Technical New Quickchange Parts for Old Style Hot Rods

There are a aweful lot of champ rears floating around if you can put v-8 tubes on them reasonable and ez ...there will be a following , If a 9" is say 1k and a v8 is 4 I would think a 2k ish tag on acomplete would get people excited on a product

 

Thirtytwo,
Yes, and you are not limited to Halibrand center sections. I'll put some pieces together and show some possibilities. I have built many rear ends that come in well under $2K. Careful shopping for the core is key.

 

Thommoina,
Thanx, I was already counting you in the 8

 

If they'll work on my Frankland original center section, count me in.

 

Bruce, I have put together several Champs and here is what I have found concerning cost.
1. Champ center section in good shape……………..$400
2. Side plates………………………………………..$500
3. Differential to work in above……………………..$500
4. Axles……………………………………………..$300
5. Ring and Pinion 4:11…………………………… $250
6. Set up with new bearings and seals………………..$250
7. Axle tubs with 9" ends…………………………….$400
Total…..$2600
A new winters V8 model can be purchased for the same dollars and is all brand new. If you find a usable case with a r&P in good condition you can save some money. Locating good Champ cases is not as easy as stated above. I would think you would need at least 50 sets to make it worth while. Just my thoughts…

 

Lynn,
You're right. There are a couple of things that can help to bring the price down. I can generally buy Halibrand centers for less than $400. But, if they are complete and have a good lower shaft, they are about that much. You can definitely save $ if you don't have to have Halibrand. The other thing that seems high to me is the axle trumpets. New ends are $100 pr. and here the tubes are <$100 ea.
My suggestion to customers is always to find a rear end with a differential and sell off what you don't need. It's when you start piecing one together from individual parts that it gets really expensive.
Anyway, it's like everything else in hot rodding. If you have time and are willing to scrounge a little, you can save money. I can get this going with an order for 20 sets, but you are correct, 100 pcs. would be ideal. How many would you like?
One last thing I'd like to point out to those reading this: in no way does the Winters V8 unit compare in strength to the Champ with adaptor plates. So, if you are planning for lots of power, you probably want the larger unit.
BTW I am a Winters dealer and will sell you whatever you want.

 

I have orders for 22 pcs. right now. We need to get to 40 to make a production run. Any more interest?

 

Bumpity Bump

 

Interested in set

 

Thanx Mark,
I sent you a PM.

 

With the HAMB having to upgrade their server because of traffic you would think that there would be more than 11 sets wanted. What? Is everybody on here just keyboard jockies. I would want more sets if I could afford more.

 

I see Champs on ebay and whatnot all the time and they're usually pretty cheap. Not having an easy axle tube option when it comes to building a traditional rearend is what always turned me off on the big Halibrand. The availability of these adapters would change all that. PM me when you get a chance. I'm build a Champ using NOS side adapters and it may not be worth messing with. Thanks

 

How are you doing on preorders QCE? Getting close?

 

I'm stuck at 36 plates right now. 40 is the absolute minimum. I have some assembly pics that I will post in the next few days. Maybe that will inspire a few more.

 

I have verbal commitments for just over 40 pcs. I am now accepting orders for side plates. Send me a PM (Conversation) and I will forward you the ordering info.

Thanx everyone for your interest,
Bruce

 

Bump

 

Bump for AM guys

 

Thanks Bruce for confirming you got my deposit for 2 sets of side plates. I for one am stoked someone is putting the time and resources in to remaking these hard to find plates for the early quickchanges. I'm sure it's a shit ton of work and it's appreciated. Who else has sent in their deposit???? Stand up!!

 

Thank you Jay,

If everyone comes through, we can get this rolling soon. The guy making the mold and match plate has time to do it right now. If we delay, he could get busy and that could drag this out unnecessarily. I'm excited to see some new ones. What I have been noticing is that there seems to be a lot more center sections being offered for sale than bell and plates.

 

I look everyday for Champ center sections, ebay, Craigslist, etc. and see hardly any for sale — good or bad. Where are you looking?

 

You are right Lynn. There seems to be a general decline in all the QC parts and pieces. But, I think I have noticed that before about this time of year. The racing season is about to start and the guys with old race car parts are too busy to mess with them right now. I do get offers to buy stuff fairly often. My problem is that I have to buy it cheap enough to make a profit when reselling. If you need something I can probably find it, but it may take awhile.
Another thing is that guys seem to be stuck on 'Halibrand'. Not to knock Ted and his products, but there are better units available. Winters has refined their design over the years and has the largest selection of QC parts and options. Frankland stuff is very rugged and widely available in the used market. If we can get the adaptor plate thing going, we can make some really slick QCs that will look right at home in a traditional build.
If somebody would write a book showing the many QCs and possible combinations, there might be a whole new generation of DIY Quickchangers.

 

I can't wait to see these things in person. Every now and then I get a wild hair up my ass and start making a doo dad that I can pour With my small foundry setup. I really hope that the folks with the verbal commitments have backed them up with their checkbook by now. The last pair I bought were 12 bolt, 450 bucks and look like shit! Looking forward to your labor of love.

 

Blackout,

Unfortunately, only a few have responded with the cash. I have contacted those that sent a deposit and they have generously agreed to continue to wait for the others to commit. I can't tie up any more of my own money to get this going. I was hoping that by doing a survey of potential customers ahead of time, I would have a better idea of the market. Also, I cut the margins to the bare minimum to the HAMB community. I guess I will have to go outside to get more orders.
I'm still interested in doing this so it there are HAMBers out there that want the super deal, they need to get with me soon.

Thanx for your support,

Bruce

 

Evening guys bump.

 

Let's see pictures of a complete setup.

 

I've got some pics I can take of an old 301 with the sideplate adapters. The originals are scarce! Almost Unobtainum. I've found complete center sections with the plates on em but understanbly the folks won't part with just the plates. And all Of em I've found have 12 spline spools in them.

 

I'm putting two together right now. Will take pictures and post them shortly.

 

Here are some photos of the complete unit. I love the look but parts and differentials are expensive to make them work on the street.

Assembled with 40 axle tubes and 48 brakes.

Right and left adapter plates.

NOS center section with adapters H852A.

Inside look at bearing cups and seal area. These are NOS.

This NOS is aluminum that has set for a long time and turned dark gray.