Thread: 40 Ford frontend

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Hi everybody, new guy-punk kid here. I'm building a Model A roadster. So far I have a PoBoy chassis from RodNrace in Maryland, and a 4" drop tube axle/hairpin setup from Speedway Motors. My friend has a complete 1940 Ford coupe frontend. I just wanted the backing plates but this thing is all there from the wishbone to the drums. It's been sitting is his yard since 1965 and he wants $300 for it. It that a good price? I'm just starting to learn how much this old stuff costs. Thanks

I know '40 axles have been used under Model-A frames and the wishbone can be split, but isn't the spring in front of the axle? I guess you could get spring-over-the-axle perches and saw off the spring mounts, but for $300 you could buy a Econo disk brake kit for your existing axle. If you only want the backing plates and brake parts that price is too high compared to several modern disk brake kits. I guess you would get split wishbones and backing plates compared to an econo disk kit and hairpin or four-bar. Unless you are extremely into retro building it looks like you are spending more to get a setup that has been improved on since 1950.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Thanks Don,

It's a reproduction chassis with the frame horns removed, and a round tube front cross member. It has a suicide spring perch, and the frame is Zd' in front and a 10" kick up in back. I have a spring behind the axle setup and 27" hairpins. I'm worried they may be too short as the car has a 116" wheelbase. I'd like to stay as retro as possible including a real steel body. So the 1940 Ford juice brakes are a must. Are the rear brakes(backing plates, shoes, drums) the same as the front? The old banjo rearend with the hubs is laying next to the car. I just wanted the old frontend for future projects, I can probably find the backing plates somewhere else.

It kinda depends on how you look at it. A few years ago you almost couldn't give those parts away. With all the hype for "nostalgia" rods (rat rods, whatever) old Ford brakes and spindles are back "in". If you watch ebay for a while you'll get a feel for what the market is. Last year I sold a set of '40 brakes (complete, w/good shoes and turnable drums, and all the "little" hardware) and the '40 spindles to a guy building a nostalgia car. Got $300 for the lot, pretty much what they were going on ebay for. I see the spindles are down a little this year, going for less than $90 most of the time. Brakes, supposedly in good shape, seem to still be pullin' near $200.

If the drums aren't beefy enough to be turned again, they're about worthless. A replacement set of inner and outer races and bearings run close to $100. Shoes aren't too bad, typically $40-50. Approach accordingly.