted trying to unstick the brakes.
I can't say this without sounding unkind but that is a cobbled together rat rod mess. There is a lot of off the beaten path farm boy engineering going on there. The way the spring perch is welded to the plate is a candidate for failure. The cut in two with a pipe welded over it drag link is a big red flag in a lot of places. If you have to take it and p*** a safety inspection those two items are cause for failing it. The Axle is Chevy pickup with 51/54 Chevy car backing plates and drums on it. Late 30's to first series 55 Chevy Pickup axles had a spring bolt center to center measurement of 26-13/16 That's from the middle of the bolts that hold the plate to the holes in the axle side to side. Spring center to center on 55 second series (Task Force ) Chevy 3100s through 59 is 31.88 Making it easy to tell if it is a 55/59 axle. Most likely when you pull that space saver spare wheel off and pull the drum off you will find ball bearing wheel bearings.
Looking at it again there is a piece of pitman arm welded to the Falcon/Mustang pitman arm to extend it. BIG RED FLAG. My guess is that who ever scabbed it together took the front spring, shackles and what is left of the spring perches off the same Model A that the body came off and tossed the Ford axle and frame because he wanted to build a dragster looking car rather than just build a decent little A four door on a stock frame with stock spring and axle and split bones. Safety wise, I'd lift the body off the frame and set it aside, Remove the front spring and shackles and set them aside. Unbolt the front axle with hubs and drums and advertise cheap. Toss the drag link and the whole 4 link mess in the s**** bin and remove the steering box. Toss most of the cobbled together rear suspension in the s**** pile and then sit down and decide if I wanted to use that frame as is and hear some laughing, rework it to more of the measurements of a Ford model A frame in the front or weld legs on it and use it for the frame for a work bench. Then I would make a Ford hot rod out of it with Ford hot rod parts, Dropped axle, split bones and set up right and then set the rear end up decently and safely. The main thing is that you just can't trust your life and the life of who ever rides with you to someone's 70's welding project that came about when they saw hot rods in magazines but decided that they didn't have to buy hot rod parts when they had a s**** pile full of parts.
I like the cut down body. Has potential. The axle needs to go. Modified truck rodent pieces. a correct transverse spring axle is way to easy and cheap to use stuff like that
Thank You, Guys! I agree the suspension needs a do over. Tuesday, I went to look at some '37-39 Chevy Coupes and parts stashed on some property a family was clearing and I drug this Ford home too. The lady said her 87-year-old dad built it in 1978. He took it to the Kinston Drag Strip. The cars he saw on the California drag strips when he was in the Air Force was the inspiration for this car. She mentioned his story of violent shaking on a trip to Pilot Mountain. If I decide to keep it, a Model A frame and my stash of goods, I'm saving for a 'Someday' roadster project, will get put to use.
If you remove the front axle it will have some value to sell, since it appears all the sketchy work is bolt on, and the axle could be repurposed for someone needing a good old Chevy axle for a project. At least you might recoup $100 selling the axle ***embly to another.
I don't think you need or want a stock Model A frame with that body but you do want a tube frame with the right hot rod dimensions rather than a square channel iron frame. This guy has a sedan body cut down similar to yours with the roof cut off. I like yours as a coupe a lot better. People have found out that you don't even tell him that it isn't a 23 T but outside of that it is a pretty nifty little car. Then again, almost looks like a Bantom drag car isn't all that bad either. I'm thinking that was what the guy who put it together was thinking.
...bunch of bad suspension geometry. It might be clean and tidy, but there's more to steering and suspension than connecting point A to point B. With these solid axle cars it's not difficult or complicated, but it does need to be done with good correct practice.
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