Rearend gear change?

jjbubaboy
jjbubaboy Senior Contributor
edited November -1 in HUDSON
Hey all again,

Looking for info and suggestions on how to best overcome the lack of speed from the stock 3 speed trans and 411 geared rear in my 36T.

Can the gearset be changed and by who? How about a direct changout of the rearend?

Curious what others have done and of course what the most economical $$ is!

Thanks again!

Jeff

Comments

  • Park_W
    Park_W Senior Contributor
    Jeff, I think the cleanest solution is to get a set of repro 3.56 gears from the Railton folks in UK. They make frequent runs of 20 or so sets. The price is a bit stiff, around $800 at today's exchange rates, but keeps the original looks of the rear axle and avoids the difficulties of putting an overdrive tranny in a thirties vintage Hud or Terraplane. If you could come across one of the rare '40 Hudson OD units, that's workable too, but likely as expensive nowadays as the Railton repro gears, and more work and complication involved. Someone here on the forum can provide contact info for the folks in the UK who do the repro gears.
  • Jon B
    Jon B Administrator
    The WTN ran an article a few years ago about changing the entire rear axle to a 1960's MoPar ("Turning your Terraplane into a Highway Cruiser"). I believe Mustang rearends from the 60's or 70's have been used. Results in a roughly 3.5 to 1 ratio.



    A fellow in Ohio found that the pumpkin from an early 50's Ford with Ford-O-Matic transmission, neatly transplanted, for a roughly 3.5 to 1 ratio.



    A fellow I knew (sadly, he has passed away) transplanted the entire rear axle from an automatic-transmission-equipped StepDown, into his '37 Terraplane. Not sure of the ratio but it gets pretty favorable in those automatic transmission cars. By the way, he had to come up with some spacers for the wheels, to widen the track (StepDowns have narrower track than the earlier cars).



    Easiest but maybe most expensive way, would be to buy the 3.11 gearset now being made by Pat McDonald in England. At the old exchange rate this ran about $600 US but now (if you haven't noticed) our currency isn't doing so well, so it will probably be more expensive. This change, requires that you do a bit of grinding in the axle housing so that the ring gear will fit in, but it's nothing too dramatic. In 1937, at least, this highway gear could be ordered from your local Hudson dealer, so it is fairly "authentic".



    Another way to get down the highway quickly, is to retro-fit a Hudson overdrive transmission to your car. This can be rather dicey because it's a tight fit in front of the X-member. I think the 1941-52 OD trannies will fit but you will have to install a column-type transmission lever, because you cannot plug a floor shift into the top of the transmission. I know a couple guys who have made this changeover, and actually Hudson offered a column-shift retro-fit kit for 37 through 39 so it's not entirely in-authentic. 1940 transmissions will fit but are scarce and expensive. The post 1952 trannies (made completely by Borg Warner) CAN have a floor shifter plugged right in, but you can't fit the OD version of the transmission in, without cutting the X-frame. (The regular 3-speed will fit in, though; I know a fellow with a '35 convertible who has one, with a floor shifter, and of course it has synchromesh -- which the old crash-boxes didn't have.



    Bad thing about an OD is, that they were not built for the Electric Hand, if you have one on your car. There are no brackets. So for an E-H equipped car, the best compromise might be to get the high speed rearend gears or complete transplant axle.
  • Ol racer
    Ol racer Senior Contributor
    There are complete rear end housings with higher gear ratios 3.00 - 390 that will fit your car, especially Ford & Mopar with the same bolt pattern as Hudson. However, consider when improving road speed (and slowing engine rev's) will then reguire more downshifting on hills. I read where some have reto-fit overdrive...
  • PAULARGETYPE
    PAULARGETYPE Senior Contributor
    Well here Is My 2 Cents In My 50 Pacemaker I Went With A 53/54 Hudson Hydromatic 307 Rear End With No Over Drive It Works Realy Well My Pacemake Had A Very Low 1st Gear As Your 37 Has And With The Rear End I Don't Have The Down Shift Probles I WoulD Go With A Mopar Or Ford 9' Rear End( It Looks Like The Hudson Rear End Your Removing As It Is A 3rd Member Type ) With A Gear Range In The 300 Range Good Luck And Let Us Know What You Do

    Hudsonly

    Paul
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    Heres goes's. My 1933 Terraplane 8 has a 1952 thru 1954 dana 44 rear in it. 3.07 ratio. Fits PERFECT. I moved the spring perchs in 1.5" on either side. Reworked the front of the emergency brake cables to fit the brake crossover. NO ADAPTERS NEEDED for wheels needed. Same bolt pattern as your 36. Now if you want to change the gear ratio, a new ring gear and pinion is available for approx. $175.00. The gear fits numerous makes cars over the years, Mercury, studebaker.to name some. SO most any year stepdown rear will fit fine. I even had a 51 Hydro. rear in my car at one time. 3.58 ratio. and it even had a 38 112 rear in it when I got the car in 1965. Still fit fine. If you want to change your front brakes to larger Hornet brakes, they fit also. Only thing you change is the inner wheel bearing. Use the 36 inner bearing and race. Problem you will have is the rear universal joint. 36 is smaller and will not fit the later rear.SO you will need a 37 up transmission with the later u joint., but that is bolt in also. If you want info. other easy changes using later Hudson parts Email or send me a message on this forum. Tom Bowler
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    I hate to see other than Hudson parts in our cars but the Ford 8 inch or 9 inch rearend is great the y are used in alot of cars and are cheap. You can get them for free sometimes and i have paid $25.00 to $50.00 for them. dont let someone tell you they are $500.00 or something like that. they have a wide range of gear ratios from about a 2.87 to 5.86 if you would want most have a high 2 to 3.00 as standard ratio. you will never know by looking one is under your car when installed.
  • Richie
    Richie Senior Contributor
    Chuck G wrote:
    I hate to see other than Hudson parts in our cars but the Ford 8 inch or 9 inch rearend is great the y are used in alot of cars and are cheap. You can get them for free sometimes and i have paid $25.00 to $50.00 for them. dont let someone tell you they are $500.00 or something like that. they have a wide range of gear ratios from about a 2.87 to 5.86 if you would want most have a high 2 to 3.00 as standard ratio. you will never know by looking one is under your car when installed.



    I bought a complete 9" rearend from pull-a-part for 68.00 plus a 10.00 core charge. I bought two new wheel cylinders and new brake shoes and axle bearings for it. Total investment was around $115.00 if I remember correctly. The ratio is 310 and it came out of a 1960 Ford Galaxy. This is not for my Hudson, it is for another old car. Chuck is right on about the pricing. Don't pay too much !! Richie.
  • junkcarfann
    junkcarfann Expert Adviser
    The Ford 8" and the Ford 9" are two very different animals. The 9" has been out of production since the 1980's, are somewhat hard to find, and are coveted by racers...Finding one cheap is real lucky. If you do find one, it is very likely to be too wide for a 1936 Hudson product, as they only came in full-size Ford products (translation: wide) and pickups starting in 1957. Not sure if the pickup wheel bolt pattern is the same as the car, which is the same as the Hudson wheel bolt pattern.



    The Ford 8" (actually 8.8-inch, is basically a 7.5 with a larger right gear) is current, and readily available, and thus cheaper, plus it comes in numerous widths, some of which fit early Hudsons.



    Thus, a 1936 Terraplane will be too narrow for many 9" Fords. Do a search of this website...I put a 8.8" Ford rear in a 1936 car, its real easy if you get the right width, details are in the archive.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    At one time I even had an 8" Ford in my car. It came out of a 66 Fairlane. Fit perfect except for moving the spring perchs in on each side. 9" Ford trucks had 5-51/2" bolt pattern, but even they were difff. widths. Overkill.
  • junkcarfann
    junkcarfann Expert Adviser
    When I put the 8.8 Ford in a 1936 car, the u-joint was the same as the Hudson, and even the ventilated bolt that holds the Brake line tee interchanged, at the exact same spot! Just had to weld on spring perches, (careful of the pinion angle) and deal w/the emergency brake.



    Considering that the rear came out of a 2004 Ford Explorer, it was amazing.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    You are talking about a 8.8 rear end and not a 8 inch as found in say a 1965 ford mustang or fairlane, the 9 inch is really overkill as you said and most of the time to wide unless you have your measuring stick and know what to look for . sounds like the 8.8 was a good fit for our Terraplanes and there are plenty out there thats for sure. Alot of good info. for guys considering the swap.
  • jjbubaboy
    jjbubaboy Senior Contributor
    A BIG thanks to all who responded! Lots of good info and put me on the right track!

    Hudsonly,

    TerraJeff
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