I picked up a V8 quick change rear end last weekend at a swapmeet, and I'm trying to identify the axle housing ends and hubs. They are a floater style but smaller than the 3/4 ton Ford , with a single-row ball bearing in the hub and a 5 on 4-1/2 bolt pattern. No idea if they are factory parts that have been adapted, old aftermarket race parts, or home-made. Does anyone recognize the setup? As for the rest of it, the bells look like '36 Ford and the axles are 19-spline push in style, so assume it has Mercury side gears installed. There are drive flanges welded onto the axle shafts, one side has broken at the weld but the other side is still ok. The brakes are Aussie Falcon discs and calipers, but I suspect they may have been adapted later on, so let's ignore those. I think the center section is a Halibrand 201, but there are no markings on the case - they may have been polished off or it could be an unmarked copy. The rear cover is a Culver City Halibrand with 4-ears. Thanks!
I don't have any info to add as I am not familiar with parts and pieces one might use in NZ. But it's an interesting piece and seems to be well built. I would guess home built for a race application? Keep us posted.
Thanks, race application seems most likely. The setup will keep the wheel on if the axle breaks, which backs that up.
The snouts on the housing are Grand National floaters, used on stock cars. Normally they would have a splined drive plate that bolts to the hub, that has a 5 on 5" bolt circle, and the axle is splined on both ends. I have the same style snouts on the rear of the dragster I am building currently.
Thanks Marty. They are similar, but mine maybe a bit smaller? The area where the bearing sits is only 5/8" wide on my snouts but yours look longer.
I was disussing this with a friend and he suggested (English) Ford Zephyr Mark 3 for the housing ends and hubs. Looked into it and it checks out, so thanks Chris P!
There are a couple of manufacturers that have snouts like that, Coleman and Howe. But those aren't their stuff. Probably a NZ piece What does the splined end of the axle look like?
Thanks, yeah it turned out to be a NZ piece from an English Ford Zephyr that was common over here. Quite similar to Grand National hubs but smaller. Here's a picture of an axle showing the splines.
That's interesting. How many splines is that? I would have suspected 12 spline like the 3/4 ton rear. Does it have a differential or a spool?
I agree with Marty. Very similar to our Grand National ends from Speedway Engineering in Sylmar California. They do supply parts and a closeup photo may help a lot. They are great to work with.
I've got their 10" QC w/locker in my racecar. It's giant and nearly bullet proof - it twisted an axle in Monterey's corkscrew. I just picked up one of their mini stock center sections. I'm going to swap to their tubes and axles that accept regular Ford drum brakes. Yes doesn't have the look of a Halibrand QC but with the tubes and bells painted black I don't think many will notice. https://1speedway.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=81&product_id=108
It's 19 spline, so I'm assuming Mercury side gears. It has a differential, was in a street car for many years until the axle broke.
One of their mini stocks was in the Mendenhall Bonneville roadster. Any hot rod would look good with one under it!
The Jalopy Journal
