Hey Guys, can anyone help me ID this front end, I'm pretty new to the car scene, bikes have been my bag for years. Thanks
I'm not sure now. It's the length from the perch pin to the king pin that is the difference in 37 up and 36 and earlier. Some very odd things going on there.. The brakes are much later self energizing.
On second thought the axle may be 46 - 48. I don't like what's going on with those spindles. Looks like some nasty camber issues.
Must be a 2-1/4 perch boss because I don't see bone spacers....so either 37/41 or 42/48. What on earth is the king pin bearing doing on TOP? WTH?
Look at the backing plate mounting area of the spindle ass'y ....is the 4 bolt flange welded to the spindle? I can't tell if those are welds or casting marks
'42-'47 axle and bones, Model "A" spindles with plates welded on to fit ?? brakes. Also the left "A" steering arm has been cut and welded together in a different configuration. From the looks of that weld, at least in the pictures, maybe the whole thing needs a good looking over.
Steering arms are Model A Ford flipped up side down, spindles & king pins may be A as well with weld on pieces to bolt the backing plates to.
Thanks for all the responses, don't seem to have a definite answer other than it doesn't look too safe. I can say that the steering does not self center at all, no way it's going on the road like this any sugestions, ideally it could be a bit lower as the back is going to be bagged.
How about this: It is definitely a '42-'47 axle and the wishbones the same year. The spindles are definitely Model "A" modified to fit unknown backing plates and drums. The steering arms are definitely Model "A" switched from left to right and mounted upside down, probably to raise them higher. The steering arm has been definitely cut off what was originally the left arm and welded onto the switched right arm. While this is an unusual and weird set up, it does not mean it should not work. You should be able to determine why the steering does not return. Is there around 7 degrees caster, looks like it in the pictures; but hard to tell without measuring. Are the kingpins, thrust bearings, and tie rod ends lubed and free, the front rod end on the drag link looks rusty and the other pivots don't look to have been greased. Is the steering box smooth with no binding. Bunch of stuff like brake hoses that look they would rub when turned, front shocks that appear to be mounted where they can't be hooked up, questionable welding, etc should be an indication that you should make a pretty though inspection of the rest of the car. Maybe if you are new to this, you can find someone give you a hand looking. Given your past experience with bikes, you should be able to tell when something looks wrong or shaky, and if looks that way it probably is.
Model "A" steering arms are normally on the top, so the spindles are right side up. The steering arms are upside down (possibly to raise the tie rod for more clearance) and due to the locating arrangement had to be switched from side to side to do so. Since the arm for the drag link is integral to the original left steering arm, it had to be cut off and welded back on the left side. Strange arrangement.
Again, thanks for all of the replies, the car is going to be gone through completely, some of the previous work was great and some micky moused and or not completed. The first goal was to get the get the car running and driving, which is done, to see what we had to work with, now the object is to get it safe, then tackle the rest.
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