I have a 201 Halibrand for my 32 roadster, but I don't want to cut the original floor for the A rear cross member. I'm thinking Columbia 2- speed with a mechanical shift in lieu of the vacuum shift. What would be the down side of the columbia?
Go with the Columbia. Quick changes are loud and whine. I'll take it off your hands and use it on my roadster build. Yeah, I know. You can thank me later. You're welcome.
I saved this when I was doing research on Columbias a while back: First of all why Columbias have a a reputation for being weak and problematic and how to overcome this. This is the spider side of the diff. You can see in the photo a seamless band that goes around the unit. From the factory the unit didn’t come with this. The whole thing has an open end with no support. What happens is when a great load is placed on the axle, for example dumping the clutch off the line, the diff wants to and does pull itself apart. When this happens the gears eventually start to climb each other and your left with a axle case of broken parts. Its a simple process to have the band fitted at a competent machine shop and this will give the axle a fighting chance of giving many trouble free miles. “The next problem area, again a simple design fault, is the other half of the diff that contains the planet gears. In the photo you can see each leg has a bead of weld around it. From the factory they only came tack welded and its not a great stretch of the imagination to see this not holding together for very long! Again a simple fix for a silly design flaw. http://victorylibrary.com/mopar/columbia.htm
Winters makes a stock looking banjo with their wedgelock centersection. Set up for late model axles, and holds up to 550 hp.
Go with a Q/C, the noise won't be that noticeable in a roadster. The Columbia won't be strong enough.
You could always go with both! I cant remember who owns this , but I am sure I pinched the pic from the HAMB.
What will power your Roadster, a flathead or low hp small block? That should determine if a Columbia will be strong enough. I've had a rebuilt Columbia in my Roadster since 2006 and wouldn't trade it for a quick change. My rear axle is a 3.78 and over drive is 2.72. With a 31" rear tire 70 mph is 2100 rpm in over drive. Power is a stock '57 Chevy 283 and I don't abuse it, really a nice combination for traveling the open road.
The gentleman in Tenn. is Johnny Stooksberry, he did a Columbia for my stock '48 Ford years ago never had a problem with it since he rebuilt it. Then you have John Connelly out in Temecula, Ca , who also rebuilds them. Even then I would not recommend beating the snot out of these units they weren't designed for abuse.
I saw this and saved the photo of a Columbia with a hand shift Mech. I believe the unit was post war. Yes the quick change do make noise (helix gears may reduce) and need clearance around the gas tank. A bullet proofed Columbia is hardy.
I love the Columbia. Works great in my car. Matters how you drive it and what kinda power you plan on putting to it. They will not take alot of abuse. Mine is mechanical/Vaccum assisted and works great. Price ranges appear to be the same these days but parts are scarce for the Columbia.
You need to get in touch with Joe Longobardi in California. He now has the key but previously fragile cast iron components available in billet steel. The workmanship is unbelievable! Joe also has a switching mechanism that eliminates the complex vacuum control. Dan Webb and Cory Taubert just finished a 3-windo coupe with one of Joes Columbia's and they absolutely love it.
Nothing says Hot Rod more than a Halibrand center section. The A crossmember and the little floor triming is part of the fun.
Sure does make my head spin to think of having to choose between the two. I didn't know about the 'fix' for the Columbia, and would have prefaced my remarks with what style of driver you are, and your expectations. I have always hammered on my toys; and, regardless of the amount of work, I'd go with a quick-change simply because of the flexibility in ratios --- even though that means wrenching on it to do so. A Columbia Overdrive, I have always seen as a Gentleman's solution to performance, in that you can change ratios from the driver's seat and not soil your white shirt. I think of Clark Gable motoring along as a mental image.
I've put many miles on both - a quick change in a flathead powered roadster (with a T5), and a Columbia in a flathead powered '40 tudor. Both have their structural weaknesses, but I don't think you'll test either if you drive them responsibly. While you can gear the quick change to have the same overall drive ratio, remember that the Columbia is an extra gear in the spread. The Columbia will be the bigger investment, but I think that you may enjoy it the most. Plus, you won't have to run a Model A crossmember and cut the floor for it either. If you still have the original curved spring crossmember, Joe builds a '33/34 Columbia that can be a bolt-in swap (after you shortened the torque tube and driveshaft) - that's what we did on Dan Webb's 3w.
I tend to agree with the looks, I'm hesitant to cut the floor. If it was a replacement I wouldn't think twice.
Since my "39" 3-speed tranny is limited in the gear department, I would have move drivability with a columbia. Can you shift them on the fly? I assume it's like a dump truck 2-speed where you let up on the gas and shift.
They shift with no load - the original controls only allow it to shift with the clutch pushed in. It's basically like grabbing another gear. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
This is just a bit old, but a great post! I'm pondering all of the above, but with another 'wrinkle' in the mix. I've taken apart a few Columbia rears (own a couple) - they are not built for hammering the gears, 1/4 mile work or anything of the sort - but with some 'upgrades', probably can work quite well with a couple hundred horsepower and a reasonable 'foot'. I like the idea of a 'quick change' Columbia - no reason you can't do this - why not be able to set the gear ratio the Columbia works from - as it is a 33% reduction. Better Axles and Brake Options: Now, something I have pondered and am ready to try is to replace the old Ford axles with 28 spline Fords - and at the same time replace the outer wheel bearing setup. Hot Rod Works does a lot of cool stuff along this line, so I'm going to see if I can get them to work with me on doing this to a Columbia - as I've made the one special part to hold the side gear. I'll update you all once I dig into the possibility of this a bit - just seems like a good thing for my 32 FlatCab! B&S
Kick ass !!! Always a good reason to go to the library "stacks" ! So much info here.......some of us sure haven't seen it all....so reruns rule ! Especially if you're gonna' one up it....maybe...... Get going !!
Of all us that are bent on using Genuine Ford hangers, wishbones, axles, steering boxes...Why not a Columbia??? My Dad had a '37 Ford he and Mom bought in Reno the day after they were married. Ford dealer had a nice tudor flatback, his wife's 1 year old demo. 85 H.P., Columbia overdrive. Dad used to bet other truck drivers the '37 would do 85 in second. He won every $10 bet. My '40 had a Columbia axle when I got it. (Buick Nail, '39 box) The Columbia had about 1/4 turn freeplay at the pinion...decal at 25 in second, the engine would drop RPM, then back off... I tore it down, but replaced it with a 3.54 from a '41. Now, I would fix it and use it! I like the idea of mechanical linkage...
FWIW, helical quickchange gears do run quietly! Changed out my spur gears to helicals this summer and what a difference. No whine. I'm runnin' a Champ style. Don't know about the smaller V-8 style if helicals are available for them. Good luck with either way you choose.
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