Crawling through the junkyard the other day, I came across this Open Drive banjo rear end with leafspring mounts. I'm assuming it's for a pick-up truck. No idea what the ratio is. What's this worth? I'm thinking it might be a good piece to get for an A build I'll be doing in a couple years, with a 264 Nailhead and 3spd in front of it. -Brad (can't get the pics to upload... has parallel leaf spring perches, and juice backing plates.)
Most likely '42-'47 Ford F1, but without pics it's hard to be sure...worth whatever you are willing to pay at the junkyard. Either scrap prices or if the yard owner knows what it is and what it's for prob between $100-$200 if that helps. Ratio either 4.11 or 3.78.
An aftermarket open drive conversion setup is a few hundred bucks so... I have an open drive center and 37-41 bells and axles under my A pickup.
The bell looks cracked..but that is an F1 open drive banjo. Offer $50 go from there. If that is a crack, the insides might look like what the inside of the Titanic looks like now!!
On the bottom side there are the numbers indicating the gears ratios: Like 9 37 or such. As already mentioned, probably 3,.78 or 4.11
Good eye! I didn't notice the crack, but you're right. I have a complete A axle, and another set of bells and axles from a mystery application, and there's a '38 up there too--destroyed body, but the front and rear suspensions are both there. -Brad
It's worth scrap price. If it had been stored inside, perhaps a little more. The "Titanic" remark is probably true, sadly. Will the seller allow you to take it apart for inspection?
Don't think that's a crack at all . Just shadow from the factory weld that attaches the tube to the bell. Damm hard to crack on of these here or any where. These ol banjos are pretty well sealed unlike the torque tube models so the internals though ancient should be ok apart from age and moisture in the air inside. Grab it.
Very well could be a weld shadow, tough to tell in the pics..even if it was cracked, I'd still try to get it since it's an open drive...
If the ring and pinion are still good I would offer at least $200. I need one. As far as I know no one sells new gears.
Technically, F1 was '48-'52 but earlier models '42-'47 also were lumped into that category also. Correct, '48-'52 did not have a traditional "banjo" rear like the cars in '48.
Speedway has new ring & pinion sets for '35-48 Ford banjo rear ends, 3.78 3.25, 3.54 and more! They are pricy
I don't know what they're worth, but my neighbor gave me one last spring. I grabbed it real quick but didn't have an immediate use for it so I stored it on a pallet. Unfortunately he came barging into my shop one rainy evening last fall looking for it. Apparently some acquaintance called him looking for an early Ford open rear end and offered him $250 sight unseen. I gave it back and hope it went to a good home. Didn't even get a lunch out of it and I helped load it.
good score....Speedway's "kit" is about $300....and then you need a rear end to go with it....bells are some what easy'r to come by....
These also came with 3.54 gears. I've come across several of them. If the ring gear is worn the rear end is not worth much at all. '42-47 pickup gear sets are unique to themselves. The open dive is only useful on those sets.
"fab32" asked me about measurements on one I had in a PM, So I just gave the complete axle to him as a surprise ,... When I got to his place and asked where he wanted me to drop it off, He said, "Over there in that pile" ..... Yep !.... He already had a pile of them... so that's where it is this very moment. I guess Frank didn't have a tape measure handy. I totally misread the situation,.... "what we had there was a failure to communicate !"
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