I need some help with info on the wide five front hubs. I'm wanting to use them on my model a sedan. I need to know what years of backing plates and hubs will work with juice brakes. I've been told only 39 hubs will work. I've already got a rearend with juice brakes and the wide five hubs. Thanks for any help
fronts 40-48 are pretty much all the same.early hubs are in the drums,late46-48 are mounted outside the drums.
'37 and 38 (mechanical cable brake drums) will work, I am told the 36 (mechanical rod type) won't, clearence problem with the wheel cylinder. Haven't seen it yet so I don't know if it's machineable. Guess they require the bearing & back plate spacers (that are talked about in some books) that the other juice hubs require on A spindles. I prefer to use the 37-42 spindles for a neat bolt on but the prices are nuts, so the adaption to A spindles is probably more sensible. I likem, worth the h***le in my opinion.
You can use 39-48 Ford and Lincoln backing (Wilson Welding) plates with 37-38-39 drums. The wide five drums have integral hubs. To my knowkedge, none of the old Ford parts outlets have reproduction 37-38-39 drums. Make sure yours are serviceable before you get to far into your project. I like the wide five look and I am hoping to locate some good drums for my Model T sedan project. The ones I have are marginal at best. My understanding is 36 wide five rear drums will work with hydraulic backing plates but the 36 front drums will not.
Bruce, How do you tell if your front drums are 36 or 37-39? I have a set I just got a few months back and would like to know what I have. Thanks, Matt
Many but not all of the hubs will have a part number forged in; all '37-39 part numbers will begin with a "78" (1937 prefix). 1936 stuff will begin with a "68". If no numbers...dunno. I believe the '36 fronts are considerably deeper, so either compare overall structure with anything from '37-48, or just install the thing--I'd ***ume a '36 drum would bottom against a later backing plate considerably before wheel bearings get to where they live. I've never owned or worked on this '36 stuff, so speculating.
I was told by a pretty well know old V8 Ford authority that 36's have ribbed brake drums. So, if ya' see the ribs, p*** on them if ya' plan on juice brakes.
On the front drums I tell them apart by the inside hub or bearing area.. The 36 drums hubs are sunk in 1 3/4 to the outer brake drum.. The 37-39 are only 1" from the outer drum.. I stick a ruler across the drum and meausre down and look for a inch, if not look for another drum because it's a 36
Okay! A definitive answer, so all wide fives are now accounted for; 1937-39 are all the same parts. Since this question comes up once a month, shouldn't it be stuck into tech section??
Good info, thanks. Here's a question: Isn't there a 36 style that has windows? I'm sure I've seen pics of a setup like that. If there are some 36 style that look a bit like the later ones and can only be told apart by measuring, was it only very early 36's that have the type with windows? Dont tell me I imagined all this.. Mart.
Yep, early '36 had windowed wide five drums--apparently only very early production. And it does seem all the '36 variants had radial ribs around rim, while the '37-39 was smooth except for reinforcement at very edge. On '37-39's, there are lots of appearance differences between ones from different suppliers, but all bear the same basic 1937 part number. For obscurantists, the '28-48 book shows the front ones replaced by some postwar 3/4 ton truck one. Mart, are the window drums common in England? Maybe Ford sent over a shipload in November '35, and they used them all year over there...I've never seen one here.
Don't think so, Bruce, all I have is a vague memory of seeing a pretty trick setup here on the hamb using the windowed 36 drums. Never seen any in the flesh. Thanks for the helpful info, as always. Mart.
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