Wide 5 Question? vs 5 on 5 1/2

[MattStrube]

Can the wide 5 banjo & axel housings from 36-37 ford be used with 5 on 5 1/2 bolt pattern? If so, how?

[Roothawg]

Man I don't see how. But I am no banjo expert.

[SamIyam]

I guess the question is... if you found a wide five set up... axle, wishbone, brakes etc... is any of it good for anything?
Sam.

[MattStrube]

Yea, that's the question, but I wanted to gains some knowledge too brother...:)

[Kevin Lee]

The main difference with the wide five stuff is the hub/drum. So swap them out to later Ford stuff and everything else works fine. Not sure I understand your question...did I answer it?

I think you could sum it up by saying you could put quite a few differnt combinations of old Ford stuff together and have it work properly with little or no modification. But I don't see any way you're going to cram a 5 on 5 1/2 wheel on a wide five drum if that's where you were headed.

[Roothawg]

OK, I'm with ya now. I thought you were trying to us existing parts to do it.

[manyolcars]

of course. it doesnt matter which axle assembly you use, the wide 5 and the 5 1/2 drums interchange

[Kevin Lee]

So you'll need to start looking for 39-48 backing plates and all of their hydraulic accoutrements - e-brake stuff is sometimes hard to come by and most "rebuildable" wheel cylinders arent. You'll also need 40-48 hubs, and I think that's about it. It's pretty much a bolt on deal. No spacers or wierd bearings needed.

I've heard wheel cylinders are available at NAPA (price?) and a few moths ago I paid a grand total of $11 for new brake shoes (two wheels worth) at the local brake and clutch place.

Forgot to ask...what are you building?

[MattStrube]

Of course I don't want to shove a 5 on 5 1/2 drum on a wide 5 hub. I wanted to know what shit I HAVE to change to get 5 on 5 1/2 to work with a wide 5 banjo & housing???

[SamIyam]

Keep on sassin' us like that and you're bound to get your ass lit up... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Sam.

[NealinCA]

[ QUOTE ]
Of course I don't want to shove a 5 on 5 1/2 drum on a wide 5 hub.

[/ QUOTE ]

Just a bit of trivia. There were aftermarket drums that were dual bolt pattern. Wide 5 and 5 on 5-1/2. My dad has some.

I am using a 36 rear end in my 32 project. It had 40 hydraulics on it with 5 on 5-1/2 drums when I got it. I am putting a 46 p/u open drive center section in it also.

Neal

[MattStrube]

I bet those are hard to come by.

[MattStrube]

Grimlock, I'm building a 29A with a flathead on a Model A frame. I'm trying to locate the parts, cause I have jack shit right now. Sam is trying to help me get some stuff too. I basically have an empty garage and an idea of what I want. It's so hard to just get the ball rolling. I built a 66 nova when I was 15 and then went to college, moved to a new town, now I want a real hot rod. matt

[MattStrube]

[ QUOTE ]
Of course I don't want to shove a 5 on 5 1/2 drum on a wide 5 hub.


[/ QUOTE ]

Sorry about this didn't mean any harm.

[Bigcheese327]

In my opinion (and you didn't solicit it, I know) the Wide-Five is a pretty cool looking wheel to use on a hot rod. See the pic of the roached Deuce five-window on the board at the moment. Also, there's a speed shop that advertises in the back of Street Rodder and Rod and Custom that shows either a late Model A or a Deuce with wid-fives (and 'caps) that looks pretty nice as well.

[MattStrube]

I've always liked the 40 ford style wheel... with hubcabs and blackwalls...

[Kevin Lee]

I've got an A on an A frame with a flathead going together. Things started going a lot smoother when I dropped the plans to use a (Chevy) straight six and went all Ford. Flathead, '39 toploader, Banjo rear, it's almost like this shit was made to fit together. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Don't know what you plan to do for an X member but sheerly out of dumb luck or maybe some sort of good Karma the placement of the '39 unit I used early on worked out perfectly with the flatty/3speed combo. I can measure it out for you if you want. Pedals, trans, clutch linkage, etc. looks great. I'm going to be bummed when I have to put a floor over all of it. This is the first car I've built.

[50Fraud]

I'd look at it this way. If you're building a traditional car, there are probably two givens in your situation:
1) You'll use a banjo rear end, and
2) You'll convert to hydraulic brakes.
Assuming both of these are true, the only difference in the parts you have to acquire are the hubs and drums. The small-pattern drums will probably be easier to find than good wide-five ones.

My reasoning falls apart if your question is strictly economic: is it cheapest to use the early rear end with minimal parts replacement, or to buy a '40 rear end right from the start? In that case I'd guess the early parts might cost you a bit less, but you have more adaptation to deal with.

[MattStrube]

[ QUOTE ]
Don't know what you plan to do for an X member but sheerly out of dumb luck or maybe some sort of good Karma the placement of the '39 unit I used early on worked out perfectly with the flatty/3speed combo. I can measure it out for you if you want. Pedals, trans, clutch linkage, etc. looks great. I'm going to be bummed when I have to put a floor over all of it. This is the first car I've built.


[/ QUOTE ]

That would be great...did you have to cut it down to fit? I'd like to see a picture of how it looks in there.

[Kevin Lee]

It's chopped way down and pinched to fit inside the rail. I've got a few pictures but I'll just email them - I've posted them a lot already and I think most people have already seen them more times than they care to. There was a bit of trickery to get the pedals to fit right - but you only have to drill three holes to relocate them. I'll send you what I have and post some new ones with pedals and trans fitted this week.

[Bruce Lancaster]

"I'm going to be bummed when I have to put a floor over all of it."

Look at interior pics of early sports specials and track roadsters--consider the aesthetics of putting a floor UNDER it all. Probably the biggest bit of extra work is that the parts need extra good cleaning and painting, perhaps with a bit of striping or chrome. Some sections will probably need a slatted cover to eliminate places where your foot could get trapped or something. Think smooth, well painted works with brand new cad plated original style bolts from Nacewicz and striping that picks up the shapes...
Maybe a billet cupholder bracketed to the torque tube...oh, belay that last idea...

[Kevin Lee]

Bruce - Great input as always. That has definitely given me some ideas. Check your email if you can in a minute or so.