Hey, I just rebuilt the stock '39 banjo with a couple of seasoned buddies, one of which has been messing with these old Fords for decades. We double and triple-checked preload and gear wear pattern. Buttoned everything up. I used a new, good ring gear that he had, and kept my pinion gear. My ring gear was pitted badly. Anyway, the thing howls like crazy (yes I filed it with gear oil and greased all the bearings). My buddy said to drive it around for 100 miles or so, and the ring and pinion need to break in and mesh, then quiet down. It howls whether I am in gear, or not. And it does it if I run the car through the gears, up on jackstands. It's really loud, and I'm kinda' worried I might end up with an expensive mess on my hands. Thoughts?
Ring and pinion sets are just that, sets... matched to each other. Never heard of break in and mesh with a new ring and old pinion or any used/used combo either...that had good results.
I have always heard if you don't used a matched ring and pinion (they should be numbered) it might howl. Any chance the two you put to together are for different ratios? You rolled the dice and lost, I don't suggest buying any lottery tickets. Charlie Stephens
Ring and pinion gears are matched when machined and must be used together. New ring gear+old pinion gear= lots of noise. Sucks but its going to have to come apart again.
If it howls under load it has the wrong gear mesh, if it howls under coast it has too much backlash. Not a good idea to mix ring and pinions, If you got a used ring gear you should have used the pinion in that case also or just swapped cases.
Ok, my buddy that helped just corrected me. The ring and pinion were both replaced with known good ones from another rearend, but 3:78 just like my old ones. There is a chance the two are not a matched pair, however. We did not retain my old pinion, after all. The set came out of a box he had (shelves of old flathead and racing parts, from decades of experience). We aren't some dipshit newb hacks, and yes I bought all NEW bearings for the complete banjo rebuild. I will pull it apart again, if I have to, and buck up for some new 3:54's, if need be. Thanks for the input, especially Bruce and Dick. You guys are top notch.
Wouldn't be the first time I was penny smart and dollar foolish. Hell, you'd think after 41 years on this earth, I would quit cutting corners, but when there are mouths to feed.... Going to pull it apart again, this weekend. Ugh...I just hung new exhaust, plumbed new brake lines, installed new shocks and swaybar.
We trashed out our banjo on the roadster a couple times. Broke the pinion and an axle shaft! Lucky for us we were about a block from home! Originally found it in a field with no idea how much of it was used up. Hauled it home, cleaned and added a fresh coat of paint and bolted it in. The little jewel lasted about 3 years before it died! We rebuilt with a new matched ring and pinion set. Lapped the hubs to the axle ends and made sure the axle nuts were scary tight - what the book says. Works like a charm now and no howling. That 9" in the shop would have been cheaper but not as much fun... See our short video below....
See if you can find a 3.25:1 set for best mileage. I put one in my 40 Std. Coupe with a stock column shift Ford box and rearend hooked up to a 350 Chevy V8. It had a 4.11:1 which cratered, the I installed a "Good Used" 3.78:1 wich very quickly died followed by the new matched set 3.25:1. It made a whole new car out of it.
I combined a set once, in my 36 pickup. I was running an open drive trans so I swapped out the pinion and axle from a 46 pickup and combined that with a car ring and it did the same thing as yours. I drove it for two years that way and it did quiet some but after time, I hated it.
The crappy thing about used gears is you never know what happened to them in there service life. The gears can look perfectly fine but may have been run for a long time with worn bearings or no pinion pre load and been howling away. You can then set them up perfectly and they will howl like hell and never get quiet. Of course Ive had brand new gears howl like hell too.
The catalyst for this whole rebuild project was me trying to tighten the axle nuts to 225lbs, like the book says... The driver's side nut completely smeared and gave out, so I replaced the axles, then figured I would go through the whole thing, when I found really bad pitting on my ring gear. I don't think I want to attempt torqueing the axle nuts past 150, or so, anymore. I have been told by others to use the 3:25 gears, if I buy new ones.
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