Hot Rods 35 vs 40 banjo rearend

I've got a 35 Ford pickup waiting in the wings for it's turn to be built. I will be using a 49 8BA engine and T-5 tranny. Someone has already upgraded to hydraulic brakes.
A friend has a 40 banjo rear end complete with brakes and the rear spring and bones. He's indicated that he really doesn't need it and I think I can get it for a good price.
The question is will this be an upgrade over the 35 or are they pretty much the same unit. The 8BA will be basically stock.

 

how do you plan on using that torque tube rear with the t-5 transmission?

 

Like everything else in the hot rod world there are trade-offs for each. The plus side for the '35 axle is the radius rods are probably the strongest of the early Fords and would be a good choice for converting to open drive. Also the brake drums fit all of the Ford wire wheels with no spacers so they have value if they're not worn out. The minus side is a likely 4.11 gear set which is not optimal with the typical low gear ratios in the T-5 transmission. The 40 rear will likely have a better gear ratio and the hydraulic brakes as an advantage. I'd buy the 40 rear and do some mixing and matching. It's also getting harder and harder to find banjo rears where all of the parts are reusable; a second complete axle might also be a good source of parts so you don't need to buy as much new stuff to get a good axle put together.

 

The plan is to convert to an open drive shaft. The 35 brakes have already been converted to hydraulic.
I have several sets of 35 Ford 16" wires and will be using them on this build. As for the gear ratio, I have no idea what it is and don't really want to climb underneath the truck because it would take several hours to move enough stuff for access. The T-5 is a 93 out of a S-10 and I'm guessing it has the better 1st gear ratio. Probably will use either 650/16 or 700/16 tires.
I'm guessing I could get the rear end in the $100-200 range

 

Pretty much the same with exceptions.
The '35 rear probably has a 4:11 gear & a 10 spline pinion & a tubular drive shaft.
The '40 rear probably has a 3:78 gear & a 6 spline pinion & a solid drive shaft.
Strength wise, the same.
Gear ratios would have to be verified to really know.
If you convert to an open drive, you don't care about the shaft. Just trivia.

 

There are some important differences that may or may not matter to you with the key being that not all parts are interchangeable. For example the axles from the '35 are different as are the spider gears. As noted the radius rods are different as are the axle trumpets. Can you use the 4o center section with the 35 radius rods and axle trumpets? Yes but will need the 40 axles too. As far as ratios? Who knows for sure without checking. Likely the 40 is 3.78 and the 35 is 4.11 but those are only likely. Torque tube and drive shafts different too. Hope this helps.

 

So can I just bolt the entire 40 unit into the 35 and either keep the 40 radius rods or bolt on the 35 arms.
The open drive line conversion should be the same for both rear ends but I notice there is a different kit for the 6 or 10 spline pinion.

 

35 will have 10 spline 40 will have 6.

I dealt with the same issue a few years back. I kind of remember the radius rod mounts were different between the two. I may be able to get you some pics later. believe you could make something work.

 

Ok here are a couple of pictures from my parts department for comparative anatomy between 35 and 40. Sorry the lighting isn't the best.

First photo is a 35 axle housing at the wheel end. Second photo is a shot of the 40 rear at the wheel end for comparison. Note the aping mounts are built in. The third photo is of the comparable wishbones with the 35 to the left. Note the 35 set has the spring mounts built into them.

All in all, you could use the 40 rear in the 35 with proper wishbones. The key is that parts from the 40 won't necessarily cross over into the 35.

Please pm a phone no if you want to talk about this more.

 

Appreciate the effort to get me this information. As for now, I think I will use the 35 rear end as is with it's 411 gears and see how it works with the T-5 and 700/16 tires. I'm going to buy the 40 rear end and keep it for future use if I'm not satisfied with the 411 gears.