DIY Banjo Open Drive Conversions

[pistolpete]

Been researching a bit on a few other sites. Just wondering if anyone on here has came up with their own take on this. I know there is a way to do it, without forking $300 on a kit. I want to run a T5 tranny behind a flathead so this is what is driving the thought process.

Quick run down of what I am thinking
- cut torque tube
- make a cap with an opening for the seal & weld to cut torque tube
- take the coupling out of the torque tube, and weld it to a yoke
- turn the weld down on a lathe to make sure it isnt unbalanced & possibly change the OD on the seal end to make work with an off the shelf oil seal (if needed)

The one thing I am slightly hung up on is how to keep the yoke on the splines. I have seen them just drilled and through bolted, but that looks like it would really be unbalanced to me... was thinking maybe a shear pin, or a machine screw or something like that... Still in the thinking stages on this so any wisdom would be appreciated.

 

[wendle]

I do more or less this same conversion to put Unimog axles into rock crawlers. Just cut off the outer torque tube and machine it to accept a seal, cut the inner tube and weld a flange to it.

I always drill and tap the end of the pinion and bolt the flange up. I've never used a yoke, a flange is pretty easy to do.

 

[Sniper]

I have a very similar circumstance going on here. Speedway has a kit, and I plan to copy the style. It is about as simple as it gets. The tough part is splining the yoke, if you have access to a broach even that becomes simple. Kit # 919-1105, take a look at the 'Instruction sheet', it's all laid out, even the CR seal number. Well...at least it was until they read this!

 

[pistolpete]

Yeah I have seen that, there are also a couple threads on the hamb that list seal numbers as well.

Wendle, thanks for the pictures. Most of what I have read has used a flange, but then the bolt passed threw the splines sideways. Is the flange machines just for that or is it off of another vehicle? Really nice set up. I may need to liberate a few ideas from you.

 

[pistolpete]

One more quick silly question, what do you use to drill the pinion? I would assume that you do not pull out the pinion.

 

[Sniper]

Use the existing hole that is already there. The unit should have a pin holding the works together already. Quite often they are peened over on the ends like a rivet. I'll see if I can get a picture of one of my rearends that are apart that shows what is there. I also have a manual that has most rearends and setup specs for that era. I think there is a cutaway drawing of the A banjo rear. Might take a bit of digging to find it though, haven't seen it for awhile, might be 'under a few layers!!' If I can find it I'll post it.

 

[Willowbilly3]

On all of the old ones I have taken apart they seem kind of wobbly on the splines after the cross pin is removed. I kinda wondered if that splined end of the shaft was a good enough fit to make a yoke from it.

 

[wendle]

Yeah I have seen that, there are also a couple threads on the hamb that list seal numbers as well.

Wendle, thanks for the pictures. Most of what I have read has used a flange, but then the bolt passed threw the splines sideways. Is the flange machines just for that or is it off of another vehicle? Really nice set up. I may need to liberate a few ideas from you.

That particular flange is just machined to suit, but there is no reason you couldn't modify a stock flange that matches your driveshaft.

One more quick silly question, what do you use to drill the pinion? I would assume that you do not pull out the pinion.

A drill

Yeah, I always drill the pinion in position. Newer stuff, and more than likely your old banjo pinion, is always case hardened, so cut half an inch or so off the end so you're not trying to drill/tap the hardened steel.

 

[pistolpete]

Sniper & Willowbilly, there was no cross pin in mine at all when I took it apart, the hole is there in both the shaft and the pinion, just was no pin at all. The splines were a pretty tight fit, it took more then a little bit of a wiggle to pull it off the pinion.

Thanks again Wendle, good point about the hardened steel, I probably would have sat driling the end for hours without thinking of that.