Narrowing a banjo rear end?

Can banjo rear ends be narrowed? If yes, what's involved? Or does anyone offer narrow(er) axle housings?

Thanks,

gary

 

The main SO-CAL Speed Shop in Pomona is offering this service. Talk to Dennis at 909/469-6171 and tell him you heard from Jim Aust. Thanks!

 

Excellent! Thanks, Jim!

 

I did mine, not so easy, but with the right tools, you can make it.

 

The Hot Rod Works will also do it in conjunction with their late axle conversions.

 

Yeah, I can't imagine it being easy, the taper on the housings throws me.

Thanks to all.

gary

 

I have a question, why?
What are you building?

 

A fenderless pickup from an accumulation of scrap - 1934 Dodge cab, bed of unknown origin, homebuilt frame, 1934 Plymouth wire wheels.

I want to pull the wheels in tight on the bed.

 

Don't be stingy...let's see some pictures.
Those cabs are very cool.

I buddy built one years ago,

 

That's pretty tasty! Mine's not to the point of taking pictures, just parts laid out on the garage floor. When it starts to look like something I'll post some pics.

gary

 

So anyone got the poop on this ? Whats involved etc

 

you gonna keep the stock axles, or do a conversion?

 

No idea trying to find out whats involved and how they use to do it.. Im sure there are some kinda kits but what was the old way or non kit way?

Can anyone do it or is it strictly a machine shop thing

 

I actually meant the O.P., buuutttt..........anyone can do it- with a machine shop.

How narrow matters. Type of axles matters. Access to equipment matters

Narrow, like FED narrow, or narrow like Model A narrow? An FED will absolutely mean remachined axles or custom built new axles. Many FED's ran remachined tapered axles with keys. There are posts about lapping the hubs and torqueing the nuts. Or, there's the "Merc" axle conversions. Again, an FED will require cut and resplined or custom new axles.
A Merc or F1 pickup uncut axles will give you 61ish inches wide. 52-56 wagon will give you 57ish inches wide. (57" is Model A range). A modern Hot Rod works Conversion could get you narrower with 8" Ford stock axles- Two short side Maverick axles would get you in the 54ish inch range.

No matter what, you're going to have to have some way of keeping things lined up, and that means straight cuts (lathe) and some form of alignment equipment (jig, bar, both)

I don't know how it was "always" done, but there's a Halibrand quickchange center, with '34 tubes, and merc ends and axles hanging in the rafters at my work. It appears that in order to make the '34 tubes fit the Merc ends, the tubes were heated and carefully worked in with a hammer until they could be trimmed and mated up to the Merc diameter.

I'll be posting more on this later, as I am going to put wagon axles in my HA/GR, the center and housing are '37 to '40.