torque tube to open drive

Hi Guys,
I normally lost over on Fordbarn (well somebiody has too...) with issues relating to my '36 Ford woodie.

However, earlier this year I acquired a French-built 1950 Matford Ford F472 woodie complete with V8-60 motor, and transported back here to the UK.

Technically the car is a 1938 design (like a 3/4 scale '37 Ford) but has four wheel hydraulic brakes and even front and rear anti-roll bars, so it corners and brakes really well.

However, I plan to remove the tichy, but thristy flathead V8, and replace it with a modern fuel injection four cylinder engine and auto trans (so my wife - who can only drive autos, having never mastered the age old art of a strick shift, can drive it).

So, whilst I can get an adptor to couple an open drive shat to the back axle it leaves me with problem of the radius rods.

So people have suggestion using torsion bars, whilst others say that involves a lot of re-engineering, money and resulting stiff ride.

Has anybody out there found any other ways of overcoming this problem.?

Colin

 

Lots of ways to do this. I made a rear wishbone like a front one and located it with a ball and socket as per any early Ford front wishbone. I also added a torque arm from the top off the diff to the front of the wishbone. Many use '36 rear radius rods with or without a torque arm and mount the forward end to a crossmember with tie rod ends or similar. Ladder bars are another option. In all cases they should be mounted to a common pivot or as close to centre as possible.
Sorry, no pics at the moment as I'm on my phone.


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I used 40 bones and made a crossmember which I mounted a Uniball to. There's a link to my build thread below. I think the pics and description are post #91 page 7.

 

Simplest way is probably to fit your open drive conversion so you can keep the original rear spring and shocks (it is a normal Ford V8 banjo rear?), then use a pair of long, triangulated ladder bars, Pete & Jakes style. If you want to keep it early Ford-looking underneath, use the original wishbones (if strong enough) and add triangulating torque bars to mimic the ladder bars.

I would have thought torsion bars would be a lot of work, and you would still need to locate the axle. And is an original Ford C-channel chassis stiff enough in the right places to mount them?

 

Sure. The easy way is to sell it and buy a car with a 4 cylinder and automatic.

This will save you heaps of money as well as time. Gutting the Ford will cost a packet, and when you are done the resale value will be practically nil.

Better sell it quick and buy something that suits you.