Thread: 32 Roadster Identification

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Phil - a couple things that if you are a total 'newbie' to street rodding and the mix and match to make things work.

Boxed frames will not be from end to end. Most builders will leave them open from the front cross member forward and the rear cross member back.

An 8" differential will work fine for street use and modest horsepower, i.e. 350+/-. They can be difficult to tell apart under a car, but the 8" usually has a couple dimples in the back cover and that cover is always rounded while only a couple of years for original 9" are that way ('57 and '58). There is one good source of differentials in Michigan, John's Industries. Ring and Pinion Gears. A friend has one from there in a '32 and it was nicely done. They can do the brackets and shock mounts, but you have to tell him what kind of attaching bars you will be using - 4 bar or triangulated.

Again, tear it completely apart, find out where you are, know what you already have then do your basic build plan. I'll preach that until you get sick of hearing about it

IC2, thanks for the information, I will do as you recommended. I do have a large racing background, I know based on the center section that my rear end is an 8", I really don't have a problem with the 8" however, I would prefer to have the rear end centered and if I change it I will
go with a 9". My performance will come from a 390 FE with 500 HP 530 lb ft of torque. By the way Dave, you have a great eye I just checked my shocks and they are 40 degree's.

Depending on how much you paid it seems like a good start. Dave/IC2 has made some good comments which I agree with but I thought it was old school engineering to only use a tube front axel with hairpin radius rods. With a four bar set up there will be a twisting force on the axel when one wheel dips more than the other. A standard I-beam axel can provide that flexibility while a tube axel is more rigid and may eventually crack under severe use. The formula I learned was to use hairpin radius rods with a tube axel so the hairpins would flex or use an I-beam axel with a four bar setup. Since you have the four bar set up it might be a good idea to swap out the tube axel for an I-beam. Perhaps others here can comment as to whether they have ever seen a tube axel crack when mounted in a four bar geometry. Even so you have a very good start on a classic roadster!

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Don, I believe the popular consensus is to use hairpins with I-beam axles and 4-bars with tube axles.

The 4-bars form a parallelagram (?) and don't put twist in the tube axle while an I-beam will twist a bit and not put undo stress on the single mounting point of the hairpin.

I'm no front end expert but have always run them this way.

Mick