Thread: Banjo rear end

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You might want to become familiar with Hot Rod Works; http://www.hotrodworks.com/

These guys can set you up with the open drive hardware, the flanged axle setup Jerry referred to, quick changes, they're the go to guys on this. Their open drive conversion is competitively priced with Speedway, but if you're a "buy American" guy the HRW is US made, not Chinese copy like Speedy Bill's.

Not much to add to what the guys have already posted about strength issues, high horsepower and banging shifts will stress it mightily.

As an aside, the best price/value in banjo quick changes right now is the Dick Spadaro kit, though I like the Rodsville unit as it more resembles the Halibrand and is beefier where needed than the old Hals.

On the flip side, a lot of very fast drag cars back in the day ran banjos, before stronger rears came out. They did break and have some quirks, like the keys and the fact the entire brake drum would come off when an axle broke. But if you intall stronger keys and put one of the retainer kits that clamp over the edge of the drum to keep it on if an axle breaks, and drive in a sane manor, they can hold up under a mild engine.

I have a 46 rear that I bought from Paul on here and will use it under a project I am thinking about (as soon as I get the very next one done) and am not afraid to run it. But like Jerry said, I won't use that car on cross country trips, more around town and short hops.

One side note, if you use the conversion kit you are left with needing to find a way to locate the axle. The stock wishbones are NOT meant to operate without the torque tube and lots of guys who have tried to run them as lone radius rods find out they do snap in half easily. You will need to fab up proper radius rods that can take the forces exerted by a rear that wants to tear itself from under the car.

Oh, and Norm didn't exactly take it easy on the banjo in his T bucket!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4bMyrKxRdQ

Don