1)will higher gear ratios than 4:11 , (in the 3:50 to 3:80 range) fit a open drive pickup banjo that has the standard 4:11 now? 2) who sells the correct gears that would fit?
47 was the last year for the banjo center section in the trucks. I beg to differ with my friend O.J., but the pinion is different in the pickups with the open drive. I don't know of any new pickup ring and pinions available.
I luckily found a 3.78 open center for my roadster. Make sure you change the hidden seals on the inside of the bells. If you are going to use stock axles try to find two BIG NUTS. they will give you three or four more strong threads.
NO: I'm pretty sure the trucks had 4:11 gears for pulling. The really didn't do long distance driving in the old trucks. Both of mine were 4:11,
Yes I bought the center at the Turlock Ca. swap in the '80s. Just the center with the pinion and drive shaft mount. I already had parts of two early '40s Ford differentials. Luckily the pinion was 3.78 on the center as were the other two. I just picked the best axles, ring and spiders and put it all together. I did rebuild the center and made a puller out of a piece of I think 4" channel iron. I looked for it a while back and didn't find it. If I find it I'll take a picture if it and post it. But it just was about a six inch piece of three or four inch channel iron with a hole in it. I had the two best bells hot tanked to clean them but was not aware of the oil seals in them. It's amazing they still worked for 25 years until the right one started leaking. Then I started posting on the HAMB about fixes and a friend offered to rebuild the whole thing. He is the one that insisted I find the BIG axle nuts. They were factory on '47 and '48 banjo diff. Hope this all helps Gary
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