Wide 5 hubs and quick change rear questions

I've got a Winters quick change rear that I'm looking to convert over to Buick style drum brakes and Ford Big Bearing housing ends. Once I convert to this set up, how are the axles held in the rear end? They just slip into the differential.

If there is no way to hold the axles in with this particular set up (drum brakes), what do I need to run Wide-5 hubs on a dropped-axle style front end? Thanks for any help.

-Jason

 

You might need to switch to a full floating axle setup like the roundy round cars use.

 

The ones I'm familiar with come with full floating hubs,
there is a cap on the end,with a plate that holds the axle in.

 

you want to switch to ford housing ends, right? why not run 31 spline axles from a 9 inch? i'm assuming you wanted to run the ford housing ends to have somewhere to mount the backing plate.

 

It already has the full floating axles with a Wide-5 hub setup, but I want to convert it to 9" housing ends like silent rick said, so that I can run a backing plate for the Buick drums. What good does running the 31 spline axles do? How would that hold them in the housing?

 

Once you eliminate the full floater outer ends and replace with 9" Ford outers, the axles are held in by the retainers the same way they are on the Ford. You may need custom length axles when you're done cutting and welding. Moser can handle that.

 

Are the Ford axle retainers in the diff, like GM c-clips? If so, I don't see that working because you can't really access the diff to put retainers in once the rear is assembled. I think...

Anyone have any ideas on how to make Wide-5 hubs look good on an early 60's style custom Model A tudor? Thanks for all the help so far

-Jason

 

I believe the tubes in the closed tube set ups are bolted to the side bells and the axels are slipped into the center section and secured to the ends of the tubes with the backing plate hardware

 

9" Ford axles have the bearings pressed onto the shafts with a retaining plate that bolts through the housing ends - as Offy and Dale said, secured when bolting up the backplates. I think that's classed as semi- or 3/4-floating: not as bullet-proof as full-floating, but if the shaft breaks near the splines (where it usually goes), it doesn't slide out of the axle like early Ford or GM ones.

I guess custom shafts are needed to match the splines to Winters diff gears.

 

yep, what they said...

You need new custom axles too. Axles are cheap, even custom made. 31 spline axle will require a new spool. They don't come in 31 spline, they are 35 spline or 12 spline. Nevermind the splines!

Get your ford ends, and order axles to match the splines and bearing ends you need.

 

i wasn't sure about winters, but the frankland qc i traded mule farmer took 31 spline axles. he completed what i had in mind for the quickchange and that was to use ford 9 inch housing ends and just run 9 inch 31 spline axles.

jason, ford 8 and 9 inch axles are held in place at the outer ends with retaining plates. the four bolts that go through the housing end, then the backing plate, continue through the retainer securing the axle.

when you go to get your backing plates, you access the bolts through a hole in the axle flange. you'll then need a puller(i use a slide hammer) to yank out the axle. it has to be this way, there's no rear cover to get to the c clips like gm uses.

 

Why can't you make up a backing plate flange to weld on the axle tube, then bolt the backing plate/brake assemble to that and slide the drum over your current hub. See pic below for crappy picture of above.

 

My mistake, they do have 31 spline spools and diffs now. Check yours to see what you have.

 

All the 10" champ rearends that I've seen have 31 spline axels if they are closed tube with a differential.

 

Mark Wiliams Enterprises can make any axle you need to work with Ford 9" housing ends. Check here.....

http://www.markwilliams.com/axles.aspx