I'm looking for the official Ford banjo axle/hub torque setting? I've read 150-220 ftlbs, I don't want to over or under do it.
I torque mine to 190-200 ft.lbs., but it is more important that the taper on the axle and inside the hub are in good shape and match together well. Gouges or grooves in either one or rough areas will prevent the tapers from mating well enough to be reliable. If you can, seat the tapers together using valve grinding compound until they mate nearly perfectly. Then clean everything up good and torque. Sorta like hand-lapping valves.
I've always torqued to 225# The quality of where the hub meets the axle taper is just as important. Every banjo rearend that I've set up I pull the bearings out of the hub and use valve Grinding compound to lap the tapers together. You could virtually run without a keyway if the taper seats well.
Can't recall actual torque value, but Hear This: Before fitting drum/hub to axle and keying/ torqueing, clean axle spline with lacquer thinner or acetone/carb cleaner. Do the same with the hub bore, remove axle key, and using coarse valve grinding compound, lap the surfaces. Clean surfaces, and lap again with the fine compound. This will make a huge difference in final fit, longevity of axle keys, and ultimately, axle and hub life. Nothing ruins a day like a peeled axle.
Remember if it is not tight enough the joint will move and work the axle resulting in an eventual crack and failure. If you are not running safety clips or safety hubs the wheel will come off and… Charlie Stephens
I had a few pics from a set of axles I lapped recently, I spent about an hour on each one. The last couple of pics show an axle that had been hit with a hammer and distorted the taper. I found it when I tried lapping/fitting it to a hub.
A rule of thumb...if you are not in mortal fear of tearing the threaded part off of the axle it is too loose, and if you are not expecting your puller to explode and kill you by the time the damn thing pops loose it was too loose.
The Jalopy Journal
