OK girls and boys......a quick-'n-dirty picture guide to "late '32" through '48 Ford rear radius rods as used on torque tube banjo rears.
The first pics are of radius rods found on the late
1932-'34 rears with the "scalloped" torque tube flange on the center section. They are STRAIGHT at the rear where they bolt-on, where-as the "early '32" radius rods (for the ROUND-flanged banjos) had a bend in their rear section.
OK,
1935-'36.......these are easy to ID. The rear portion is a beautiful, heavy forging which is welded into the end of the steel-tube radius rods. The forged part bolts to tabs welded to the axle housings, and also serves as the spring mount on each side. These are cherished and valuable to traditional hot rodders (NICE ones can fetch $300).
1937-'40 radius rods have a forged rear portion which is welded into the longer, steel-tube portion which bolts to the forward torque tube. The forged rear portion bolts to the axle housing in a more-conventional manner than the '35-'36 versions. They are rather long, and project far forward on the torque tube. The following picture portrays this, as the long 1940 rod stands next to a much-shorter 1941-only radius rod, although their general construction is similar. 1941 Ford rear ends have many unique, one-year-only details.
1942-'48 are rather short also, and mount quite a bit farther back on the torque tube (as seen on this 1946 rear end) when compared with 1935-1940 radius rods.
This may help answer some basic ID questions. DD