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MG MGB GT V8 Factory Originals Technical - Brakes for 8' Ford axle

On a webpage of the v8 register Barrie Egerton of Sydney Australia has mgb drum brakes fitted to his 8" Ford rear axle,does anyone know how this is done?
Dave Lowe

Glenn Towrey has been making hybrid 8" Ford rears with B ends for years. Very simple since the OD of the late B tubes matches the ID of the Ford tubes. Cut, slide together, use a huge steel bar fixture to line everything up & weld. Catch is the custom axles Ford on one end, MGB on the other.

I have around 200,000 miles on the one Glenn made for me a few years ago.
Jim Stuart

I also made my rear end by welding the MG tubes into the 8" center section,thereby retaining all the stock MG spring mounts,brakes,etc.Making the axles was the downside for sure.I don't know how Glenn makes his,perhaps he can shed some light.I cut the stock Ford axles to the MG configuration.They were very hard,I did all the OD turning on my crank grinder.I had a buddy cut the splines and he went through a few end mills to get it done.It's definitely a labor intensive approach but seems to work well,mine is 6 years old with no problems.
Dale

Dale-

Glenn used to have Mosler make his axles. Don't know if he still uses them. Curries can also make them.
Jim Stuart

Dale, Did you cut the flange off of the Ford axle and then modify the end so the MGB bearing and hub fit? I have the parts, I just want to get it done right the first time.

Kelly
Kelly Combes

I should have an 8" to play with in a couple weeks. Being a banjo housing, I believe it would be possible to find a point to cut where you could get about any diameter you wanted within reason. I narrowed an early MGB axle a few years back by doing just that and sliding the end into the opening after cutting off several inches. (I know you're scratching your head over this one, right?) To shorten the axles I simply cut them off, turned a 1/2" pilot and chamfer on one piece, cut the other to length, chamfered and drilled/reamed to 1/2", pressed the two together, checked for straightness and welded, alternating sides and checking for straightness often, building the weld up beyond the shaft diameter a bit. This is an old hot rodder's trick and works pretty well.

When welding the housing I inserted the axles and centered everything up then welded, but using a bar is a more accurate way. I've got a length of 2" hollobar that should be just dandy for that.

Jim
Jim Blackwood

Kelly, Yes,I cut the flanges off and made the Ford exactly like the MG on the wheel end.I made bushings that fit in place of the wheel bearings that are 2" on the ID and used a piece of 2" drill rod that I ran all the way through the dif when it was welded.I used axles from a 9" because they were the largest diameter I could find.I needed the extra diameter so I could leave the shoulder for the wheel bearing.
Dale

This looks like a good article for the newsletter - anyone care to take it on? Dale? Jim?
Dan Masters

This one may be more than any one person has the experience to write properly, but maybe we could feed you the info that we each have and let you compile it into an article? Just a thought.

Jim
Jim Blackwood

Jim,

That would work. Send the info in, guys.
Dan Masters

God looks like I have started some thing here !
in the meantime I tried putting the drum assembly on the 8" the backplate fits fine but the drum will not go near and is about an inch out on the depth, but I guess you guys already know this.............
Dave Lowe

See back issue V, vol 1, page 16 of the V8 Newsletter for a more in depth version of Dale's comments above.

Suprised we haven't gotten a comment from Mr Towery on this subject, as he has done quite a few of these axle conversions.
Jim Stuart

That surprises me too. I know at one point we had quite a discussion here about the relative strengths and weights of different axle combinations. However I don't think we ever came to a consensus about the actual weights nor was it tabulated in a way that one could make easy comparisons. That would be a worthy addition to an article I'd think, say weights, estimated Hp potential both in stock and modified form, cost and availability and that sort of thing in an attempt to compare apples to apples. If we could compare axle shaft diameters for instance that would be a big help. I'll try this weekend to put together whatever accurate information I have and send it on. If some others will do the same Dan should be able to compile a very useful article. I believe it would be different enough from the earlier article to justify it and maybe information from that article could be included as well.

Jim
Jim Blackwood

Has anyone built an 8" ford with wire wheel hubs ?
Don Zeigler 3800 Series II V6

Don I did one back in the '70s. Had the 8" narrowed to the wire wheel width,pressed the wire hubs off their axle, drilled the four holes to fit over the wheel studs and bolted them on. I think I had to machine a small lip off the hub to make it flat on the back side.
Steve

This thread was discussed between 02/03/2003 and 09/03/2003

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