Go Back   The Ford Barn > General Discussion > Early V8 (1932-53)

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 03-03-2013, 11:31 AM   #21
VeryTangled
Senior Member
 
VeryTangled's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: (Not far enough...) Outside of DC
Posts: 3,386
Default Re: 4.44:1 rearend, What's it good for?

Last year we switched our V8-85hp '36 from 4:11 to 3:78's. Went from straining mightily at 55 to okay at just under 65. That'll do for any roads I want to venture out on.

-VT/Jeff
VeryTangled is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-03-2013, 11:35 AM   #22
woodiewagon46
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Long Island,NY
Posts: 1,551
Default Re: 4.44:1 rearend, What's it good for?

If you are interested, Currie Enterprises, has a tech. page that you can use to calculate R.P.M., gear ratio, tire diameter and speed. I found it very useful!
woodiewagon46 is offline   Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)
Old 03-03-2013, 12:34 PM   #23
36tbird
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: nw SanAntonio, TX
Posts: 939
Default Re: 4.44:1 rearend, What's it good for?

Are you in the EFV-8 club? If so, I bet you could probably find someone with a rear end to swap. I've dropped out of my chapter here in San Antone, so I don't know when or where the state meeting is. But, it is usually in April. I think that might be a resource to locate the parts you need. I probably have some 3.78's but you would have to get someone to build up the rear for you.
36tbird is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-03-2013, 02:19 PM   #24
34ford
Senior Member
 
34ford's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: franklin park ill.
Posts: 174
Default Re: 4.44:1 rearend, What's it good for?

i heard that all v8 60s came with the 4.44 gear?
34ford is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-03-2013, 07:47 PM   #25
Bruce Lancaster
Member Emeritus
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Madison, NJ
Posts: 5,230
Default Re: 4.44:1 rearend, What's it good for?

4.44 would be a lousy choice as-is but potentially a very good one with an overdrive.
Possibles are columbia ($$$), '41-48 Lincoln OD trans,($$$) or a mitchell; compute costs and time switching to 3.54's, consider that the OD would give you the benefits of much taller cruse gear WITH the killer low-speed gearing of the 4.44, and it might start looking very attractive.
The deep gears plus overdrive would give you a very good gear spread, whereas changing just the R&P can give you good cruising gear but will actually hurt your lower end gearing. This is perhaps a chance to have your cake and eat it too...
Bruce Lancaster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-03-2013, 10:32 PM   #26
ford38v8
Senior Member
 
ford38v8's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 6,616
Default Re: 4.44:1 rearend, What's it good for?

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)
Bruce, I had 4.44 gears in my car when I bought it. It's not fun shifting to second gear before you get across an intersection, especially if you're turning a corner. Besides use with a 60 hp engine or driving a parade, I found it to be useful only for the steep hills of San Francisco. I'd think a 4.11 with an OD would be good, but I wouldn't bother with a 4.44.
__________________
Alan
ford38v8 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-03-2013, 11:18 PM   #27
JM 35 Sedan
Senior Member
 
JM 35 Sedan's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Near Rising Sun, Maryland
Posts: 10,856
Default Re: 4.44:1 rearend, What's it good for?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie ny View Post
Flat,
If you lived closer we could hook up. I have a 3:54 rear end and a
Columbia with 3:78's on the shelf. Both are '37 - '40 style but would drop
right in. The big deal with the 3:54's is finding a decent turtle , 18 tooth, I
believe.
Charlie ny
Bratton's Antique Auto Parts, here in Maryland, sells the 18 tooth turtle and gear. The gear is Nylon but will work fine. Bratton's sales people manning the phones may tell you these turtles and gears are for Model A's but don't let that worry you, they will also work on early V8's.
__________________
John

"Never give up on what you really want to do. The person with big dreams is more powerful than one with all the facts". Albert Einstein
JM 35 Sedan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-04-2013, 12:17 AM   #28
columbiA
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: B.C. Canada
Posts: 1,746
Default Re: 4.44:1 rearend, What's it good for?

Both my Model A,s have Columbia OD,s with 4.11 & 2.94 ratios & work great with B engines with 5.9 head.Will pull most hills with no problem.
columbiA is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-04-2013, 12:52 AM   #29
hardtimes
Senior Member
 
hardtimes's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: South California
Posts: 6,188
Default Re: 4.44:1 rearend, What's it good for?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Walt Dupont--Me. View Post
I'd say that truck falley light. With the 59 engine it should handle 3:54 very well. You could cruse 60-65 with out overrworking the engine. I have 3:54 in my 31 Model A with the B engine and it has all the power you want and go over any hill with no problem. Walt
X 2, only in a roadster..great fun to drive
hardtimes is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-04-2013, 09:01 PM   #30
rlhinit
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Central Wisc
Posts: 50
Default Re: 4.44:1 rearend, What's it good for?

Have any of you guys considered installing a T5 trans ? Cornhuskers ,Speedway just to name a couple offer the adapters to do the job. The beauty behind this is the fact that its a 5 speed over drive.

I'm giving serious consideration for my "37 with an 85 hp. The people that I've talked to that have done this say that it's the sweetest thing they've ever done to improve the driving experience. Rayzor

Rayzor
rlhinit is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-04-2013, 10:48 PM   #31
flat-v8
Senior Member
 
flat-v8's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Magnolia Texas
Posts: 586
Default Re: 4.44:1 rearend, What's it good for?

I just found one in really good shape today on Craigslist, and real close to home! It has back plates, brakes and cylinders, probably '39 -'40. Got it for $75.00 He had no idea what the ratio is, really good deal whatever it is, so I bought it! When I got home I marked the drive shaft end, and the axle shaft, turned the drive shaft spline 3 1\2 turns + a tiny bit, and the axle shaft made exactly 1 turn. Is that a 3.54:1 gear set? I did it like 4 times to be sure. Whatever it actually is, I'm thrilled I found it!
flat-v8 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2013, 03:16 AM   #32
Mart
Senior Member
 
Mart's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Solihull, England.
Posts: 8,732
Default Re: 4.44:1 rearend, What's it good for?

Hard to say. Best way to check is to hold one hub still, turn the other hub exactly 2 turns and count the driveshaft revolutions. If it is a 3.54 ratio it may be a Merc axle. Some pics might help identify it, and some measurements could be useful - length of torque tube for instance, type of hub and brake backplate (at the lower pivot point area).

Mart.
Mart is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2013, 10:35 AM   #33
Bruce Lancaster
Member Emeritus
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Madison, NJ
Posts: 5,230
Default Re: 4.44:1 rearend, What's it good for?

"Bruce, I had 4.44 gears in my car when I bought it. It's not fun shifting to second gear before you get across an intersection..."
You gotta do the whole package, the way Ford did it on the Lincoln...low rear, closer ratio gears in trans, circa 30% off the top in overdrive!
Bruce Lancaster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2013, 11:51 AM   #34
flat-v8
Senior Member
 
flat-v8's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Magnolia Texas
Posts: 586
Default Re: 4.44:1 rearend, What's it good for?

I'm learning more every minute, between the HAMB and Ford Barn. Tonight I'll look for the numbers stamped below the torque tube bolts, I hope it is 11_39, but I'll be happy with 9_34 3.78:1. I do know it is '37 - '40 based on these pics.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg axlehousings5.jpg (31.0 KB, 30 views)
File Type: jpg P2131351m.jpg (88.8 KB, 28 views)
File Type: jpg axlehousings6.jpg (30.5 KB, 29 views)
flat-v8 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-11-2013, 12:06 AM   #35
boo
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: stuart, fl
Posts: 156
Default Re: 4.44:1 rearend, What's it good for?

just put my rdst pu. back in the garage, it has a 53 merk eng. [stock except hc heads] 26 tooth linc. zy. trans grs. 4.44 rear , columbia od, 7:00x16 rr tires. 3rd gear is good for 15mph to 55+ in low range, great around town, hi range ,about 30mph to ???, works better w/stock cam than race cam, took cam out and put stock back in,now great to drive...
boo is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:51 AM.